The Royal Air Force Museum in Shropshire has been awarded just over £9 million by the Heritage Fund.

The museum, at Cosford in Shropshire, will spend the money on a new exhibition space, exploring the modern history of the RAF and looking to the future.

It will also use it to create an outdoor events area with a programme of activities, and turn a 1930s hangar into a new exhibition and learning centre.

One of the collections due to go on display includes objects that belonged to leading Nazis and had previously been stored at an RAF base in Stafford.

The development will be the biggest at the RAF museum since the opening of its Cold War exhibition centre in 2007.

The museum said its new “Collections Hub” would put on display for the first time a number of objects that have been stored away.

It said the RAF has a large collection, spanning a century of history, but less than 1% of it is currently accessible to the public.

The hub will look at the story of the RAF since 1980 and explore its transition to an “air, land, maritime, space and cyber defence” force.

Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, said the £9,286,778 funding would “unlock the doors to hidden collections, explore new perspectives on the history and future of the RAF”.

The redeveloped 1930s hangar will focus on teaching science, technology, engineering, geography, art and design and mathematics skills.

The new outdoor area will be used for events, teaching and relaxation, the museum said.

Sir Richard Knighton KCB ADC FREng, chief of the air staff, said the development of the RAF Museum at Cosford was “strategically important to the Royal Air Force”.

He also said it was “vitally important” to be able to tell the “compelling story of our recent history”.

Alex James
BBC Radio Shropshire