13 years after it last closed its doors, the Jet Age Museum at Staverton opened for a preview last weekend. Its new home is a purpose-built 30 x 36m building with a lean-to cafe/reception area, located on Meteor Business Park on the north side of Gloucestershire Airport.
More than 880 people visited and £3000 raised over the Bank Holiday weekend. Admission to the museum is free and the all-volunteer organisation plans to continue to open at weekends between 10-4pm while work on the building is completed and the rest of the collection and exhibits go on display.
The Gamecock reproduction and Horsa cockpit project will probably be the next exhibits to move to the new premises, along with the Gladiator rebuild and Meteor NF.13, which is currently at Bruntingthorpe.
Other airframes, including two more Meteor T.7’s, NF.11, Vampire, Canberra and Harrier and Hunter cockpits, all currently stored nearby, are likely to go on outdoor display eventually.
A few pictures here…
More here…
…and on the Fcaebook page… https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Jet-Age-Museum/100374323379961
By: --o-o-O-o-o-- - 18th February 2014 at 08:10
Do you still possess the NF14?
Peter, yes. She’s lurking in the bushes behind the museum awaiting restoration.
Consul
Good point! I’ve only just realised that the image on the website is wrong! The museum’s example is as per the picture in the thread. The fuselage frame and u/c legs are just about complete. We have some more pieces to collect from Retro Track & Air, which will go on display beside her pending (long term) restoration.
By: Consul - 17th February 2014 at 10:17
Congratulations on your progress with the Staverton site. I see from the following link that your members have been involved with the ongoing restoration of four Gladiators:
http://www.historyjournal.co.uk/home/gladiator
I assumed that the frame delivered to your new museum site was that of N5914 but a photo on your website indicated that it’s restoration had progressed beyond the basic frame:
http://www.jetagemuseum.btck.co.uk/Aircraft/GlosterGladiatorN5914
It would be interesting to have an update on the latest status of all those Gladiator projects, to clarify whether the Staverton example is to remain a basic frame or whether other components are already finished and will be assembled on site; or does the picture in the second link above (which seems to show a more progressed example) illustrate one of the other Gladiators mentioned in the first link?
Tim
By: PeterVerney - 17th February 2014 at 07:50
Do you still possess the NF14?
By: --o-o-O-o-o-- - 16th February 2014 at 23:30
The museum is opening from Tuesday to Sunday next week, 10-4pm daily for Half Term.
By: --o-o-O-o-o-- - 20th November 2013 at 22:29
The museum’s Gloster Gladiator arrived today. Recovered from Norway in 1998, it’s been under restoration locally.
Untitled by Darren Lewington, on Flickr
More pics in the Flickr gallery
By: --o-o-O-o-o-- - 11th November 2013 at 00:14
We held a short remembrance ceremony today. Former Horsa glider pilot, Ken Plowman laid a wreath.
By: --o-o-O-o-o-- - 18th October 2013 at 22:17
We’re reopening again at weekends from tomorrow, 10-4. The Gamecock and Horsa cockpit are now on display.
By: --o-o-O-o-o-- - 29th September 2013 at 21:16
From our Facebook page…
“We closed or doors at 4pm today bringing to an end the first six weeks of our ‘preview’ openings. During that time we’ve welcomed more than 2200 visitors to the museum and raised over £7800. We’re closing for the next two weeks to bring our Gloster Gamecock and our Horsa glider cockpit to their new home and will reopen on Saturday 19th October with these two new exhibits on display.
We’re extremely grateful to everyone who has visited. We’re grateful for your kind feedback, donations and continued support and we’re catching up with those of you who have joined as members and volunteered to help – you’ll be hearing from us soon!
Above all, we need to say a MASSIVE thank you to our volunteers. You are the lifeblood of our organisation and we absolutely could not have done this without your support and passion for what we do. You should be immensely proud of what we’ve achieved and we really look forward to the next exciting phase of our history!”
By: RedRedWine - 9th September 2013 at 00:14
What a lovely museum, and such helpful and friendly guides/explainers. Good luck to all.
By: --o-o-O-o-o-- - 8th September 2013 at 09:29
We’re getting a healthy flow of visitors already and will be opening on Wednesdays too during September, 10-4.
By: Sopwith - 1st September 2013 at 18:30
Sat and Sun 10-4
Great thank you I shall pop down soon.
By: Arabella-Cox - 1st September 2013 at 08:35
…other airframes, including two more Meteor T.7’s, NF.11, Vampire, Canberra and Harrier and Hunter cockpits, all currently stored nearby, are likely to go on outdoor display eventually.
The cockpits will live outside ? Surely they could find a quite corner indoors ?
By: --o-o-O-o-o-- - 1st September 2013 at 07:49
Opening in the week at all???
David, ultimately, yes. The plan is to build up to, ideally, a seven day operation but as we are entirely voluntarily ‘staffed’ it’s going to take a while to achieve that. We’re still very much a ‘work in progress’ at present and have already had teams of volunteers doing Wednesday working groups in the run up to opening, so that is likely to be the first additional day.
The ‘official’ opening will be sometime in early 2014.
By: David Burke - 31st August 2013 at 09:31
Opening in the week at all???
By: --o-o-O-o-o-- - 30th August 2013 at 22:14
What are the opening times please?
Sat and Sun 10-4
By: 1batfastard - 30th August 2013 at 19:48
Hi All,
Well done to all involved and may all your problems be little one’s great pictures ooOoo :eagerness:
Geoff.:D
By: Rocketeer - 30th August 2013 at 19:35
Great news, well done!
By: Tin Triangle - 30th August 2013 at 18:55
It’s great to see this project finally come to fruition,especially seeing another Javelin and two more Meteors in a snug building away from the elements!
By: Sopwith - 30th August 2013 at 18:54
What are the opening times please?
By: Trolly Aux - 30th August 2013 at 13:20
The Vulcan looks fantastic !, great news on the reopening of the museum after so long.
TA
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August 29, 2013 at 11:43 pm