Tiny aviation museum in Cumbria comes to the rescue of the world's last Beverley Blackburn made in Yorkshire

A project to dismantle and move the giant aircraft from the former military museum at Fort Paull near Hull has stalled and the plane was in danger of being scrapped.

Solway Aviation Museum, based at Carlisle Airport, has come to the rescue - but needs to raise £60,000.

The appeal will help fund the lifting and transport costs for the huge sections of aircraft, as well as ground preparation of the new site.

Museum Chairman, Dougie Kerr said: "This is a last gasp rescue mission for the Beverley, and once it is here it will form an important part of our collection of iconic British-made aircraft."

The last of only 49 ever built at Brough in East Yorkshire, the giant Beverley XP259 was used for troop and cargo transport by the Royal Air Force until 1967.

The aircraft has faced an uncertain future since the closure of the small museum at Fort Paull in 2020.

It was saved from the scrapman by businessman Martyn Wiseman, but the road towards finding it a new permanent home has proved difficult.

Mr Wiseman, who runs Condor Aviation, bought the huge transport plane at auction after the closure of Fort Paull in September 2020, with help from philanthropist Georg Von der Muehll, a Swiss banker.

The original aim was to dismantle it and take it to Mr Wiseman's airfield near Selby, before putting it back together - a huge task.

Its tail, propellors, rudders, wings and engines were removed by his engineers over two years ago.

However the project ground to a halt and the plane, which is still standing outside at Fort Paull, was in danger of being chopped up for scrap.

The plan is for volunteers to travel from Carlisle when the weather is better to carry on dismantling the plane, which should eventually join a collection of over 23 aircraft, including the Avro Vulcan XJ823, the most famous of the British V bombers.

As well as donating the aircraft free of charge, Mr Wiseman is also giving a 1936 Austin 10 from the 1969 movie Battle of Britain to the museum.

He said: "What I do appreciate about Dougie is that he's a doer, he's done it all himself.

"Up at Dougie's place other people will get to see it - at mine no one would have been invited, it would have been a very private thing. Georg is very pleased that it’s genuinely going to get saved.”

Mr Kerr said: “We are just a charity, a small museum. I don’t know why bigger museums haven’t taken it on. I thought let’s give it a go – we have plenty of room but no money.”

Mr Kerr, who has been involved with the museum for nearly four decades has had the plane on his radar ever since being outbid by Mr Wiseman at the 2020 auction.

He said: “Aviation Heritage UK was willing to put up £20,000 to buy the aircraft as long as we could raise the money to move it. We put £20,000 on – Martyn put in £21,000.”

He admits to having sleepless nights about the daunting task ahead and hopes he can get support from businesses. Scaffolders, crane and haulage companies could provide vital support.

He estimates the cost of moving the behemoth out of Fort Paull – a 100-tonne crane will be needed to get it over the walls – at a conservative £60,000.

He said: "I’m 99 per cent sure it’s going to move but every now and again I think: ‘What have I done?

"If there’s anyone with information, engineers who were involved with moving it the first time, that would be great.

"We would also appreciate any help from business.”

To support or contact the museum visit solway-aviation-museum.co.uk