27/05/2026
Hi everyone, it's been a while since the last update but we can promise you it's been worth the wait.
We don't want to say we've definitely 100% done it yet, but after what feels like a long search and the serious consideration of and planning for 7 sites up to now we're currently in talks about a new home for the museum. It's taken a little while because (Without giving too much away just yet about the location.) it's owned by a local council, but is in another parish council area and planning permission falls to a different local council again so it's taken a little while to get the wheels turning but we're getting there at long last.
We're currently seriously considering approximately 12-13 Acres of a former military site located just the other side of Leicester from our current home at the former RAF Bramcote. The site we've been offered (Subject to conditions and further conversations between all parties.) has sadly mostly been cleared of it's wartime structures and features since the final closure of the site in the late 1940's, however it is an excellent blank slate (Or rather a field.) to build a new museum from the ground up with a view to expand outwards into areas with more significant site features in future, and we've got some big plans for the 48 acre complete site if we ever manage to get that far.
We will transition over to the new site as smoothly as we can however may have to close on some weekends we'd normally be open in this time due to us having to dismantle the building and potentially bring a crane in to move the aircraft and cabins but we'll open the next possible weekend after and we'll make any date changes known beforehand as well. You are all also welcome to phone us and arrange a visit, I'll be as accommodating as possible about dates and times etc. It'd be great to show a few of the visitors who we've not seen for a bit around one last time before we leave, and it'll take a few months to sort it all out.
As part of this we plan to keep opening as much as we can while we move:
The 16' Nissen Hut (Which will be restored as part of the move and rebuild process.).
The 30' Nissen Hut.
XS643's Cockpit Section.
XE979.
XX655's Fuselage.
G-RASC.
The BMW 7 Series Special Forces Car.
Our newest vehicle (Which we'll be announcing once we've finished painting it.)
Before we lastly move the Cold War Cabin and the Luton cabin to have a phased transition from Bramcote to the new site
We will also be working jointly alongside another museum at the new site, I won't say which one here just yet but we'll be jointly opening at the new site and sharing exhibition / display spaces until we get the 30' Span Nissen Hut up at which point we'll operate with separate buildings and collections, working together to run and maintain the site as well as partnering to arrange and run events
It's not going to be the easiest job in the world as the new site is for the most part one large open field, however we have a plan which includes dispersing the buildings, cabins and outdoor exhibits around the site, reinstating the wartime pathways, marking out the former building outlines and a few other ideas we've had to break the site up and make it feel less like a big open field. We'll also be working hard to improve the display areas inside the buildings and cabins.
We'll announce more about it all soon and we've got a way to go still but we wanted to share the good news, it's been far too long since the last update but we've been up all hours (Even squeezing 8 working days into a week for much of last year, turns out it's technically possible if you're determined enough.) trying to find a way to make something work and haven't even thought about making a post until we're already half asleep at 01:00/02:00/03:00 in the morning, it's nice to know it's all not just been worthwhile but might potentially be the best thing that's happened to us yet.
Also we'll be seeking donations of boxes and bubble wrap etc closer to the move, as well as timber, display cases (Including fish tanks which we can adapt like some of our existing cases.), picture frames, mannequins, decorative plate wall mounts (Approx 150x if possible), paint, bedding and hedging plants as well as anything else that may be useful for the new site, if you're unsure then you're more than welcome to get in contact with us and ask.
Items to display at the new site are of course as always welcome too as we'll have a significant amount more indoor display space at the new site, as are donations towards the costs of the move. Also if anyone has a HIAB / Crane or a van and wants to help us with the move we'd love to hear from you.
And lastly on the subject of donations we'd like to extend our deepest thanks to the Nuneaton Past Tablers for their recent very generous donation, it's greatly appreciated and it was a pleasure to host you all so thank you again and we hope to see you all in the future.
Thank you all for your continued support, this isn't necessarily the route we wanted to go down and we had originally planned to stay at Bramcote indefinitely. However fairly recent circumstances have changed that and this isn't a decision we've made lightly, but we feel that this is the right decision to make and this might be the start of the best thing that could ever happen to the museum including opening the door to some significant expansion plans in the future.
However no matter where we go we will always remember that RAF Bramcote is our true spiritual home where our museum journey began, and we'll be sure in the future to have memorials to the unbelievably brave men of 18 OTU as well as 300, 301, 304 and 305 Squadrons of the Free Polish Air Force under Bomber Command, 151 & 215 Squadrons of the RAF, and 1833 & 1844 Squadrons of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve who are the whole reason we started the museum at Bramcote. We are not giving up, we will not forget them or allow them, their sacrifices and their efforts be forgotten, and we'll take their memory and share their story wherever we operate.
Many thanks and best wishes, we hope to see you soon.
Open weekends are the 2nd & 4th weekends of each month, Saturday & Sunday 10:00-18:00, subject to change with advance notice given on our page.
