Visit the Museum

The museum is open seven days a week from 11:00 – 16:00

The Museum is located at National Trust Croome, a historic property located near Worcester in the UK.

Address: Croome, near High Green, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR8 9DW
Telephone: 01905 371006

Email: croome@nationaltrust.org.uk

There is no additional charge for admission to the Museum for visitors to Croome Park (free to members of the National Trust, charges apply for non-members).

The Museum is wheelchair-friendly.

For more information on how to get to Croome Park and the facilities (parking, café, etc.) please see the National Trust – Croome.

If you are planning a group visit, then this should be pre-arranged through the National Trust. See Group Visits

There are also scheduled ‘History of RAF Defford’ walks around Croome Park, guided by a museum volunteer who will describe items of interest along the way. See History of RAF Defford Walk

[Please note – The remains of the runway area is on private property. It can be seen during the walk, but cannot be accessed]

Sadly, the National Trust has plans to convert the Ambulance Garage section of the RAF Defford Museum into a Grab-and-Go food and drink outlet. This means that the Canberra fuselage will need to be moved to another museum. The other artefacts on display will (hopefully) be moved to other buildings at Croome.

This will be a major loss to the museum. It is important that work carried out in airborne radar development during the Cold War period is properly remembered. Also, the Ambulance Garage provides a rare opportunity for the public to properly appreciate the environment in which aircrew flew, through a physical exhibit as opposed to photos. Crucially we wish to ensure that the Ambulance Garage retains a use befitting of those who served, were injured or lost their lives at RAF Defford.

Defford Airfield Heritage Group, museum volunteers and members of the public are fighting against this, but to-date the National Trust are set on pursuing their plans.

If you believe, as we do, that a museum is more valuable than yet another food outlet (Croome already has a café, a tearoom, a refreshments van and an ice cream shop), you might like to make your feelings known to the National Trust, email: croome@nationaltrust.org.uk

As yet there is no date set for redevelopment of the Ambulance Garage itself. However, due to construction work adjacent to the building, the Ambulance Garage will be closed to the public from 12th October for an indefinite period.

RAF Defford Museum

The RAF Defford Museum at National Trust Croome opened on Sunday September 28th 2014 and fulfilled a long cherished dream of Veterans of RAF Defford.

In early Spring 2014 plans were put in place to start building work on the restoration of the Sick Quarters Decontamination Annexe of RAF Defford to accommodate the ‘RAF Defford Museum’. The restoration of the building was funded by the generosity of Severn Waste Services, based in Evesham, through the Landfill Community Scheme.

On May 16th 2014, the restored Decontamination Annexe was formally handed over to the National Trust by the contractors, Croft Building and Conservation. The historic building was restored to its 1942 appearance externally while adapted internally to house the Museum.
A second former RAF building which had housed the Station Ambulance Garage and the Mortuary has also been restored, thanks to donations from supporters including a five figure sum from one anonymous donor. This addition to the Museum was opened to the public in February 2016 and houses the cockpit and forward fuselage of Canberra WD956 a ground training simulator that finished its days at RRE Pershore after moving from Defford. Also in this building is an exhibition telling the story of Defford’s role during the Cold War years. This includes “what happened next” after Defford closed for flying in 1957 and operations moved to RRE Pershore because the main runway was not long enough or strong enough to take the new V-bombers then coming into service.

Attached to the Ambulance Garage but not open to visitors is the former Mortuary which houses the Museum Store.

The Museum tells the fascinating story of RAF Defford during World War II and the Cold War years, and its vital role in the flight testing of secret radar systems devised by scientists at the Telecommunications Research Establishment at Malvern. It describes the part played by the Station in the social history of rural Worcestershire, and the way in which the construction of the airfield dramatically changed the landscape of Croome Park.

Outreach and education is an essential part of the Museum, enabling us to tell the story of RAF Defford to local groups and societies, and most importantly to young people in schools, colleges and universities. The Museum also brings a wide range of volunteer opportunities to the National Trust at Croome, as stewards, carrying out historical research, and assisting with the outreach activities. To find out more about volunteering, please use our Contact Us page.

Volunteering At Defford

Volunteering in the RAF Defford Museum is a very rewarding activity. It is an opportunity to meet other volunteers with similar interests, to share stories and make new friends. You will learn much more about Defford Airfield. And, of course, it is enjoyable to meet the public, of all ages, to impart the fascinating story, making it a fun and interesting visit.

DAHG and the National Trust work in partnership to ensure the museum is an interesting place to visit, but volunteering itself is managed by the National Trust. Please follow the links elsewhere on this site if you feel you would like to become a volunteer.