The Sywell Aviation Museum (SAM) is a non-profit, volunteer-run organisation dedicated to preserving the history of Sywell Aerodrome and Northamptonshire’s rich flight heritage from the dawn of aviation to WWII and beyond. SAM was founded in 1998, and the Museum building was dedicated in 2001 by legendary aviator and honorary president Alex Henshaw MBE. During WWII, Alex flew from Sywell on a regular basis, air testing Vickers Wellingtons from the airport, so they were honoured when he decided to help them build their little museum.
Three Nissen huts were demolished and erected on-site at Sywell after being dismantled at the now-defunct RAF Bentwaters. The structures themselves are artefacts, having served as bomb fuzing shelters for the USAAF at Bentwaters during WWII. Two new Nissen huts, previously POW Camp Huts from Snape Farm, Derbyshire, were added to the Museum in 2010 and 2011. The Paul Morgan Hall, which opened during Easter 2011, features the Museum’s cockpit collection as well as a complete WW2 Link Trainer. An expanded USAAF Hall and a new POW/Luftwaffe display are featured in the second half, which opened in Easter 2012.
