Rolls Royce Heritage Trust
About This Museum
This isn't your typical hushed, marble-floored museum. Tucked away in Derby, the heart of Britain's industrial Midlands, the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust feels more like a brilliantly organized and deeply passionate enthusiast's garage. The air hums with the silent power of engineering legends, where you can almost smell the oil and hear the ghost of a test run. It’s a place that celebrates not just the final, polished product, but the gritty, brilliant process of invention itself.
Collection Highlights
You'll find yourself face-to-face with an actual Eagle engine, the very workhorse that powered Alcock and Brown's first non-stop transatlantic flight. Elsewhere, gleaming turbine blades sit beside early Merlin engine components, their intricate forms as beautiful as sculpture. Don't miss the 'Flying Bedstead', a bizarre-looking vertical take-off test rig that looks like it flew straight out of a 1950s sci-fi comic.
Visitor Information
A heads-up for anyone planning a trip: it's located on the edge of the company's operational site in Derby, so you'll need to book your visit in advance through their website. It’s well worth that little bit of extra planning for such an intimate and authentic look under the hood of aviation history.
Architecture & Building
Housed in a no-nonsense, functional brick building that feels perfectly at home in its industrial surroundings; this is a place built for work, not for show.
Contact & Location
Address: Derby, East Midlands, England, United Kingdom
Phone: +44 1332 241290
Website: Visit Website
