Museums are ranked by how many Second World War airframes their inventories list, cockpits and replicas included. Each museum page has the full checklist.
Northern England: museums with Second World War aircraft
| Museum | Second World War airframes | Adult entry | Airframes | Examples | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hooton Park HangarsEllesmere Port, Cheshire | 17 | £9 | 45 | Supermarine Spitfire PR.XIX PM651 Supermarine Spitfire LF.IXe replica BAPC.581 Hawker Hurricane I cockpit reconstruction P3408 |
Hooton Park's 1917 Belfast-truss hangars — among the finest WWI aviation buildings surviving — hold aircraft, buses and a printing museum… |
| South Yorkshire Aircraft MuseumDoncaster, South Yorkshire | 11 | £7.50 | 109 | Auster AOP.9 cockpit section XR238 Auster J1N Alpha fuselage G-AHHP Beagle A.109 Airedale fuselage G-ARYZ |
Doncaster's South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum sprawls across the old RAF Doncaster site: dozens of airframes and helicopters, strong… |
| Yorkshire Air MuseumYork, North Yorkshire | 7 | £17 | 54 | Douglas Dakota IV KN353 Fairchild Argus II FK338 Handley Page Halifax III (composite, ex HR792) LV907 |
Halifax 'Friday the 13th' — the world's only complete Halifax reconstruction, honouring the type that flew from this very field —… |
| Spitfire Visitor Centre, Hangar 42, BlackpoolBlackpool, Lancashire | 6 | £12 | 6 | Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX 'Lucy' (replica) Supermarine Spitfire (replica) Supermarine Spitfire (replica) |
The Ops Room recreation and the £5 sit-in-a-Spitfire photography session — the cheapest Spitfire seat time in the country. |
| North East Land, Sea and Air MuseumsSunderland, Tyne and Wear | 3 | £7.50 | 46 | Supermarine Spitfire Vb replica BL924 Hawker Hurricane I replica BAPC.521 Auster J/1N Alpha G-APKM |
NELSAM in Sunderland mixes Vulcan XL319 (flew in when the airport still existed), a Pucará from the Falklands, trams, buses and a… |
| Avro Heritage MuseumStockport, Greater Manchester | 1 | £9 | 14 | Avro Lancaster B.I 'S for Sugar' cockpit (replica) | Vulcan XM603 — the only all-white Vulcan on display anywhere, in original anti-flash nuclear livery — plus walk-in Lancaster and Nimrod… |
Second World War, 1939–1945
Hooton Park has ten Second World War airframes, including Spitfire PR.XIX PM651 and Hoverfly KL110. The South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum has nine, including Tempest V cockpit SN280. The Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington has seven, including Halifax LV907 ‘Friday the 13th’, a composite reconstruction, and Dakota KN353. Hangar 42 at Blackpool has six replicas.
- Hangar 42 sells a £5 sit-in-a-Spitfire photo session.
- Elvington’s wartime control tower, NAAFI and hangars survive.
- The Avro Heritage Museum has a replica Lancaster cockpit.
Second World War types on display in Northern England
Frequently asked
Where can I see a Halifax?
The Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington has Halifax LV907, the only complete Halifax reconstruction.
Where can I see a Spitfire in the North?
Hooton Park has PR.XIX PM651. Hangar 42 and NELSAM have replicas.
Which northern museum has the most Second World War aircraft?
Hooton Park, with ten, followed by the South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum with nine.