Imperial War Museum Duxford

Imperial War Museum Duxford stands on the site of a First World War aerodrome in southern Cambridgeshire. It is Britain’s largest aviation museum, holding nearly two hundred aircraft alongside military vehicles, artillery and small naval vessels. Seven main exhibition buildings display these objects, while the site also stores films, photographs, documents and artefacts. Two British Army regimental museums operate here, including the Parachute Regiment’s Airborne Assault collection. The airfield was first used by the Royal Flying Corps in 1917 and later became a key Battle of Britain sector station. Duxford played a prominent part in the Second World War as a fighter airfield for RAF squadrons and, from 1943, for the United States Army Air Forces’ 78th Fighter Group. The site remained an active RAF station until 1961 before becoming surplus to military requirements. In 1969 the Ministry of Defence allowed the Imperial War Museum to use part of the site for storage. The entire airfield was transferred to the museum in 1976, and Duxford opened to the public the following year. Regular air shows began in 1973 and soon drew large crowds, with 45,000 people attending one display in June 1976. Visitors find original First World War hangars still in use, many of them listed buildings. The American Air Museum, designed by Sir Norman Foster, won the Stirling Prize and houses many US aircraft. The site remains an active airfield, hosting civilian flying companies and frequent air shows. Over thirty historic buildings survive from the First World War and 1930s, reflecting two periods of rapid development. The museum continues to expand, with plans to convert the AirSpace hangar into a dedicated Cold War exhibition.