Sally Cordwell, CEO of Aerospace Bristol said: “We are thrilled to partner with Rolls-Royce to display and preserve one of the most extraordinary collections of aircraft engines ever assembled.
“Aviation engineering is a proud part of Bristol’s identity, and each engine tells a powerful story of ingenuity, technological ambition, and of local people. For many visitors, the collection will hold personal memories of grandparents and great-grandparents who played an important role in designing these feats of engineering.”
The engines will be displayed in a historic aircraft hangar, recently refurbished to create a new museum story. Hangar 16R: Home of the Rolls-Royce Aerospace Collection opens on 1 August.
Volunteers from the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust will carefully restore the engines onsite, giving visitors a rare opportunity to witness heritage preservation in action.
The collection in Hangar 16R will primarily focus on engines with link to the Bristol Rolls-Royce site but occasionally might house engines from elsewhere in the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust collection.