The highly-anticipated new home of Concorde, Aerospace Bristol, opens its doors to visitors at 09.30 on Tuesday morning. Offering the chance to embark upon an exciting journey through more than a century of remarkable aviation history, the new museum boasts the last Concorde ever to fly as its stunning centerpiece.

Located on the historic Filton Airfield, Aerospace Bristol is a family attraction that tells a fascinating story of ordinary people achieving extraordinary things, with amazing aerospace exhibits – including aeroplanes, helicopters, missiles, satellites and more – and a variety of hands-on activities, such as a real Airbus A319 wing where visitors can move the flaps and slats to explore the physics and engineering of flight. The star attraction is Concorde Alpha Foxtrot, the last Concorde to be built and the last to fly. Visitors can explore the history of Concorde, step aboard the iconic aircraft, and be wowed by a dramatic projection show on to the supersonic jet that tells the story of Concorde and what it was like to fly at twice the speed of sound.

Lloyd Burnell, Executive Director of Aerospace Bristol, said “Aerospace Bristol offers something for everyone: Concorde, as always, has the power to amaze and looks just stunning in her new home; we have created a first-class exhibition to tell the story of Bristol’s aerospace achievements from 1910 to the modern day, and there are great fun interactives to keep all members of the family interested and entertained. We hope that all those who saw Concorde on her final flight into Filton that historic day will want to be one of the first to come and pay tribute to this very special design and engineering icon and learn about the Bristol people who worked here over the years. Tickets are available now at aerospacebristol.org.”

National Lottery players have helped the new museum to take flight, as the project received a £4.7m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Nerys Watts, Head of HLF South West, said: “From First World War fighter planes to the ground-breaking Concorde, British aviation was born and bred at Filton Airfield and thanks to National Lottery players, Aerospace Bristol is an incredible gateway to that heritage. We’ve been delighted to support this project and all the wonderful team and volunteers who have made it possible – we look forward to Aerospace Bristol’s continuing success.”

The new museum also gratefully received generous support from corporate partners – including Rolls Royce, Airbus, BAE, South Gloucestershire Council, GKN and Renishaw.

Fundraising is not yet complete and the museum is appealing for public donations and asking people to share their memories of Concorde via an online ‘memory map’ at aerospacebristol.org/concorde-stories.

Aerospace Bristol tickets are available to purchase upon arrival at the museum, to book online at aerospacebristol.org or by phone on 01179 315 315 during museum opening hours. Tickets entitle visitors to enjoy free day return visits for a whole year from the date that they are first used (T&Cs apply) and make an ideal present for birthdays, anniversaries or special family get-togethers. Advance booking guarantees entry to the museum on your chosen day and you can choose to print at home to enjoy ‘speedy boarding’ - avoiding queues at the admissions desk.

Aerospace Bristol is also open for community group and school bookings. Working with industry partners, the museum has developed a practical and inspiring learning programme for school groups of all ages and aims to inspire young people to pursue exciting careers in science and technology.

Lift off for Aerospace Bristol: The new home of the last Concorde ever to fly