New Forest Airfields Heritage Centre

The Heritage Centre sits in the last surviving building of a former RAF camp on the edge of Bransgore, and is run by a volunteer group that preserves the history of the twelve airfields operating in the New Forest during the Second World War. Inside, a mix of information boards, models, photographs, artefacts, uniforms, videos and CGI tells the story of the airfields and the people who worked on them. An upstairs gallery displays many limited edition aircraft prints, many signed by pilots who flew from the airfields. A local aviation reference library is also on site. Children are given a quiz around the displays, with a prize for getting every answer right, which makes the visit a good fit for school-age children and curious older kids as well as aviation enthusiasts. A tearoom serves light refreshments and cakes, and there is a small gift shop with a preloved book section. The centre is open on Sundays during the summer and autumn months, so check ahead before travelling.