A de Havilland DH.104 Dove at the museum

The de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre, formerly the Mosquito Aircraft Museum, is a volunteer run aviation museum in the English county of Hertfordshire, just north of Greater London. The collection is based around the definitive prototype and restoration shops for the de Havilland Mosquito and also includes several examples of the de Havilland Vampire - the third operational jet aircraft in the world. Image File history File links De_Havilland_Aircraft_Museum_Hertfordshire. ... Image File history File links De_Havilland_Aircraft_Museum_Hertfordshire. ... The de Havilland DH.104 Dove was a monoplane short-haul airliner, the successor to the bi-plane De Havilland Dragon Rapide and was one of Britains most successful post-war civil designs. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages None official English de facto Capital None official London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked... Hertfordshire (pronounced Har(t)fordshire and abbreviated as Herts) is an inland county in the United Kingdom, officially part of the East of England Government region. ... Greater London is the top level administrative subdivision covering London and forms one of the nine regions of England. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... de Havilland Mosquito. ... A Royal Canadian Air Force deHavilland Vampire The de Havilland Vampire, or DH.100, was the second jet engined aircraft commissioned by the Royal Air Force during WW II, although it never saw combat. ...

The museum was started by Walter Goldsmith, Philip Birtles and others in an old hangar at Salisbury Hall (a house Goldsmith had bought in near-derelict condition), where the de Havilland design team had been evacuated and where the Mosquito was designed, as a home for the restoration of W4050, the first prototype Mosquito, the remains of which had been found at the British Aerospace factory at Leavesden.

The de Havilland Vampire first flew some six months after the Gloster Meteor, which itself came into service only a few weeks after the Messerschmitt Me 262. The de Havilland Vampire, however, had significantly better reliability, engine service life and a higher ceiling than the Messerschmitt Me 262. The collection also has both a complete de Havilland Comet, the world's first jet airliner, and an excellent original hands-on static simulator for the Comet. Also in the collection are unique prototypes including an early tricycle undercarriage autogyro design, Mosquito aircraft, Grand Slam 'earthquake bombs', and a Molins Gun from a Tsetse Mosquito. The Gloster Meteor was the first jet fighter aircraft of the British Royal Air Force, introduced into service only weeks after the Third Reichs Messerschmitt Me 262, in August 1944 during World War II. It was thus the second fighter jet in history and the first of the WWII... The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe (Ger. ... Comet C. Mk2 of the Royal Air Force in 1964. ... An autogyro (only an autogiro when produced by the Cierva Autogiro Company or one of its licensees (see below), sometimes called a gyroplane, gyrocopter, or rotaplane) is an aircraft supported in flight by a rotor driven solely by aerodynamic forces. ... A British 22,000 lb Grand Slam bomb The Grand Slam (Earthquake) bomb was a very large bomb developed by the British aeronautical engineer Barnes Wallis in late 1944. ...

The Site

The site of the Hall and the Museum is, without doubt, a very old one. It is close to the first century BC settlement of Wheathamstead, the major Roman town of Verulamium and St. Albans which is of late Saxon foundation. Principal sites in Roman Britain Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between 43 and 410. ... Remains of the city walls Verulamium was the third largest city in Roman Britain. ... St Albans, St. ... The famous parade helmet found at Sutton Hoo, probably belonging to King Raedwald of East Anglia circa 625. ...

Early notable visitors to the area were probably Julius Caesar in 54BC, and Boadicea of the Iceni in 61AD. For other uses, see Julius Caesar (disambiguation). ... Boudicca (also written Boudica, Boadicea, Buduica, Bonduca), was a Celtic female chieftain who led the Iceni and a number of other Celtic tribes, including the neighbouring Trinovantes, in a major uprising against the occupying Roman forces in Britain in AD 60 or 61 during the reign of the emperor Nero. ... The Iceni or Eceni were a Brythonic tribe who inhabited an area of Britain corresponding roughly to the modern-day county of Norfolk between the 1st century BCE and 1st century CE. The Iceni are mentioned in Tacituss Annals, which were written c. ...

During the early 9th century the site was part of the Manor of Shenleybury. It was held by Asgar the Stallar, who was probably a high official to the Wessex King Egbert. After the Norman Conquest the Manor passed to the de Mandeville family who held it when the Doomsday Book was written in 1086. The Domesday Book was a census carried out in England in the eleventh century. ...

