Rod's Aviation Photos ↔ UK ↔ Museums


Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey, June 2024

Home of the world's first purpose-built banked motor racing circuit, built in 1907, the airfield opened two years later, one of its first residents being Vickers, who soon made it, and the surrounding area, their main operations centre, building thousands of aircraft here including over 2,500 Wellingtons and 3,000 Hurricanes. After World War 2 the site was sold to Vickers who, with their successor companies, occupied it until 1989. The museum opened in 1991.

On the site there are large collections of motor vehicles, especially racing cars, and the London Bus Museum is also here. The aircraft collection focuses on Vickers types, but there's a variety of other stuff. Most of the airliners are open for cockpit and cabin visits, but the Concorde tour comes at an extra charge.

There's a good cafe here, and a lovely atmosphere to the place. Everything appears to be well looked-after, to the extent that Concorde's wings were being washed during my visit, and there's a fair bit of scaffolding around several planes, which is apparent in some of these photos. I visited on June 27th.

There's a small collection of buildings and airport vehicles at the bottom of this page, below the main aircraft listing.

Aircraft Reg'n Thumbs Notes
Alcock and Brown statue   John Alcock and Arthur Brown who, in 1919, made the first non-stop transatlantic flight. Statue was at Heathrow from 1954 to 2020.
Avro 504K replica BAPC.177 Built around 1975 as a taxiable replica for the film ‘Aces High’. Marked as 'Brooklands School of Flying Limited G-AACA'
BAC Aerospatiale Concorde model 'G-CONC' 40% scale model with false reg. Was the tunnel guard at Heathrow Airport 1990–2007, now the Museum's gate guard.
BAC Aerospatiale Concorde G-BBDG First British production version used by BAC/BAe for pre-certification testing and sales tours. Never entered BA service.
BAC One-Eleven 475 G-ASYD Cockpit and cabin views. Spent its career as a prototype developing new versions and equipment by BAC/BAe. Marked 'Fly By Light Control Technology'.
Bleriot XI replica G-LOTI 2 Built by Mike Beach in 1982. Has flown briefly, and is still taxiable.
Hawker Fury 1 replica BAPC.249 Built by Robin Balmer, chief designer of the Harrier GR3. Marked as 'K5673'
Hawker Hunter F.51 E-421 Danish AF. Ex 47-421, G-9-443.
Hawker Hunter F.51 'XF368' Fake RAF markings. Ex Danish AF 47-412, E-412, G-9-439.
Hawker Hurricane IIC Z2389 XR-J Ex Russian AF – shot down in Russia in 1942 and discovered in 1992. Restored by Brooklands staff by 2019.
Hawker P.1127 XP984 6th and last P.1127 – the 1st to test the swept Kestrel wing (and a more powerful engine, becoming the prototype Kestrel) and the 1st Harrier wing.
Hawker Harrier GR.1 XV741 This won the 1969 Transatlantic Air Race from London to New York, with 10 air refuellings.
Hawker Siddeley Harrier T.52 G-VTOL ZA250 Hawker Siddeley kept this, the 1st 2-seat trainer, as a trials and demonstrator aircraft
Hawker Siddeley Hawk T.1 (Mk50) G-HAWK ZA101 BAe's testbed and demonstrator – made successful sales tours of the US in 1981.
Royal Aircraft Factory SE5A replica BAPC.250 Built by Brooklands volunteers. Marked as RAF 'F5475 A'
Santos-Dumont Demoiselle Type 20 replica BAPC.256 Taxiable bamboo-based replica built by Julian Aubert 1996-9.
Sopwith Camel F1 replica G-BFCZ 'B7270' Built in 1977 by Viv Bellamy, this flew for several years with Leisure Sport.
Sopwith Tabloid floatplane replica BAPC.354 3 Replica of the 1914 Schneider Trophy winner flown by Howard Pixton. Built in 2012 by Brooklands volunteers and students from Kingston University.
Supermarine Swift F.4 WK198 Broke the world speed record at 737.4 mph flown by Mike Lithgow in 1953. Rescued in 1981 after 20 years in a scrapyard.
