Explore the Brooklands Aircraft Factory, an immersive environment, harking back to the Hangar’s original use as a manufacturing building.
Clock-in and put your overalls on as you start your apprenticeship in the history of aircraft manufacture - from the pioneering early aircraft of wood and fabric, to the supersonic airliner and the technologies of the future.
The Factory Floor is designed to evoke an authentic factory atmosphere and is packed full of hands-on activities, enabling visitors to try out aircraft-building skills for themselves, drawing on the Brooklands spirit of experimentation.
The centrepiece of the exhibition is the Loch Ness Wellington Bomber, with additional areas focussing on the factory floor in early and later years and life for the factory employees away from work. Visit the Tinsmith shop to have a go at making your own metal aircraft or head upstairs to the interactive stations to become an aircraft designer.
Plan your visit
Factory Square, Bellman Hangar
Museum Map >
Step free access, lift to upper deck
Accessibility at the Museum >
DISCOVER THE STORIES
Tales from Brooklands:
Hilda Hewlett
If you take a walk down Vardens Road in Battersea, when you get to number 4 you will see a Blue Plaque in honour of “Hilda Hewlett (1864–1943) Pilot and Aircraft Maker”. Hilda was born in Vauxhall, went to school in South Kensington and lived much of her married life in St John’s Wood. At the National Art Training School, she specialized in woodwork, metalwork and needlework. Aged 19 she travelled to Egypt with her parents, and two years later trained as a nurse for a year in Berlin.
DISCOVER THE STORIES
Tales from Brooklands:
Sir George Edwards
George Robert Freeman Edwards was born above his father’s toy shop in Highams Park, London. After local schooling, he went to Walthamstow Engineering and Trade School. From there he worked for a time in heavy industry and later on the design and construction of projects as diverse as lock-gate machinery, cranes, bridges, and hydraulic pumps.
At the age of 27, he moved on to design work with Vickers Aviation, at Brooklands. This started a career that spanned the era of manned flight from biplanes to supersonic travel.