In 1380 the Hall passed in marriage to Sir John Montague, later Earl of Salisbury. It is perhaps at this time that the Manor acquired its now familiar name of Salisbury Hall. About 1420 Alice, Countess of Salisbury, married Sir Richard Neville, who became Earl of Salisbury. He had two sons, Richard Neville (better known as 'Warwick the Kingmaker') and John, Marquess of Montagu, who were both killed at the Battle of Barnet in April 1471. Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury (1400 – December 31, 1460) was a Yorkist leader during the early parts of the Wars of the Roses. ... The title Marquess of Salisbury is a British title of Peerage, created in 1789 for James Cecil, 7th Earl of Salisbury. ... Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (1428 – April 14, 1471), was also known as Warwick the Kingmaker. ... John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu (~1431 - April 14, 1471) was a Yorkist leader in the Wars of the Roses, best-known for eliminating Lancastrian resistance in the north of England during the early part of the reign of Edward IV of England. ... The Battle of Barnet, which took place on April 14, 1471, was a decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses, near the town of Barnet, 10 miles north of London. ...

A new house was built about 1507 by Sir John Cutte, Treasurer to King Henry VII and Henry VIII. The house was purchased in 1668 by James Hoare, a London banker. At this time the present house was built, bringing with it associations with Charles II and Nell Gwynne, who lived in a cottage by the bridge to the Hall. Her ghost is one that is said to have been seen in the Hall. Henry VII (January 28, 1457 – April 21, 1509), King of England, Lord of Ireland (August 22, 1485 – April 21, 1509), was the founder of the Tudor dynasty and is generally acknowledged as one of Englands most successful kings. ... Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ... Charles II or The Merry Monarch (29 May 1630–6 February 1685) was the King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 30 January 1649 (de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. ... Nell Gwyn (or Gwynn or Gwynne), was born Eleanor Gwynne, (February 1650 - 14 November 1687), the most famous of the many mistresses of King Charles II, was called pretty, witty Nell by Samuel Pepys. ...

The Hall passed to Sir Jeremy Snow's nephew, John Snell, and from then through various hands, and during the latter part of the 19th century was occupied by a succession of farmers. However, about 1905 Lady Randolph Churchill, as Mrs. Cornwallis West, came here to live. Her son, Winston Churchill, became a regular visitor. During the 1930s Sir Nigel Gresley, of the London and North Eastern Railway, was in residence. He was responsible for the A4 Pacific Steam Locomotives one of which, Mallard, holds the world speed record for steam locomotives of 126.5 mph. Rumour has it that the name came from the ducks in the moat. Jennie Jerome in 1874 Jeanette (Jennie) Jerome [1] CI DStJ, known also as Lady Randolph Churchill (January 9, 1854 – June 9, 1921) was an American society beauty, best known to history as the mother of British prime minister Winston Churchill. ... Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British politician and author, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. ... Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley (19 June 1876 – 5 April 1941) was one of Britains most famous Steam locomotive engineers who worked for the Great Northern Railway company from 1911 to 1922 as locomotive superintendent and for the London and North Eastern Railway company (LNER) from 1923 to 1941 as... LNER timetable for Autumn 1926 detailing the resumption of services after the General Strike. ... 60034 Lord Farringdon at Aberdeen Ferryhill, 1965. ... Number 4468 Mallard is a London and North Eastern Railway Class A4 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotive built in the 1930s by the LNER and designed by Sir Nigel Gresley in Doncaster, England. ...

In September 1939 the de Havilland Aircraft Company established the de Havilland Mosquito design team in the Hall, the prototype Mosquito, E0234/W4050, subsequently being built in the adjacent buildings. Nell Gwynne's cottage was the centre of a silkworm farm, which supplied the silk for Her Majesty the Queen's wedding and Coronation robes. Yet another royal connection. De Havilland's left in 1947 and the Hall slipped into a derelict condition. Binomial name Bombyx mori Linnaeus, 1758 For other uses, see Silkworm (disambiguation). ...

However, in 1955 the Hall was taken in hand by an ex Royal Marine Major named Walter Goldsmith who restored it and opened it up to the public. He brought back the prototype Mosquito, E0234/W4050, as one of the attractions in 1959, an action which led to the establishment of the Mosquito Aircraft Museum. Walter Goldsmith sold the Hall in 1981 and since then it has been restored to a very high standard and remains in private ownership to this day.

