Solway Aviation Museum
Volunteer-run aviation museum at Carlisle Airport with more than twenty aircraft, including an Avro Vulcan with a visitable cockpit.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Solway Aviation Museum grew out of the Solway Group of Aviation Enthusiasts, formed on 4 February 1961 by five members of the Royal Observer Corps. In 1983 the group bought an Avro Vulcan bomber, which was flown from RAF Waddington to Carlisle Airport, and renamed itself the Solway Aviation Society. The museum first opened in 1988 in a wooden building and later moved into its main museum buildings.
Today the museum has three large buildings, two of them open to visitors, on the grounds of Carlisle Airport at Crosby-on-Eden. More than twenty aircraft are on display, among them the Vulcan XJ823, a Trident airliner, a Canberra, a Sea Prince, a Lightning, a Phantom, a Jaguar, a Meteor and a Hunter. Visitors can look into the cockpits of the Vulcan, Canberra and Sea Prince.
The museum is run by the Solway Aviation Society, a registered charity, with volunteers. It also keeps an archive and is restoring a Blackburn Beverley.
Highlights
- Avro Vulcan XJ823 with cockpit access
- Cockpits of the Canberra and Sea Prince open to visitors
- Hawker Siddeley Trident airliner
- Cold War jets including Lightning, Phantom and Jaguar
- Blackburn Beverley under restoration
Permanent exhibitions
- Avro Vulcan XJ823 – A Vulcan V-bomber bought by the society in 1983, with a cockpit that visitors can look into, and Vulcan tours.
- Jets and airliners – More than twenty aircraft, including a Hawker Siddeley Trident, a Canberra, a Sea Prince, a Lightning, a Phantom and a Jaguar.
- Founded
- 1961
- Operated by
- Solway Aviation Society Ltd
Admission & discounts
| Adults | £8 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | £6Senior citizens |
| Children & teens | £5Child ticket for ages 6 to 16. |
| Seniors | £6 |
| Families | £20Family ticket for up to two children. |
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
A wheelchair and a small electric mobility buggy are available on request. There is a disabled car park. The website gives no information on steps or toilets. The cockpits were not designed for public access and are small and cramped; the Vulcan cockpit may involve climbing a small ladder.
Kids & families
| Family ticket | £20 · Family ticket for up to two children. |
|---|
- Hands-on stations
- Baby changing facilities
Baby changing facilities are available. Children must be kept with an adult at all times because the museum is on a live airfield.
Getting there & parking
By car
Parking available
On-site car park, a disabled car park and an overflow car park for busier times, a short walk from the museum.
- Accessible parking
Take the M6 to junction 44, then follow the A689 to Carlisle Airport (from the east take the A69 to the roundabout just past Brampton and then the A689). Once at the airport, follow signs for the Aviation Museum.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
Hot and cold refreshments and a gift shop are available.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Vulcan tours are offered and cockpits can be visited; the Vulcan tours are closed in November, while the Canberra, Sea Prince and Trident stay open. Dogs are welcome on the site on a lead but not inside the museum buildings. The museum is on a live airfield beside the main perimeter road, so children must stay with adults and must not climb on the aircraft. |
