MUSEUMS RAF MUSEUM LONDON
Reborn
Capital Collection
The RAF Museum London has unveiled new exhibits after completing
an ambitious fi ve-year redevelopment. FlyPast’s editor Chris Clifford
attended the press event and spoke to CEO Maggie Appleton MBE
A
s the Royal Air Force
celebrates its 100th
anniversary this year, it’s
fitting that the RAF Museum
London has also transformed
itself to mark the occasion.
Its official reopening by HRH
Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex
on June 30 heralded a new era
for the facility at Colindale on
the site of the former London
Aerodrome (later RAF Hendon).
This comprehensive collection of
aircraft and artefacts first opened
in 1972. Interestingly, an appeal
to fund the museum’s original
iteration was launched during a
‘Founder Members Day’ at Hendon
in 1968, the 50th anniversary
of the RAF. Its more recent
metamorphosis has involved more
than 60 contractors/suppliers
and was paid for by the Heritage
Lottery Fund, as well as a range
of generous businesses, trusts
and individuals.
The first stages of this multi-
million-pound redevelopment
began in 2003, when the
Grahame-White Factory in
nearby Aerodrome Road was
dismantled (making way for new
housing), to be re-erected on
the museum grounds as Hangar
2, housing truly stunning early
British aircraft. But aside from the
movement of this asset, no new
buildings have been constructed
as part of the transformation.
It was realised the free-to-enter
museum’s existing spaces could be
used more intelligently, so exhibits
in the different hangars have been
changed/rehoused accordingly.
New landscaped green spaces,
a playground, picnic areas, a
restaurant and café have also
been introduced to enhance the
visitor experience. To complement
the new look, a programme of
activities, including open cockpit
evenings, concerts and outdoor
cinema has been planned.A busy century
There are also three new
immersive displays dedicated to
the RAF’s centenary... RAF Stories:
The First 100 Years, RAF: First
to the Future and The RAF in an
Age of Uncertainty. The variety
and timespan of the exhibits is
wide and informative. Besides real
and model aircraft, they feature
more than 500 artefacts from the
museum’s stored collection, the
opportunity to try on uniforms, a
Gnat simulator, a glimpse of how
the RAF has participated in more
modern conflicts and how it’s set
to deal with certain challenges
(including cyber-terrorism) in the
future. There’s even the chance
to see a 202 Squadron Sea King
helicopter – as flown by Prince
William while on search and rescue
duties at RAF Valley, Anglesey.
Firm Allied favourites such as
the mighty Sunderland flying-
boat, Vulcan and Lancaster can
be viewed, along with Axis types
such as the Messerschmitt Bf 110
and Heinkel He 162, and American
classics in the shape of the B-17
Flying Fortress and P-51 Mustang.
RAF Museum London CEO
Maggie Appleton spoke with
FlyPast about this inspirational
journey and where it will take the
facility in the future:How did the idea to redevelop the
museum come about, and was its
culmination always intended to
coincide with RAF 100?
“The idea very much germinated
from a strategic review of the
museum’s purpose and priorities
by trustees back in 2012. The
outcome of that thinking was
that we should be focusing –
and developing – our amazing
collection to tell the story of
the RAF and its people in more
powerful and engaging ways, for
a broader audience. With 2018 on
the horizon, the obvious next stepwas that we should plan a physical
manifestation of this to mark the
centenary – and the museum’s
RAF Centenary Programme
was born.“With so much to work with, was
it problematic deciding what to
show, and how?
“Selecting the themes, the
objects and the stories for a major
undertaking such as this was
always going to be a challenge. We
wanted to continue to showcase
the RAF’s pivotal moments and
our star collections, while very
much feeling the responsibility to
bring the RAF story up to date and
uncover some of the lesser known
people and their achievements.
We were also conscious of needing
to tell the story of our site; there
are so many physical reminders
of our aviation history stretching
right back to 1910 that were crying
out to be shared with our visitors.
In terms of how to present all this
material, our team worked closely
with museum design specialists
to think how we could best
communicate the information in
an engaging and immersive way,
as well as testing ideas on the
public and by learning from other
museums – and our own previous
experience – about both what
works and what doesn’t.”What was the RAF’s
involvement, how did it affect
the outcome... and is it happy
with the results?
“We have been bowled over by
the support we received from the
RAF – from the Air Force Board,
to RAF men and women from a
wide variety of roles and ranks.
Colleagues from the Air Historical
Branch helped with archive
information and fact checking;
RAF stations including Brize
Norton, Cranwell and Odiham
welcomed our team to share their48 FLYPAST September 2018