The collection

The following important historic aircraft are on display or under restoration:

• G-ABLM, Cierva C.24 — Long term loan from the Science Museum collection
• G-ACSS, DH88 Comet-replica — Currently under restoration in the workshop
• G-ADOT, DH87 Hornet Moth
• G-AFOJ, DH94 Moth Minor
• G-AKDW, DH89 Dragon Rapide — Currently under restoration in the workshop
• G-ANRX, DH82 Tiger Moth — Crop spraying configuration
• G-AOTI, DH114 Heron 2D
• G-AREA, DH104 Dove 8 — Executive layout
• G-ARYC, DH.125 Srs 1 — 3rd production aircraft
• G-AVFH, Trident 2E — Cockpit open to visitors on request
• D-IFSB, DH104 Dove 6 — Used for airfield calibration
• F-BGNX, DH106 Comet 1XB — (G-AOJT) Complete fuselage, used for tests at Farnborough after withdrawal from service
• VP-FAK, DHC3 Otter — British Antarctic Survey loan & restoration
• W4050, DH98 Mosquito I prototype
• LF789, Queen Bee
• TA122, DH98 Mosquito FB6 — Currently under rebuild in the main hangar
• TA634, DH98 Mosquito TT.35 — The film star, flown in '633 Squadron' 571 Sqd markings
• TJ118, DH98 Mosquito TT.35 — Rear fuselage only
• WM729, Vampire NF10 — Nose section
• WP790, Chipmunk T. 10 — Repaint in progress
• WP927, Chipmunk T.10 — Currently in storage, cockpit only
• WR539, Venom FB4 — Nose section
• WX853, DH112 Venom NF.3
• XG730, DH112 Sea Venom FAW.22 — 894 Sqd markings
• XJ565, DH110 Sea Vixen FAW.2 — 899 Sqd markings
• XJ772, DH115 Vampire T.11
• XK695, DH106 Comet C.2(R) — Cockpit section, Amateur Radio Station
• DH106, Comet 2 SIM — Nose section
• J-1008, Vampire FB.6 — Ex Swiss Air Force
• J-1632, Venom FB.50 — Ex G-VNOM - ex Swiss AF. Nose section currently in the workshop
• BAPC.232, Horsa I/II — Composite fuselage in Robin hangar

Juan de la Cierva (September 21, 1895__December 19, 1936) was a Spanish aeronautical engineer and pilot. ... A typical exhibit at a modern science museum. ... The de Havilland DH.88 Comet was an aircraft designed for one very specific purpose - to win the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race for Britain. ... Cabin biplane, designed as trainer and touring aircraft. ... The de Havilland DH 89 Dragon Rapide was a successful British short-haul passenger airliner of the 1930s. ... The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth was a 1930s biplane designed by de Havilland and operated by the Royal Air Force and others as a primary trainer. ... The de Havilland DH.114 Heron was a small, propeller-driven British airliner that first flew on May 10 1950. ... The de Havilland DH.104 Dove was a monoplane short-haul airliner, the successor to the bi-plane De Havilland Dragon Rapide and was one of Britains most successful post-war civil designs. ... BAe 125-1000 The twin-engined BAe 125 is the worlds best selling mid-size corporate jet, now marketed as the Raytheon Hawker 800. ... Trident 1E The Trident, model DH121 or HS121, was a short/medium-range airliner designed by de Havilland in the 1950s, and built by the Hawker-Siddeley Group in the 1960s when de Havilland was merged, along with several other British aviation firms. ... Comet C. Mk2 of the Royal Air Force in 1964. ... De Havilland Otter Categories: Aircraft stubs | Canadian civil utility aircraft 1960-1969 | Canadian military utility aircraft 1960-1969 ... de Havilland Mosquito. ... The de Havilland DH.112 Venom was a post- war jet single-seat fighter-bomber of the Royal Air Force. ... The correct title of this article is de Havilland Sea Vixen. ... A Royal Canadian Air Force deHavilland Vampire The de Havilland Vampire, or DH.100, was the second jet engined aircraft commissioned by the Royal Air Force during WW II, although it never saw combat. ... Airspeed Horsa The Airspeed AS.51 Horsa was a World War II troop-carrying glider built by the British company Airspeed Ltd and subcontractors and used for air assault by British and Allied armed forces. ...

External links

• official website

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