Museum of Berkshire Aviation — Attraction in Woodley

Really great museum, run by very friendly and knowledgeable volunteers who clearly love aviation.

Robin, one of the volunteers, told me about the history of the site and its location in relation to where Woodley airfield was, which is just a couple of hundred metres across the road. It's where Douglas Bader had his accident, which resulted in him losing both his legs.

On the mezzanine floor of the museum is a wealth of information about this extraordinary aviator. What an incredible, brave individual.

An old Robins hangar makes up part of the display area, and the mezzanine floor affords great views of the exhibits. The clock inside the museum is an artefact from the Woodley aerodrome days.

There's also what was an unexploded bomb found in Woodley. It has been made safe and is situated just inside the museum, as you walk down the incline, just to the right of the door that takes you outside to the Handley Page Dart Herald aeroplane.

The aircraft within the museum are well looked after. There's a wealth of information about those as well as a large array of display cases and stands, charting the history and ingenuity of the aircraft manufacturers that were located within Berkshire. Companies such as Miles, Fairey, and Handley Page.

The centrepiece of the interior of the museum is the magnificent Fairey Jet Gyrodyne, with her jet tip powered rotorblades. She's been kept in great condition.

A Handley Page HPR.7 Dart Herald 100 meets you as you drive into the free car park situated immediately outside of the museum. This aircraft was flown by Prince Philip. You can walk onto it and towards the rear are a selection of photos of people involved with the aircraft. In one, is a certain Mr. Middleton. The grandfather of Kate, the present Princess of Wales. What a small world!

I loved every minute of the time spent there. It's a great museum, lovingly maintained by a team of hard-working and enthusiastic individuals.

I was expecting to be in and out of the museum in half an hour. Not correct at all. You would need a good 2 hours if you saw and read everything about the exhibits. There are plenty of places to sit down within the museum. The mezzanine floor is a nice touch.

Just inside the main entrance is a place to buy tea, coffee, chocolate biscuits, and packets of crisps. There's a very pleasant seating area next to that, with lots of images of aircraft on the walls. That's situated just in front of the door, which takes you into the museum itself.

The price of admission is very reasonable, at £5 per adult. Senior Citizens and Children, £4. Should you choose to join the museum as a member (which I believe is £15.00) they have monthly meetings and talks on a wide array of topics. That takes place in the aforementioned seating area. The backdrop to that being the exhibits of the museum.

The Museum of Berkshire Aviation is well worth the visit, and it comes very highly recommended indeed. I will definitely return. A lovely atmosphere....

Visited this museum today along with two friends, 2 senior citizen's and one adult. The museum was well signposted and parking was close to the museum entrance. When you enter you will see the gift shop and a cafeteria area with seating for approximately 25 people. Discounts are available for senior citizen's and large parties or family groups. Visit the website for more information of opening times, directions and entrance times and fees. You will find the website very useful to plan your trip! The museum staff are very helpful, polite and informative, enjoying nothing more than sharing information with visitors on the exhibits and the processes of restoration. Because they are volunteers and enthusiasts they enjoy anything to do with aircraft. The exhibits range from shrapnel to full sized aircraft, from being restored to fully built. The building housing the exhibits has maximised the space and care should be taken walking around, looking down as well as up to avoid collision with wing tips etc. There is a lot of information and reading amongst the displays and exhibits and there are steep steps to an upstairs display area. This museum is nostalgic for the older person and exciting for the very young person. It could be a challenge to navigate for those with limited mobility and a danger for the very little ones going with their parents (No room for running around for small kids inside the building or for buggies and wheelchairs). This museum holds a lot of interesting exhibits and will take you half a day at least to assimilate the information provided. They allow photographs and research with a very customer friendly and orientated outlook. If you crave nostalgia or are interested in early aircraft design, this museum is a must. Support the Museum of Berkshire Aviation, by visiting this site and let you entrance fee contribute to keeping this historical site and its exhibits, for future generations. Historically exhibits range from Bleriot to Concord and everything in between. These planes would have been lost without these volunteers, they have contributed work, money and effort, so that you can enjoy the fruits of their labour, visit this museum and show your...

Spent a wonderful couple of hours here as I was passing through the area. It’s a museum I’ve long wanted to visit and I wasn’t disappointed. Easy to find and with a free car park, I was made to feel welcome straight away with one of the museum volunteers, and fellow flyer Dave, giving me an overview of what it was all about. The folks here are very knowledgeable and helpful (I learned a lot about the Scout and Gannet!) and I could have spent all day talking aviation with them. The museum itself contains a small, but significant, selection of aircraft all related to the Berkshire area in some form and they have been really well looked after. It’s hard to pick a highlight as there are a couple of really unique aircraft on display but the jewel in the crown has to be the Handley Page Herald which is in fantastic condition. I look forward to visiting again in the future to see how the Gannet and Wanderlust glider restorations are going. The volunteers here are all really approachable and I’ve genuinely never felt more welcome at an air...