Harrington Aviation Museum

Museum

Explorer Tom

Harrington Aviation Museum occupies part of a former wartime airfield near Harrington in Northamptonshire, and its best trick is making a quiet farm address feel suddenly full of clandestine flights. The Carpetbaggers who used this place carried people and supplies into occupied Europe, which makes the word 'delivery' sound rather tame. The museum began in 1993 for an 801st and 492nd Bomb Group reunion. Its Carpetbagger collection lives in the group's former operations building at Station 179, a real piece of the airfield. Exhibits explain secret missions to resistance groups, the British Special Operations Executive's work from Tempsford, Harrington's later Thor rocket role and the Royal Observer Corps. A former paymaster's hut holds recovered aircraft remains. Find it at Sunnyvale Farm, Lamport Road, Harrington, NN6 9PF. The operator posts selected opening dates rather than promising daily access: in 2026 its listed final public weekend is 24–25 October, 10 am to 5 pm, last entry 4 pm. Check the current calendar before travelling, especially after the season ends; groups of at least twelve can arrange other visits. Photography and animals are normally disallowed inside. What stays with you is the contrast between an ordinary-looking corner of Northamptonshire and the extraordinary jobs launched from it. The displays return aircrews, agents and ground staff to the story. Even the Cold War rockets had their turn here. Leave with the lanes looking peaceful again, but perhaps with one eyebrow raised whenever someone calls a flight 'routine'.

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Display cases and exhibits inside Harrington Aviation Museum · Photo: Northamptonshire Heritage Forum · Reuse rights not stated on source page

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Map note: There is a map point for Harrington Aviation Museum, a museum near Harrington, North Northamptonshire, England. See what else is around it before planning your day.

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