Skirmishes continue in the dogfight over Amy Johnson's plane

PRESSURE continues to mount on a London museum to allow the Gipsy Moth used by Amy Johnson in her pioneering solo flight to Australia to come to Hull for the City of Culture year.
By The Newsroom
Published 21st Jan 2016, 14:31 BST
Updated 21st Jan 2016, 16:09 BST
Amy JohnsonAmy Johnson
Amy Johnson

East Yorkshire MP Sir Greg Knight called on Culture Secretary John Whittingdale yesterday to ask the “London-obsessed” Science Museum to think again.

Organisers of a festival celebrating Miss Johnson’s achievements had tried without success to get the museum to allow the plane, one of the highlights in their third-floor Flight gallery, to come to the city for the festival this summer.

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Mr Knight said where a piece of heritage was moveable there was a case for “seeing it occasionally on display outside London and the South East.”

Tracey Curtis-Taylor waves to onlookers from the cockpit of her 1942 Boeing Stearman Spirit of Artemis biplane, before setting off from Farnborough Airport on her way to Sydney, Australia, to retrace the achievement of Amy Johnson.Tracey Curtis-Taylor waves to onlookers from the cockpit of her 1942 Boeing Stearman Spirit of Artemis biplane, before setting off from Farnborough Airport on her way to Sydney, Australia, to retrace the achievement of Amy Johnson.
Tracey Curtis-Taylor waves to onlookers from the cockpit of her 1942 Boeing Stearman Spirit of Artemis biplane, before setting off from Farnborough Airport on her way to Sydney, Australia, to retrace the achievement of Amy Johnson.

Sir Greg along with Hull MPs Diana Johnson and Karl Turner, have already pointed out that while the Science Museum was due a hefty £45m in public grants in 2015, Hull will receive just £11m to cover events, “legacy” and capital improvements for 2017.

“This is partly because of the strong expectation that some of the funding provided to national arts organisations will be used to facilitate projects in Hull during 2017”, they wrote in a letter to the museum’s director Ian Blatchford.

So far the museum has refused to countenance a move, claiming it will cost “several hundred thousand pounds” and that its removal would cause “considerable disruption.”

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Mr Whittingdale said it was a matter “he was very happy to look into further.”

Tracey Curtis-Taylor waves to onlookers from the cockpit of her 1942 Boeing Stearman Spirit of Artemis biplane, before setting off from Farnborough Airport on her way to Sydney, Australia, to retrace the achievement of Amy Johnson.Tracey Curtis-Taylor waves to onlookers from the cockpit of her 1942 Boeing Stearman Spirit of Artemis biplane, before setting off from Farnborough Airport on her way to Sydney, Australia, to retrace the achievement of Amy Johnson.
Tracey Curtis-Taylor waves to onlookers from the cockpit of her 1942 Boeing Stearman Spirit of Artemis biplane, before setting off from Farnborough Airport on her way to Sydney, Australia, to retrace the achievement of Amy Johnson.

The Culture Secretary was also taken to task by Ms Johnson, over Arts Council England’s rejection of a £5m funding bid towards a major upgrade of Hull New Theatre. Ms Johnson pointed out that £78m had been given to the new Factory museum in Manchester.

Mr Whittingdale said there were many competing bids for funding, adding: “We are determined to make Hull a success as capital of culture.”

Related topics:John WhittingdaleHullGreg KnightLondonAustralia