Birth of the "Wooden Wonder": Salisbury Hall - the home of the de Havilland Aircraft Museum

[@MrSkid1970]

I visited here as an ATC cadet in the 80s. Another visit is on the cards!

[@B0M0A0K]

It was my absolute pleasure to visit the Museum for the first time in July of this year (2024). I had no idea that you had the original prototype there until one of your extremely knowledgeable guides came over and started to chat with me. My only regret during our visit, was that I did not allow enough time to stop and soak it all in. The de Havilland Mosquito remains my favorite WW2 aircraft and next time I will plan for a longer visit. But I was allowed to touch one (not the prototype) and your guide allowed me a quick look up into the cockpit from round level. It meant so much to me to do that. Outstanding Museum!

[@BMrider75]

The DH museum is a wonderful place, a great visit. Up close and personal with this awesome aircraft.

[@ianseddon9347]

Not only the finest aircraft of WW2 but the finest air museum in Britain. Such a privilege to stand under the wings of the very first Mossie!

[@davegrace7979]

The museum was a very emotional place for me to visit as my father was one of the engineers who worked there on the prototype Mosquito.

[@lennewton8184]

Great videos I have been there several times over the years and my father in law worked on the prototype at Salisbury Hall, as you say it was dismantled and rebuilt at Hatfield. The second one was also built in Salisbury Hall but was not dismantled and was flown from the field behind much to the dismay of the farmer as they removed part of the hedge to enable clearance for the wings to go through, Lofty as he was known remembered Geoffrey Junior doing a barrel roll with one engine feathered as it flew away, so confident was he of the Mosquito.

[@MreViewer]

As a young teenager I visited the museum several times in the 1960s, the then curator remembered me and let me climb up into the cockpit and sit in the pilot seat where de Havilland himself would have sat. She was painted all yellow back then. An unforgettable experience for a 14 year old!

[@hangie65]

I had the privilege of visiting the De Havilland museum in July this year, and it was not the exhibits that I found fascinating, but the friendly and very knowledgeable staff. It made all the difference. Absolutely worth the visit and then some.

[@mikepocock575]

Well worth a vist,ive been many times and never get fed up going.

[@chrishay8385]

A wonderful example of British genius design and imagination a game changinging aircraft for the RAF it pretty well did it all and surpassed its design expectations just the best,nuff said.

[@prs00001]

Another great video 👍

[@jeandenhollander6515]

I visited the Muséum in 2012 when I came back from an Citroen metting in Harrogate whe xere there with a Traction avant of 1937 at the time the museum was closed, and when I said we came from France whith a car as old zs the mosquito whe were allowed to have a look, great museum for a great plane

[@garyknight8616]

Great video. Thank you. Really looking forward to visiting soon.

[@clivelee4279]

Served my time at De Havilland’s shadow factory near Bolton , allegedly, biggest machine shop under one roof in the country, sadly all gone now , the area devoted to retail therapy nowadays. Never saw an aircraft , but saw lots of propellers CSU’s undercarriage ect and a few missiles .

[@smalcolmbrown]

Thanks :)

[@miniman9133]

Another great video Dennis, and crew. 😀 I still think the 'outline mosquito' would look better completely filled in yellow, as visitors would notice it more !! Just my opinion....😊

[@emmabird9745]

Great, thanks so much for the explanation. There is one thing, one connection I don't quite understand though. I read somewhere the Salisbury Hall was the home of Sir Nigel Greasley, CME of the LNER (with the Mallards in the lake). Whats the link between Sir Nigel and DHs please?

[@miniman9133]

The only connection to my knowledge, is that Sir Nigel Gresley was one of the previous owners of Salisbury Hall.

[@deHavMuseum]

You are correct. 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. Aviation first came to Salisbury Hall in October 1939 when the de Havilland Mosquito design team moved in as a security precaution against the British Government stopping work on the project.

[@emmabird9745]

@@deHavMuseum Thanks. Does that mean Salisbury Hall was requisitioned, or did Sir Nigel invite them?

[@elwynj5379]

Excellent vid. Thank you.

[@thunderace4588]

Thank you.

[@hamshackleton]

As I put on a previous thread, when I was there a lot of years ago - somewhere around 10? - there was a Mossie under repair there, and someone had left a set of stepladders underneath the nose hatch, which was open, so I took the opportunity of taking a few photos of the interior. Either nobody noticed, or nobody objected.

[@ralphjohnson4041]

Did you know that for a time Salisbury Hall was the home of Nigel Gresley the steam locomotive engineer?

[@deHavMuseum]

You are correct. 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. Aviation first came to Salisbury Hall in October 1939 when the de Havilland Mosquito design team moved in as a security precaution against the British Government stopping work on the project.

[@c123bthunderpig]

Best aircraft ever built Goering had good reason to despise it and the crews were amazing.

[@kidmohair8151]

i both like and don't like that i get to see this in the first thousand views. i don't like that because it should have many more than 500 in 17 hours. (in my humble opinion)

[@mothmagic1]

Hardly the world's first MRCA that claim rightly belongs to the Bristol F2 of 1917

[@flypawels]

👍

[@tsegulin]

Government oversight has an enormous effect over military aircraft production in the lead-up and during wartime. It's not always clear what the best policy will be in a time of total chaos. The British Air Ministry made its share of mistakes, including opposing what turned out to be an exceptionally successful de Havilland Mosquito. Germany's RLM was far worse, with poor oversight of engine development that squandered resources, the requirement of dive bombing capabilities that deprived them of the Heinkel He-177A heavy bomber, the on-again, off-again priorities awarded to jet development. Here is one example (as I understand it). Due to engine reliability issues, the Avro Manchester heavy bomber was cancelled. The Air Ministry recognized a good airframe and suggested to Roy Chadwick at Avro that they develop another version with 4 RR Merlin engines. The result was the Lancaster. The Heinkel 177 was sole-sourced and this 4 engine heavy bomber was required by the RLM to be able to dive bomb - unheard of for such a large aircraft. This required heavy structural reinforcement which drastically cut performance. Part of the solution to that was the use of coupled engines, which turned out to be a dangerous fire hazard. Heinkel proposed a 4 separate engine version but Goering and the RLM refused. Ernst Heinkel secretly built a 4 separate engine version out of the sight of the RLM in his Vienna-Schwecat plant and from all accounts it performed brilliantly. Thus the British Air Ministry helped Avro correct a major problem and presented the RAF with an outstanding bomber, while the OKW, Goering and the RLM virtually assured the Luftwaffe would never have a significant strategic bombing capability. Private sector engineers overseen by government. Despite the Air Ministry mistake with the Mosquito, IMHO Britain was fortunate.