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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.

When Walter Goldsmith, a retired army major purchased Salisbury Hall, he soon came to realise that the Hall had been used by de Havilland during the war. On contacting Bill Baird, then in charge of PR at de Havilland at Hatfield, he discovered that de Havilland had used it as the design centre for the Mosquito, and that Mr Baird had squirrelled the original prototype away in the Fiddlebridge stores, just off the airfield at Hatfield. Having resisted several calls to burn the aircraft, Mr Baird was delighted to find someone who could offer the old aircraft a home. de Havilland carried out basic restoration work, and Mr Goldsmith accepted the aircraft back at Salisbury Hall in 1959.

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, and a Molins Gun from a Tsetse Mosquito.

[edit] 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 Wheathampstead, the major Roman town of Verulamium and St. Albans which is of late Saxon foundation.

Early notable visitors to the area were probably Julius Caesar in 54BC, and Boadicea of the Iceni in 61AD.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

[edit] The collection

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

• G-EBQP, DH53 Humming bird - Privately owned, original wings and empennage, fuselage built by DH Technical school.
• 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-ARYA, DH125, Original prototype - Cockpit section only
• G-ARYC, DH.125 Srs 1 — 1st production aircraft
• G-AVFH, Trident 2E — Cockpit open to visitors.
• D-IFSB, DH104 Dove 6 — Used for airfield calibration - Deutsches Museum Loan
• 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, DH82 Queen Bee - Fuselage only
• TA122, DH98 Mosquito FB6 — Currently under rebuild in the main hangar 605 sqn markings 'UP-G'
• TA634, DH98 Mosquito TT.35 — The film star, flown in '633 Squadron' 571 Sqd markings
• TJ118, DH98 Mosquito TT.35 — Fuselage, with nose section removed, and stored.
• WM729, Vampire NF10 — Wings from T-11 XD616, dismantled, in storage
• WP790, Chipmunk T. 10 — Repaint in progress
• WP865, Chipmunk T.10 — Currently in storage.
• WR539, Venom FB4 — Complete aircraft, in storage
• WX853, DH112 Venom NF.3, in storage
• 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
• J-1790, Venom FB.54 - ex G-BLKA/WR410, ex Swiss AF, awaiting repaint
• BAPC.232, Horsa I/II — Composite fuselage in Robin hangar

[edit] External links

• official website