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Whitsun Leaze, BRISTOL, BS34 5GL

The housing estate is separated from the dual carriageway by a valley

At Bristol Aerospace Museum. A very unusual artefact. The caption reads - "These keys were used to set the WE 177C freefall atomic bomb. A simple type of key, similar to those used to open slot machines of the period, was used to set many of the atomic bombs carried by British V-bombers." A very important link to a bit of cold war history. Also in the museum is an item relating to the modification of Polaris known as Chevaline.

This is a proteus set up as a turboprop engine. The type first ran on 25th January 1947 and developed 4,445 horsepower from a weight of 1293 kg. An unknown number were built. A Proteus powered power station is preserved at Internal Fire Museum of Power in Wales.

This wheel is claimed to be all that remains of the Bristol Brabazon luxury airliner. Only one was ever completed and first flew on 4 September 1949. It was designed for 12 crew and 100 passengers. The top speed was 300 mph and the range 5,500 miles. The jet liner ensured it was stillborn as the wrong product at the wrong time. A shame as it would have been a fascinating sight with its paired contrarotating propellers.

This is the forward section of Bristol Britannia G-ALRX. This was the second prototype and due to engine failure was forced to land in the Severn Estuary. The incoming tide rendered it no longer airworthy and it was subsequently used as an on-the-ground training aircraft. The Britannia first flew in 1952, could carry up to 139 passenger, 85 units were built, the top speed was 397 mph and the range was 4,430 miles. The museum is most impressive and although the Concorde is the star the supporting cast is also very interesting.

There are two main thrusts to Sir George White (1854–1916): his vision and entrepreneurial talent allowed him to found Bristol's tramway system and also found some of the first attempts to conquer the air. A Bristol double-decker (TWS910T) stands as part of the Aerospace Bristol Collection here at Filton. The bus itself started life as a chassis (VRT/SL3/1677) built in Bristol, with the coachwork ECW 23063 Series 2 and fitted with a Gardner 6LXB engine. It entered service in March 1979 and retired in April, 1994; it was restored in the local company's Tilling green and is now part of the collection. The location is part of the new Collection Trust's new premises at Filton. The history of the important airfield and manufacturing base stretches back around a century. Part of the remaining buildings include this fine example of a 'Belfast truss' hangar, built around 1917-18. At that time, aircraft manufacture was a new but vital part of the war effort; with so many machines being made, it often became a problem delivering them. To ease congestion, aircraft acceptance parks were established and Filton was R.F.C. A.A.P. number 5. Originally there were up to thirteen such hangars but now only two remain; the museum occupies this one and it is a listed building.

This is a replica of WWI Bristol F.2B fighter plane. This type was present at the inception of the RAF in 1918. This museum houses a Concorde but there is so much more there and if you are interested in transport and engineering it is well worth a half day or more.

This is the new home for Aerospace Bristol Collection - a new £19m museum dedicated to the many thousands of products and innovations created here in Bristol for over a century. The hangar is in fact a veteran dating from 1917-18 and is a 'Belfast truss' type. The Northern Irish company McTear began making wooden lattice trusses that were simple to produce but capable of carrying a load over a very wide span. This made the design ideal for the new hangars that sprang up at the dawn of aviation in the early 1900s. Inside, the museum has made every effort to expose the original brick columns and wooden trusses, with the necessary improvement of a modern cladding roof. It is Grade II listed; see Image] for a look at the side.