de Havilland Aircraft Museum

The de Havilland Aircraft Museum, set within the grounds of Salisbury Hall near London Colney in Hertfordshire, is the oldest aviation museum in Britain. It occupies the very site where the legendary Mosquito fighter-bomber was secretly designed during the early years of the Second World War, the team working in a converted hall to keep the prototype hidden from enemy reconnaissance.

Visitors can see three Mosquitos on display, including the original prototype W4050, alongside other significant de Havilland aircraft such as the Vampire jet fighter, the Venom, the Sea Vixen and a nose section of the pioneering Comet airliner. The exhibition hangars also house engines, propellers, wartime memorabilia and detailed displays charting the story of the de Havilland Aircraft Company from its Edwardian origins through to its merger into Hawker Siddeley.

The museum is run largely by volunteers, many with direct industry experience, and offers guided tours, cockpit access on selected aircraft and a small café. It sits in pleasant countryside south of St Albans, easily reached from the M25, and makes a rewarding half-day visit for anyone interested in British aviation heritage.