Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre

Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre

Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre
5
Military MuseumsSpeciality MuseumsHistory Museums
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
About
OPEN SATURDAY 10am-4pm, SUNDAY 12-4pm (Weather Permitting) LAST ENTRY 3pm. Children get free entry and must be supervised by an adult at all times. Montrose was Great Britain’s first operational military airfield, established by the Royal Flying Corps in February 1913. The museum aims to show the human side of the Air Station's past with a collection of contemporary photographs, artefacts and memorabilia. These not only tell of the history of the airfield but also the story of those who served here and those who lived in the area. It is an independent, accredited museum run entirely by volunteers. Aircraft include a Panavia Tornado GR4, a Hawker Hunter F1, a Gloster Meteor and a de Havilland Sea Vampire. There is also a full-size replica Supermarine Spitfire MkVb and our volunteers have built amazing full-size replicas of a WWI B.E.2a and a Sopwith Camel, the only ones in Scotland.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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  • Simon B
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great day out
    Had a great time today. It was thrilling to see the Tornado GR4 up close and personal but there are plenty of other things to see. Staff are really knowledgeable and take the time to answer all you questions. Kevan was great showing us the amazing Tornado, thanks!
    Visited May 2023
    Written May 8, 2023
  • DrWork@Work
    Edzell, United Kingdom194 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Well worth a visit - leave about 2-3 hours
    Excellent collection of real life stories of airmen ( and women). Great displays and lots to see and hear. It says 1-2 hours but if you want to read things, we’d suggest about 3 hours to be able to read all the information and hear the videos etc. Lovely helpful volunteers. We live only 12 miles away and cannot believe it’s taken me so long to visit the museum.
    Visited July 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written July 14, 2023
  • 668John
    Aberdeen, United Kingdom44 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Excellent and very educational
    Visited with brother and father and father in law and staff were very friendly and helpful. Excellent experience seeing all the planes and old military equipment and vehicles. I never realised just how big the tornado jets were. The history of the Montrose air station goes back to 1913, although most of the original land is now an industrial site. It took us 2 and 3 quarter hours to do it but if you were going to read everything on display then add another hour on to that.
    Visited July 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written July 15, 2023
  • sanamkumar
    Aberdeen, United Kingdom326 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Good
    It’s a good small place which you can access by the tour of train also which starts from Brechin. Makes you feel like the old time Indian steam locomotives. It’s not a time journey for someone coming from India as this prevails in India as well. The airforce station is very neat and clean but does not having any eating place so better carry your food and stuff
    Visited July 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written July 22, 2023
  • jarob2423415
    25 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Amazing history
    Really nice museum. Great history and run entirely by volunteers. Local council should be much more involved. Amazing and dedicated people keeping it going. Lots for kids to look at and we'll done for allowing them free entry. The poppy remembrance wall is a really nice idea.
    Visited July 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written August 5, 2023
  • hols201
    7 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fantastic place to visit
    What a fantastic place to visit. Lots to see, learn and so many personal stories to read about the men and women who worked and lived at the base. Thank you to the very welcoming staff who made the visit such an enjoyable experience.
    Visited August 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written August 17, 2023
  • NetN
    Burnopfield, United Kingdom194 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A bit of history
    Well worth a visit - even if it's just to see how on earth they managed to squeeze a tornado into that hangar. It's very carefully parked. This is a really friendly little museum - good for an hour or two. There's an introductory video giving the history of the base which is well worth watching (13 mins) and the displays include reconstructions of offices and accommodation as well as planes both indoors and outdoors. There is a restoration shed where volunteers are very happy to talk about the work in progress. Children of 15 and under go free which is absolutely great but there isn't a concession for students of 16 plus which was a bit disappointing as our 17 year old son is still in full time education. Still, it's all in a good cause I suppose.
    Visited August 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written August 22, 2023
  • Nic W
    Manchester, United Kingdom10 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A must see
    What a truly wonderful place with a force of amazing volunteers. So much to see and learn. This was the highlight of our holiday. The atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming, nothing was too much trouble. Such amazing stories of bravery and ingenuity to keep you entertained. The 1940's room was truly excellent and just one of many high quality exhibits. Don't hesitate, money well spent and there is a little shop too. Dog friendly 😁
    Visited August 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written September 1, 2023
  • Anco M
    Aberdeen, United Kingdom677 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Lovely
    This was the second time we visited Montrose Air Station, but the last time was years ago. This remains a lovely little unexpected treasure. The reception is friendly with a lovely 40’s room. The original 1913 hangars slightly off base house amongst others a Tornado. The rest of the base is a great mix of local history, life at the base and a mix between WWI & WWII planes. A very nice little visit for an hour or so.
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written March 2, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles338 reviews
Excellent
285
Very good
48
Average
1
Poor
2
Terrible
2

