Our good friends at the Jet Age Museum suffered a body blow on December 1st, when its latest bid for lottery cash was rejected. Volunteers have been trying to raise money to build a new base for the collection of vintage aircraft for three years.
The aircraft are now out in the open at Staverton airfield.
Volunteers fear the collection, which includes a replica of the first jet aircraft, will have to be split up.
Last November the museum was awarded £15,700 by the Heritage Lottery Fund to prepare plans for the new building.
But the Lottery fund rejected a £600,000 bid to build it.
Chairman of the Jet Age Museum John Lewer said: “We don’t know why we were rejected yet. We have to wait for a letter for the explanation.
“It probably means the aircraft will have to be dispersed. There’s always a chance that someone might come up with a rescue package. There are plenty of enthusiasts in the area and some big aerospace companies so you never know.
“We have some wonderful aircraft and artefacts so it would be a shame to split the collection up. This was our third bid so there would be no use bidding again.
“The major problem is they have a lot of museums bidding for grants and if they’re going to give a lot of money they want it to be run by full-time staff. We’re volunteers.
“The last time we bid they said we’d need a full-time manager and an education officer. The overheads would go up and we couldn’t afford to run it.”
Mr Lewer added: “If we have to split the collection, the aircraft will probably go to other museums around the country. The aircraft will not be scrapped. We’d make sure they went to good homes.”
The centrepiece of the museum is a replica of Sir Frank Whittle’s E28, the first plane to use a jet engine.
Other aircraft include a Gladiator, a Gamecock, three Meteors and a Javelin. There is also paperwork, aircraft parts and aviation paraphernalia in storage in Quedgeley.
Anyone who can help the museum should email Mr Lewer at [EMAIL=johnlewer.kay2@virgin.net]John Lewer[/EMAIL]
The plans for the new building included an exhibition hall, shop, cafe, storage and study areas.
The lottery turned down the museum’s bid for a £4.9 million grant in July 1998 and it also rejected a £1.5 million bid in March 2000.
We hope that the collection can find either the money or a new home soon so that we can continue our close working relationship/friendship.
By: Bruce - 11th December 2004 at 17:28
I feel desperately sorry for the group, but am not terribly surprised by this news. Lottery funding has in the past helped improve existing museums, but has rarely put up the money to build a museum that simply isnt there. Exhibits are one thing, but with no other infrastructure, I think it was asking a lot.
I do wish them luck in the future, and feel that if they can re-open even in a very small way on another site, they might stand a better chance of attracting funding in the future.
Bruce
By: David Burke - 11th December 2004 at 16:58
Ian – I don’t contest that Cheltenham is a worthy tourist attraction alongside the delights of the Cotswolds . However Filton airfield is thirty seven miles away and has the advantage of being the home of the Bristol Aeroplane Company . I would put my money on Filton.
By: ian_st - 11th December 2004 at 14:16
I live about two miles from Staverton, on the edge of Cheltenham which is a major tourist attraction ” The gateway to the Cotswolds”, so I would contest your comment vis – a – vis Bristol.
By: David Burke - 11th December 2004 at 14:07
I cant help but think that any lottery cash is going to go to a potential museum at Filton. With a Concorde on the books and a number of aircraft
with the Bristol Aero Collection at Kemble there is a good basis for a museum.
Whilst I applaud John’s efforts I feel that Staverton whilst interesting isn’t that much of a tourist draw ,whilst the Bristol area is. If some effort was made to pool resources there could be a world class collection if they both joined forces.
By: Canada TD - 11th December 2004 at 12:41
John and his team have worked so hard on this and I cannot understand why it keeps failing. It seems that the big museums seem to have most of the luck with the HLF
By: Stieglitz - 11th December 2004 at 11:58
The future doesn’t look so bright for the museum, but I hope they might find a way to build that new building.
J.V.
By: andrewman - 11th December 2004 at 11:57
Thats a real shame, hopefully a way foward can be found.
By: MarkG - 11th December 2004 at 11:17
Very sad news. They have some wonderful aeroplanes that deserve a permanent roof over their heads. I wish them all the best.
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December 11, 2004 at 10:57 am