Vickers Tallboy 12,000lb bomb   Earthquake bomb designed by Barnes Wallis, over 850 were produced during WW2.
Vickers Vimy replica NX71MY (N71MY) Built in 1994 in the US, this has recreated three notable flights: England — Australia, England — South Africa, and the transatlantic crossing by Alcock & Brown, Newfoundland — Ireland.
Vickers Wellington 1A N2980 Built at Brooklands, ditched in Loch Ness in 1940 and recovered in 1985, this was restored by Museum volunteers. Over 11,500 Wellingtons were built, but there is only one other survivor, under long-term restoration at the RAF Museum, Cosford.
Vickers Viking 1A G-AGRU BEA "Vagrant'. Ex BOAC, BEA, British West Indian Airways as VP-TAX, and other owners. Was turned into a cafe in Holland, until rescued by British Airways in 1979.
Vickers Varsity T1 WF372 RAF. Cockpit & cabin views. Last three photos show twin navigator positions, bomb aimers' positions seen through hatch in cabin floor, cockpit instrument panel.
Vickers Viscount 800 G-APIM British Air Ferries (BAF). Cockpit & cabin views. Built at Brooklands for BEA, then Cambrian, BA, and, in 1982, BAF. In 1984 it was named 'Viscount Stephen Piercey' after the aviation journalist and photographer who had recently died. Last photo shows 2 series 800 rudders.
Vickers Viscount 800 nose & wing XT575 Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE). Ex Austrian Airlines OE-LAG, Bulgarian Air Transport LZ-BEO.
Vickers Merchantman (V953C Vanguard) G-APEP Hunting Cargo Airlines 'Superb'. Cockpit & cabin views. Ex BEA, converted to a Merchantman for BA Cargo Division in 1970. Then Air Bridge Carriers which was renamed Hunting Cargo in 1992. With stalls fitted, it could hold 18 racehorses.
Vickers Valiant B(K)1 cockpit section XD816 The last Valiant to fly, its last flight was in 1968.
Vickers VC-10 A4O-AB Omani Royal Flight. Cockpit, cabin and bedroom views. Built at Brooklands. Ex G-ASIX of British United and British Caledonian. Note that the O in the reg is a letter, not a zero.
Vickers VC-10 forward fuselage None Taken from the production line and pressure tested to destruction. Later fully repaired by the RAF for bulkhead replacement trials.
Vickers VC-10 fuselage G-ARVM British Airways. Built at Brooklands and delivered to BOAC in 1964. I saw the complete aircraft at its former home at Cosford in 2004
White Monoplane 1912 Canard Pusher replica G-CHOI Built by Museum volunteer Julian Aubert. Californian George D White sold plans ($2) and kits ($365) – this is powered by a 1920's 350cc Douglas motorbike engine.
White Sports Monoplane replica G-CJAU A replacement design for the Canard Pusher, created after Bleriot's English Channel success. This taxiable replica was built by Julian Aubert, and may yet fly.

Buildings & Airport Vehicles


Subject Reg'n Thumbs Notes
Bedford CA MFB 724 BOAC crew bus
Bedford HA 110 Light Van XPK 677T BEA. AKA Vauxhall Viva Van and Bedford Beagle.
Merryweather Fire/Crash Tender GKR 549 Vickers-Armstrong Ltd Southampton. This started in 1941 with Short Bros, then moved to Vickers-Armstrong's Supermarine Division, retiring in 1963.
Morris Minor van YYC 708H British Caledonian Airways 1970.
Brooklands Memorial   Unveiled by Lord Brabazon of Tara in 1957, marking the 50th anniversary of the racing circuit, which closed at the beginning of WW2.
Clubhouse and scoreboard   The scorebaord is a replica built in 2017.
Shell Petrol Pagoda   Several oil companies had their own facilities here.
McLaren building    
McLaren 720S LEGO replica   Full-size model made with 280,000 LEGO bricks. it took 2,000 hours to build.
Motor racing circuit   Including the Members' Bridge.
London Bus Museum   Around 40 vehicles here, plus many good displays. Entry is included in the Brooklands Museum charge.

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