Meghann T
Dundee, UK273 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023 • Family
This museum was a nice way to spend a sunny afternoon. The exhibits were interesting, the volunteers very friendly and helpful and I’d say the entrance fee is fair (£6 per adult and our daughter got in for free.) I would definitely say it’s an attraction for a dry day as much of it is outside and you spend a lot of time walking between hangers. There is a cafe but it was not open on the day we visited. The gift shop is decent.
All in all I’d say worth a visit if you’re at a loose end or if the subject matter is of particular interest to you, but I wouldn’t go out of my way.
Written February 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

PiningMartin
Aberdeen, UK1 contribution
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Couples
As air museums go this is a small site but packed with history and run by dedicated and knowledgeable volunteers. In a hanger well over a century old you'll find a tornado that was in active RAF service only 2 years ago. There are a small number of other complete aircraft and replicas. Indoor exhibits tell the story of the base in the 2 world wars and of the men and women who passed through it.
Written August 28, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tim S
South Ferriby, UK59 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020
Second time visiting here in the past 3 years, and yes it was worth it. The museum has slowly developed and more things have been added and improved. Covid though did restrict acccess a little but the staff made up for this with the time they spent making your visit as full as possible.
Well worth returning...
Written October 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ian T
Cowdenbeath, UK134 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022 • Couples
Excellent, small museum. Staff are passionate about what they are doing and keeping the details and stories alive. A lot of work in progress and a Tornado arriving soon. Friendly and nice little shop as well.
Written May 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

LittleScottishTreasures - Magical Tours
Dunfermline, UK241 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022 • Business
We took a couple of guests here, one of whom was very interested in military history and aviation... perfect.

The site is small but well laid out and we would concider returning with guests again if it were not for the one bad point.

As tour operators we like to accompany our guests around locations once we get to know the site, unfortunately we were told that guides have to pay too for entry, which is rare for any attraction and deters the very people who bring custom.

I kept the review at 4 stars to reflect the quality of the work being done here.
Written May 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your review and we apologise for any misunderstanding regarding the charging of tourist guides. We would not normally charge tourist guides who we know, or where the guide has given us some advanced notice of their group's visit. We do hope that you will return as I'm sure that many of your clients will find the museum of great interest.
Written May 30, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Helen H
Glasgow, UK2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Family
Excellent museum, staff are friendly and very informative. Loved seeing the Tornado in the hangar and staff were happy to answer any questions and provide insight into all the museum had to offer. Well worth a visit if in the area. Great price too and no charge for children which was brilliant.
Written August 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

mike_gss
Aberdeen, United Kingdom15 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
Most people have said it already - an excellent little museum and heritage centre. Very enthusiastic and friendly staff and reasonably priced entry. These smaller museums find it tough to operate and compete with the "mega" attractions but they are hugely important and this one in particular tells a fascinating story about the unique role held by Montrose. Please support them.
Written August 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

797dennisp
Montrose, UK30,370 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2022
Lovely day in Montrose for the Red Arrows to fly over ! Updates were announced over the speaker "The Red Arrows are now over Arbroath 2 minutes away" Of course I looked down at the wrong time and saw them disappearing into the distance.

I'm sure most of the crowd with cameras were more alert than I was.

Good day out for families with snacks, burgers and cold drinks available. All proceeds going towards the upkeep of this station.

I think it was a donation of £1 to get in.
Written October 29, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

DrWork@Work
Edzell, UK194 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Couples
Excellent collection of real life stories of airmen ( and women). Great displays and lots to see and hear. It says 1-2 hours but if you want to read things, we’d suggest about 3 hours to be able to read all the information and hear the videos etc. Lovely helpful volunteers. We live only 12 miles away and cannot believe it’s taken me so long to visit the museum.
Written July 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Douglas Y
Montrose, UK10 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Couples
The replica sitting room complete with table set for tea including boiled eggs (just behind the shop), a Tornado, people dressed in full war-time outfits and aircraft doing low-level flights during the open days.

Don't miss going into the room marked "Video Room" to see what this air station really achieved.

Oh, and the animals who helped in the war effort, especially "Bamse".
Written August 28, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Frequently Asked Questions about Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre

Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre is open:
  • Sun - Sun 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
  • Sat - Sat 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM


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