About this museum
Southend's own Cold War deterrent: Avro Vulcan B.2 XL426, kept in live, taxiable condition at London Southend Airport by the Vulcan Restoration Trust. On Visit-the-Vulcan days you get under, over and — for a modest upgrade — inside her; on fast-taxi days she goes down Southend's runway with all four Olympus engines howling, an experience one reviewer correctly summarised as feeling the stick and rudder of the apocalypse, secondhand.
XL426 herself, ex-Scampton display aircraft, whose APU-powered control-surface demos let visitors in the cockpit actually waggle a Vulcan's elevons.
- XL426 — one of only three taxiable Vulcans on Earth
Everything is pre-booked open days — watch the Trust's calendar. Catering vans are cash-prone; bring notes. For Leigh-on-Sea locals this is the shortest pilgrimage in the guide.
“The team looking after this stunning Vulcan deserve a great deal of praise.”— Rodney, visitor report
Airframe checklist
Tick them off as you go. Identities are as held in the gazetteer survey — verify against the museum’s own labels if something has moved.
| Type | Identity | |
|---|---|---|
| Avro Vulcan B.2, live and taxiable | XL426 |
Location & contact
- Address
- Hangar 5, London Southend Airport, Southend-on-Sea SS2 6YU
- Phone
- 07881 445453
- Website
- www.avrovulcan.com/
- Hours
- Visit/event days only
(from your local clock — verify before travel) - Gazetteer
- EA-04 on the situation map