{"id":3317,"date":"2026-01-29T14:09:51","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T14:09:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.airscene.co.uk\/news\/?p=3317"},"modified":"2026-01-29T14:09:51","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T14:09:51","slug":"behind-the-scenes-access-at-shuttleworths-engineering-open-workshop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.airscene.co.uk\/news\/aviation-news-uk\/aviation-museum-news\/behind-the-scenes-access-at-shuttleworths-engineering-open-workshop\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind-the-Scenes Access at Shuttleworth\u2019s Engineering Open Workshop"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.airscene.co.uk\/article-images-26\/Shuttleworth-Workshops.jpg\" alt=\"Shuttleworth Workshops\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Photo by Oliver Lloyd<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><em>Workshop barriers are removed, giving a rare chance to inspect historic aircraft and engineering in intimate detail<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><em>Activities including flight simulators and immersive VR<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><em>Temporary exhibition \u2018In focus: The Sopwith &amp; Hawker Story\u2019 running 14-22 February<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Old Warden, 29 January 2026 <\/strong>\u2013 For one weekend only, on 21 and 22 February, barriers will be removed at Shuttleworth\u2019s engineering workshop, giving guests a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to restore, rebuild and operate one of the world&#8217;s most extensive collections of working vintage agricultural exhibits, veteran and vintage vehicles, and airworthy aircraft from the earliest days of flight. A packed programme is scheduled, including talks and demonstrations from expert engineers, vintage bus rides, engineering-focused activities, and tours of the hangars and Shuttleworth House, amongst other activities. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A temporary exhibition titled \u2018In Focus: The Sopwith &amp; Hawker Story\u2019 celebrating Sopwith and Hawker aircraft, featuring six of Shuttleworth\u2019s own iconic Collection aircraft, including the 1918 Sopwith F.1 Camel (which will have an engine ground run on Engineering Open Workshop weekend) and the 1941 Hawker Sea Hurricane Ib, will also exclusively take place on 14-22 February \u2013 with barriers coming down around the exhibition during the Workshop event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Featured exhibits<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Visitors will be able to get up close to wartime fighters Supermarine Spitfire Vc and Bristol M.1C as well as the unique Southern Martlet which will be on display. Additionally on view in the workshop will be aircraft currently undergoing restoration including the Percival Mew Gull, English Electric Wren, and Deperdussin, offering guests a rare look inside the intricate mechanics that keep these historic machines flying. Shuttleworth\u2019s in-house team of engineers will also demonstrate an engine ground run on the Sopwith F.1 Camel as well as the Hucks Starter on the Hawker Hind \u2013 which has recently undergone an extensive overhaul and is now repainted in the colours of 605 Squadron, serial K5533.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The workshop will also showcase a fascinating range of historic vehicles and machinery, including the ABC Motorcycle, the 1899 Marot-Gardon Quadricycle, a 1900 Locomobile, a Ford Model A Truck, and a Leyland Bus Engine. Visitors can enjoy hands-on experiences with interactive attractions such as Studebaker car rides and the Bofors anti-aircraft gun. In steam will be the Clayton &amp; Shuttleworth portable steam engine powering the thrashing set as well as the ever-popular traction engine &#8220;Phoenix&#8221;, and the newly acquired steam wagon \u201cThe Fenland Princess\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Hands-on, engineering activities and challenges<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Various invited partner organisations will present an exciting range of engineering-focused activities suitable for all ages. Visitors will have the chance to take the controls in flight simulators, delve into Bedford\u2019s airship heritage with immersive VR experiences, practice traditional English wheeling, craft and paint scale models, and put their skills to the test by diagnosing aircraft engine faults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Showcasing their engineering prowess, the WorldSkills UK team will undertake a trial run of aeronautical engineering challenges against the clock in preparation for competing in the 48th WorldSkills championships in Shanghai, China this September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2018In focus: The Sopwith &amp; Hawker Story\u2019 temporary exhibition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From 14-22 February, a temporary exhibition in Hangar Four will take place, bringing into focus the pioneering legacy of the Sopwith Aviation Company and Hawker Aircraft Limited, highlighting their designs and contributions to aviation history. Visitors can explore iconic aircraft, learn about the engineers and designers who brought them to life, and discover how these legendary companies shaped flight. For Engineering Open Workshop weekend, the barriers will be removed around the exhibition, allowing guests to admire the aircraft even more closely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Jean-Michel Munn, Head of Engineering, commented:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cEngineering Open Workshop is the first big event of 2026 for Shuttleworth\u2019s engineering team, and we\u2019re looking forward to showcasing our current restoration projects in progress at the workshop as well as the rest of our iconic Collection. In contrast to the spectacle of our air shows, it\u2019s fantastic to be able to welcome the public to our workshop to appreciate the skill, patience and passion which keeps these historic aircraft able to fly.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Under 18s tickets are free for this event, with adult tickets at \u00a325 (and \u00a320 for members), available to book <a href=\"https:\/\/shuttleworth.digitickets.co.uk\/event-tickets\/70290?catID=66519&amp;_gl=1*1l0qxrk*_gcl_au*MTUxMzE5NjgyLjE3Njc3Nzc1OTY.*_ga*MTIxNDUyNDgwNi4xNzY3Nzc3NTk2*_ga_QSQKLFCY7F*czE3NjkxNzM5NDMkbzUzJGcxJHQxNzY5MTc2ODI2JGo1NiRsMCRoMA..\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Old Warden, 29 January 2026 \u2013 For one weekend only, on 21 and 22 February, barriers will be removed at Shuttleworth\u2019s engineering workshop, giving guests a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to restore, rebuild and operate one of the world&#8217;s most extensive collections of working vintage agricultural exhibits, veteran and vintage vehicles, and airworthy &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.airscene.co.uk\/news\/aviation-news-uk\/aviation-museum-news\/behind-the-scenes-access-at-shuttleworths-engineering-open-workshop\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Behind-the-Scenes Access at Shuttleworth\u2019s Engineering Open Workshop<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[364,57,10,340],"class_list":["post-3317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aviation-museum-news","tag-364","tag-january","tag-news","tag-shuttleworth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.airscene.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.airscene.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.airscene.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.airscene.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.airscene.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3317"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.airscene.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3317\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3318,"href":"http:\/\/www.airscene.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3317\/revisions\/3318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.airscene.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.airscene.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.airscene.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}