Museums are ranked by how many Cold War airframes their inventories list, cockpits and replicas included. Each museum page has the full checklist.
Where to go
South West England: museums with Cold War aircraft
| Museum | Cold War airframes | Adult entry | Airframes | Examples | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Helicopter MuseumWeston-super-Mare, Somerset | 81 | £15 | 108 | Aerospatiale AS332L Super Puma G-TIGE Sud Aviation SA321F Super Frelon F-OCMF Aerospatiale SA365N Dauphin 2 F-WQAP |
G-LYNX, the modified Westland Lynx that took the absolute helicopter world speed record (249.09 mph) in 1986 and holds it still; parked… |
| Fleet Air Arm MuseumYeovil, Somerset | 39 | £21 | 97 | Westland Wessex HAS.3 XP142 Westland Wessex HU.5 XT765 Westland Wessex HU.5 XT769 |
Concorde 002 (G-BSST), the first British-assembled Concorde, which made her maiden flight from Filton in 1969 and now headlines a hall of… |
| Boscombe Down Aviation CollectionSalisbury, Wiltshire | 26 | £13.50 | 49 | GAF Jindivik 103A (painted as A92-466) A92-664 Northrop Shelduck D.1 (painted as XT005) XR898 Short MATS-B target drone (painted as ZA220) ZA242 |
The Lancaster cockpit reproduction tour, and a test-and-evaluation pedigree collection you can physically inhabit rather than admire… |
| Bournemouth Aviation MuseumChristchurch, Dorset | 16 | £10 | 29 | Air Command 582 gyrocopter 62 APK BAC One-Eleven 479FU forward fuselage ZE432 British Aerospace 125 CC.3 ZD620 |
The sit-anywhere policy itself — one entry fee, no per-cockpit charges, a full BAC 1-11 flight-deck sim in a shed, and thousands… |
| Cornwall at War Museum, DavidstowCamelford, Cornwall | 5 | £7 | 8 | Fairey Gannet ECM.6 XG831 Westland Sea King HAS.6 rear crew procedures trainer ZG461 Northrop Chukar D.1 XW999 |
Cornwall’s big WW2 / military museum on the old RAF Davidstow Moor Coastal Command field — aircraft, military vehicles, humour intact,… |
| British Phantom Group & Bristol Britannia XM496 (Kemble)Cirencester, Gloucestershire | 4 | Seasonal | 5 | McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG.1 XT597 McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.2 XT905 McDonnell Douglas Phantom F-4J(UK) ZE360 |
A working restoration compound at Cotswold Airport (Kemble): the only place on Earth with F-4J, K and M Phantoms together, plus Britannia… |
| Aerospace BristolBristol, Gloucestershire | 3 | £20 | 14 | Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde 216 G-BOAF Bristol 173 Srs 1 XF785 British Aerospace 146-RJX fuselage section |
Concorde G-BOAF, the last Concorde ever built and the last ever to fly (26 November 2003, into Filton, forever). You can board her.… |
| Jet Age MuseumGloucester, Gloucestershire | 1 | Donation | 15 | Hawker Siddeley Trident 3B forward section G-AWZU | Gloucestershire's jet-age shrine (free!) beside Staverton airport: Gloster heritage from the E.28/39 replica to Javelins, with… |
The era
Cold War, 1957–1989
The Helicopter Museum at Weston-super-Mare has 55 Cold War airframes, including Lynx G-LYNX, holder of the helicopter world speed record. The Fleet Air Arm Museum has 33, including Concorde 002 and Buccaneer S.1 XN957. Boscombe Down Aviation Collection has 24, including English Electric P.1A WG763. Bournemouth has 16. At Kemble, the British Phantom Group keeps four Phantoms.
- Aerospace Bristol lets you board Concorde G-BOAF.
- Bournemouth and Old Sarum both let you sit in most cockpits.
- Cornwall at War Museum at Davidstow has target drones and opens on set days.
What to see
Cold War types on display in South West England
1948American rotary visitors41948Soviet rotary wing71949Fairey Gannet31951de Havilland Sea Vixen31953The light rotary flock281954English Electric Lightning31955Sud-Ouest Djinn & MBB Bo 10521955Handley Page Herald & Jetstream21956Bell UH-1 Huey21956Supermarine Scimitar21957GAF Jindivik & the target drones191957Boeing 707, 737 & 74711958Westland Wessex131958Blackburn Buccaneer31958McDonnell Douglas Phantom51959Westland Scout & Wasp101960Harrier family51960Hawker Siddeley Andover & 74811961Westland Belvedere41961Beagle B.206 & Pup11962Hawker Siddeley 125 / Dominie11962Hawker Siddeley Trident11963BAC One-Eleven21965Aérospatiale Puma & Super Frelon21967Aérospatiale Gazelle & Alouette41967Hawker Siddeley Nimrod11968SEPECAT Jaguar51969Cierva Grasshopper41969Westland Sea King61969Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde21971Agusta A109 & the civil twin helicopters41971Westland Lynx111973Colomban Cri-Cri & the homebuilt shelf21974BAe Hawk21974Panavia Tornado21976Westland 30 & the might-have-beens71981British Aerospace 1461
Questions
Frequently asked
Where can I see Concorde in the South West?
Concorde 002 G-BSST is at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, and G-BOAF at Aerospace Bristol, where you can board her.
Which South West museum has the most Cold War aircraft?
The Helicopter Museum, with 55, followed by the Fleet Air Arm Museum with 33.
Where can I see a Phantom in the South West?
The British Phantom Group at Kemble has four, including FG.1 XT597, on open days.