Aerospace Bristol - Concorde Museum

Aerospace Bristol - the Concorde Museum

Filton, Bristol

 

Opened in October 2017, Aerospace Bristol is a major £19m industrial heritage museum and learning centre that inspires and entertains today's and future generations, through the presentation of the stories and achievements of Bristol's world-class aerospace industry - past, present and future. Drawing together collections of objects and archives spanning over 100 years of aviation history with the latest in aerospace technology, Aerospace Bristol will be a first-class museum with learning at its heart. 

 

Aerospace Bristol will reunite the heritage from a number of important collections to tell not only the stories of design, engineering innovation and achievement, but also the social history of the people who worked in the aerospace industry and the communities which have grown up around it. The object collection contains over 8,000 artefacts (many ‘at risk’) Bristol-built aircraft including Concorde 216, Bristol Scout, Bristol Fighter and a Blenheim IV (WWII Bristol Bolingbroke bomber, under restoration), as well as many scaled models.

 

The historic site is the starting point for the interpretation. Stepping over the Aerospace Bristol threshold, the visitor will experience a sense of place and history – of ‘being there' at the heart of the Filton story. The narrative has been organised according to 7 ‘eras’ with a separate hangar that celebrates the story of Concorde and its local connection.

 

Aerospace Bristol will inspire future generations, using examples of great innovation, such as Concorde and space flight. Concorde is a symbol of the UK's ambition, innovation, collaboration and technological achievement. Bristol can safely claim to be the true home of Concorde - the airframe and the engines were largely developed here, the UK assembly line was located here, and all UK Concordes made their maiden flight from Filton's runway. The last Concorde built, and the last to fly, is preserved on Filton Airfield, and will form the centre-piece of the Aerospace Bristol exhibition.

 

Education and learning will be at the heart of Aerospace Bristol. In partnership with local schools and businesses, the exhibition and activity spaces will provide formal and informal learning, particularly in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). With the support of several large aerospace and advanced engineering companies, such as Airbus, GKN, Rolls-Royce, and Renishaw, we will be able to provide a unique interface between students and aerospace industry.

 

The aim of the museum is to restore, conserve and preserve artefacts that are significant to Bristol's aerospace heritage. The workshops will enable us to undertake new restoration projects and provide opportunities for local people to become actively involved and learn new skills. The Bristol Aero Collection Trust, the organisation behind Aerospace Bristol, was originally registered as the Bristol Aero Collection in 1992, merging with sister charity The Concorde Trust to form the Bristol Aero Collection Trust in 2012. Trustees and Members have spent nearly three decades collecting artefacts, documents and personal stories and welcoming visitors to see the growing collection at Banwell and then Kemble prior to the establishment of the new museum.

Bristol Aerospace Bristol