End of an era as Fenland museum is set to close its doors after three decades

A popular Fenland museum is on the brink of closure and is urging people to visit one last time.

The Fenland and West Norfolk Aviation Museum has been located on the Bambers site off Old Lynn Road for the past 30 years having been launched by a group of aviation history enthusiasts in the 1970s.

It has thousands of relics on display including four complete aircraft. Many of the items on display have strong local links and come from crash sites excavated by members.

Now with a closing date of October 29 those who run the museum are urging visitors to take one last look.

Only last year the museum had hopes of trying to purchase its site having launched a £50,000 fundraising appeal in 2020.

They were in negotiation with the then owner of the site but were horrified to learn last summer that the site had been sold from under them to a local developer.

Un-deterred the museum's supporters continued with the fundraising with the hope of either purchasing their existing site or finding another suitable location at a peppercorn rent.

Those hopes are now gone and the museum's exhibits are set to be distributed to other aviation museums across the county.

A spokesperson for the museum promised to give details of where the artefacts end up but most of the collection is being rehomed with the City of Norwich Aviation Museum in a new purpose built building that is soon to be constructed.

He added: "They will be preserved and displayed for future generations to see."

Established in the mid 1970s the museum is first and foremost a centre for aviation archaeology. The team running the Fenland and West Norfolk Aviation Museum have spent many years researching and recovering the remains of crashed aircraft across the region.

These remains have been proudly displayed, with their full historical context explained. The museum also displays photographs, uniforms, engines, guns and many other artefacts related to civil and military aviation over the last century.

The remains of several aircraft - British and German - lost during World War Two are displayed within the museum. In many cases there were no survivors from the crash.

Over the years the museum has attracted visitors from all over the world, including families of those who died in some of the crashes excavated by the volunteers.