Now the weather is getting warmer how about planning a trip to this part of the Science Museum.
No crowds, no whizzy demos but hangers full of interesting items for mechanical types.
The Science Museum's Large Objects store is held in several hangers around the former airfield at Wroughton near Swindon, Wilts. It is open infrequently. 18000 items
Aircraft, Road transport ( cars buses, trucks and lots more), Agricultural Engineering, Fire fighting etc. etc
Free tours of Science Museum Swindon, with various themes, run on the first and third Wednesday of each month from 10.00 to 12.30. Your guide will be a member of our site staff, who will offer a unique insight into the work of the store. These tours must be booked in advance.
tinyurl.com/2f8rks
Some good photos of a couple of stores
www.petergoodearl.co.uk/laceygreen/days/wroughton/...m
www.petergoodearl.co.uk/laceygreen/days/wroughton/...m
If you like motor museums there are a few listed in
www.classicmotor.co.uk/museums/museums.htm
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many thanks henry k for the infomation had no idea this existed must try to visit sometime.
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henry k, you are a gentleman & a scholar!
I drive past the hangers every morning and altho I knew they were something to do with the science museum I had no idea of the treasures within! What a surprise to see how well maintained the interiors appear on the photos. From the outside they do not look anything fancy! To my delight in one of the photos there appears to be a Tate & Lyle 8 wheeler bulk suger tanker, Due to my own incredible stupidity one of these vehicles nearly consigned me to an early grave in the mid sixties. I shall go to Wroughton with all speed to express my gratitude that because it moved (backwards) with the speed of an aged sloth I was able to live to tell the tale and learnt a valuable lesson!
Papho
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Bit more news here.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/6527085.stm Anyone with a surname like that gets my vote!
and a link to more photos etc.
Papho
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That Dan Air Comet - I flew in one of those to Berlin once.......not that long ago either.....!
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This site is likely to change quite significantly over the next few years as there is a massive redevelopment scheme planned.
Brief details here:
www.nmsi.ac.uk/creativeplanet/pdfs/creativeplanet.
Otherwise search for 'Creative Planet' and 'Wroughton'.
I was involved in the project of a couple of years ago and it has the potential to be on a similar scale to the Eden project in terms of impact on wider area. On a specific motoring link, I imagine the additional exhibition space will enable all the cars currently in obscure storage around the UK to be shown in all their past glory.
B.
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What strikes me are that the trucks (at least) seem to be very original and not in museum condition (you know a bit too clean)
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www.voteinspired.org.uk/events/
Next Event - npower Festival of the Future 25 & 26 August.
IIRC it is FREEEE
The BBC was giving it a plug a couple of days ago.
www.voteinspired.org.uk/ourcollections.asp
Directions
www.voteinspired.org.uk/findus.asp
A couple of panoramas inside.
www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/panoramas/nmsi_1_3...l
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I flew to Ibiza on a Dan Air Comet as a kid, must have been about 1972, on the return the plane was struck by lightening on its way in to Ibiza and we were delayed over 12 hours, great fun at that age.
The airport was tiny, like a cafe with a low walled garden through which you walked to the apron. I went back there in 1999 and it was unrecognisable.
The Comet was renown for being almost vibration free, you could balance a 5p / shilling on its edge in flight.
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I too have flown on a Dan Dare 4B comet to Spain. Single most endearing jet aircraft ever. Comfortable, quiet, acres of leg room....
A kid? in 1972? jeez I was starting work.
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< Ex RF, Ex TVM >
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The Comet 4B was a brilliant aircraft, the RAF's Nimrods are based based on the Comet airframe, but with a bigger upper fuselage.
If the earlier Comet versions hadn't got fatigue, with fatal results, and tarnished the Comet reputation forever, the world aviation industry would've been very different - few would've heard of Boeing!
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IIRC Dan Air were based at Blackbush.
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It started at Southend, Moved to Blackbushe and ended up at Gatwick
I remember first boarding a Dan Dare 4B comet. I seem to recal the livery at that time was mainly red and the comet had a lot of bare alluminium. It glittered as the red sun rose on a cold early morning and we climbed the aircraft steps. A very pretty and stylish aircraft, and a perferct intro into my first experience of the jet age.
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< Ex RF, Ex TVM >
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Engineering base for Dan Air was Lasham. My memories are of their 748s on link city services and the truly ancient Viscount 700 they ran (mostly on CI routes) well into the eighties.
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Yep, me too. Dan Air Comet back from Corfu. 1980 I believe. Even got a visit to the cockpit.
JS
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Ahh Dan Air.....the Comet was so British.
However much as I love aircraft and dearly want to link that photo of the Typhoon intercepting that Russian "Bear" to this site I haven't as its a motoring site.....
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Its been a while since mr T.U. Bear played hide and seek with east coast radar. Welcome back bruin.
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< Ex RF, Ex TVM >
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If we still had the Canberra PR9 to overfly Russia with impunity at 80,000 feet, we'd have known about their preparations months ago.
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Yes and seen some cars* as well
*hint !
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coventry has a really good transport museum , birmingham used to have a gooden aswell but i think they closed it unfortunately
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Yup
I popped into the coventry one a month or three back. Its good and free. Pity its in coventry town.
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< Ex RF, Ex TVM >
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yep coventry is a bit of a dump architectually speaking, suppose you have to blame adolph and his cohorts for that one and the numpties who thought they new better with there sandels and long hair in the 60s /70s oh well we live and learn
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"birmingham used to have a gooden aswell but i think they closed it unfortunately "
If you're thinking of the one at Gaydon, just off the M40, I think it's been refurbished and now reopened.
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the one in birmingham that i used to go to was right in the centre , the canal was on one side and they had a full size steam engine (locomotive) and a load of motorcycles ,cars , and spitfires and stuff hanging off the ceilings, so gaydon it is then, this bank holiday, only thing is how to co-erse my other half !!!
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