Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council has granted planning permission for a major extension to the Avro Heritage Museum at the historic Woodford Aerodrome site in Stockport, UK. The approved plans will see the construction of a large new exhibition hangar, significantly expanding the Museum’s display space and enabling the public exhibition of several important aircraft currently held in storage. The Museum, occupying the former Fire Station at Woodford, an airfield synonymous with some of Britain’s most significant aviation achievements, has experienced sustained growth since opening in November 2015, with visitor numbers increasing steadily year on year, alongside a notable expansion of its aircraft and artefact collection.
Among the aircraft awaiting permanent display is the Avro Shackleton, a substantial and historically important maritime patrol aircraft formerly exhibited in the Aviation Hall at Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry. The proposed hangar will allow the Museum to present larger airframes and provide a more comprehensive overview of Avro’s remarkable design and manufacturing legacy. Commenting on the decision, Terry Barnes, Chairman of Trustees at the Avro Heritage Museum, said: “We welcome the decision of Stockport Council to support our plans to build a large exhibition hall. This will allow us to display all the major exhibits in our collection, many of which are currently in storage. It will also allow visitors to follow the story of how the company grew from modest beginnings in the basement of a cotton mill in Ancoats—building aircraft of timber and fabric—through to producing some of the most famous aircraft in the world, including the Lancaster and Vulcan. Our collection includes examples from every era of that journey. These are exciting times for the Museum.”
The new hangar will enable the Museum to present a more complete account of Avro’s development, tracing the company’s origins from early aircraft construction in the basement of a cotton mill in Ancoats through to the production of internationally renowned aircraft such as the Lancaster and Vulcan. The Museum’s collection includes representative examples from across these formative periods of British aviation history. The quality of the Museum and the dedication of its volunteer team have been formally recognised by VisitEngland, which recently awarded the Avro Heritage Museum its “Hidden Gem in the North West” accolade.
Education remains a central pillar of the Museum’s mission. Working closely with local schools, colleges, and universities, the Museum helps students explore the development of aviation engineering, science, and technology in Greater Manchester and the wider North West. These advances were driven by the Avro Aircraft Company and its successors, including Hawker Siddeley, British Aerospace, and BAE Systems, and continue to inspire future generations. A public fundraising campaign to support the construction and fit-out of the new exhibition hall is expected to be launched shortly. The Avro Heritage Museum is open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10:00 to 16:00. Further details on directions and admission can be found at the Museum’s website https://www.avroheritagemuseum
