Introduction
The Avro Heritage Museum in Woodford, Greater Manchester, preserves the extensive industrial and aeronautical legacy of aircraft manufacturer A.V. Roe and Company (Avro). Located on the historic Woodford Aerodrome site, the museum showcases iconic British military and civil designs, historic cockpits, and aerospace artefacts spanning more than a century of aviation manufacturing.
General Information
- Full Name: Avro Heritage Museum
- Operating Entity: Avro Heritage Trust
- Address: Woodford Aerodrome, Chester Road, Woodford, Stockport, Greater Manchester, SK7 1AG, United Kingdom
- Site Coordinates: 53°20′06″ N, 2°09′08″ W
- Public Opening Days: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and UK Bank Holiday Mondays
History
Aviation pioneer Alliott Verdon-Roe established aircraft assembly and test flight operations at Woodford Aerodrome in 1924 after relocating from Alexandra Park Aerodrome. During World War II, the Woodford facility served as the final assembly, flight-testing, and delivery hub for thousands of military aircraft manufactured across northwestern England, most notably assembling over 3,000 Avro Lancaster heavy bombers. During the Cold War, the site produced major types including the Avro Shackleton, the Avro Vulcan strategic jet bomber, and the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft.
Aerodrome operations ceased in 2011 following corporate restructuring by BAE Systems. To protect the historical archive and collection, the Avro Heritage Trust redeveloped the aerodrome’s former fire station into a modern exhibition facility. The Avro Heritage Museum officially opened to the public on 13 November 2015.
Indoor and Outdoor Collections
Outdoor Collection
- Avro Vulcan B.2 (XM603): The centerpiece of the outdoor apron, complete and preserved in its authentic Cold War anti-flash white livery.
- Vickers VC10 C1K (XV106): Preserved transport and aerial refueling tanker forward fuselage section (on loan).
- Hawker Siddeley 748 (Series 2A / Srs 1756): Preserved regional airliner cockpit and forward cabin section.
Indoor Collection
- Roe I Triplane (Full-scale Replica): Represents the early powered flight designs of A.V. Roe from 1909.
- Avro Type F (Full-scale Replica): Represents the pioneering 1912 enclosed-cabin monoplane.
- Avro Vulcan B.2 (XM602): Preserved cockpit and nose section accessible for internal public visits.
- Hawker Siddeley Nimrod MR.2 (XV235): Preserved cockpit and mission crew systems station.
- English Electric Canberra TT.18 (WK118): Woodford-built jet bomber nose section.
- Avro Anson XIX (G-AGPG): Post-war civil variant cockpit section.
- Avro Lancaster B.I (“S for Sugar” R5868): Full-scale nose and crew compartment replica.
- Avro Blue Steel: Stand-off nuclear missile airframe and propulsion test hardware.
Specifications & Museum Operations
- Primary Airframe Dimensions:
- Avro Vulcan B.2 (XM603): Length: 30.45 meters; Wingspan: 33.83 meters; Height: 8.28 meters; Maximum takeoff weight: 92,986 kilograms.
- Roe I Triplane (Replica): Length: 7.01 meters; Wingspan: 6.10 meters; Empty weight: 136 kilograms.
- Exhibition Area: Multi-level indoor display hall, dedicated research library, archive reading room, flight simulation areas, and an outdoor aircraft viewing apron.
- Collection Quality & Scope: The museum houses more than 30,000 accessioned technical artifacts, original factory technical drawings, test instruments, production models, and corporate flight logs covering Avro, Hawker Siddeley, British Aerospace, and BAE Systems programmes.
- Staffing Structure: The museum operates primarily through volunteer specialists, including retired aerospace engineers, former test pilots, technicians, and docents, alongside professional trustees and archivists.