IWM Duxford IWM Duxford is Britain’s largest aviation museum. The site dates back to the end of the First World War in what was a standard layout conveniently separated by a public road (now the A505). The south of the A505 was classed as the ‘technical’ site, for flying operations, and that to the north, the ‘domestic’ site, with barrack huts and mess buildings. The site was expanded significantly 1934-39, with further modifications both during and after the Second World War. During the Second World War Duxford played a prominent role in the Battle of Britain and was later used by United States Army Air Force fighter units. Duxford remained an operational airfield until its closure in 1961. Imperial War Museums purchased the site in 1976 and many of the original buildings remain in use, even though some were considered temporary when built. There are some 104 buildings on the site, including three the First World War vintage hangars, various masonry buildings and single-skinned huts with variety of roof forms and finishes. Modern buildings include the Land Warfare Hall (LWH) built in 1990, the ‘Airspace’ building (built originally in 1982 and extended in 2006) and the American Air Museum (AAM) built in 1999. The Airspace building is highly visible from the adjacent M11 and is now symbolic of IWM Duxford. The AAM is visually striking, with a vast curving concrete canopy creating a single vaulted space within to hang exhibits. Like the London sites, the Duxford site poses unique challenges in terms of the estate; 35 buildings are listed Grade 2 and a further four are of Grade 2* designation. Planning has recently been approved for a 168-bed hotel alongside the Airspace building, which is an exciting development for IWM.
Ancillary Accommodation (Ickleton Film Store)
Located approximately 3km south of the Duxford museum, the Ickleton site is owned by the IWM Development Trust and provides a specialised facility for the storage of volatile nitrate film in a conditioned (cooled) environment with bespoke fire risk engineering. The site covers approximately 5 acres and is predominantly made up of a large, grassed, earth-bunded area, surrounding concrete storage cells and supporting infrastructure. The facility has been emptied of all product and options for its future use are being considered.
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