It’s amazing what you don’t know…and i never knew there was a Hovercraft Museum until last year!
It is a museum filled to the rafters (literally) with all sorts of Craft’s, heritage items, interpretation, film, loaned items (from places such as the Science Museum), and an Archive that i cannot wait for others to have access to because it will blow your mind! The team (including Management) is run entirely by Volunteers who are not only incredibly generous individuals, but are a mine of knowledge, connection, lived experience and are fully embracing the necessary changes for a solid museum future.
Overlooking the seafront at Lee-on-the-Solent, and based on the old Daedalus naval base, it is the only Hovercraft Museum in the world. One of Hampshire’s unique attractions it’s a collection of international significance and is entirely volunteer-run with something for everyone. The site is being developed by world famous MurrayTwohig, the developer brains behind world class places/spaces/venues such at the Battersea Power Station, amongst others.
In 2023, The Museum successfully gained full accreditation which allows the museum to grow into the future and obtain support and recognition previously inaccessible to it. The product of a number of years work, and as part of the accreditation process, The Hovercraft Museum Trust embarked on the process of incorporating the Trust into a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. This culminated in January 2024 in the charities merging and continuing as The Hovercraft Museum CIO (registered charity no. 1198896).
It has what can only be described as, an Aladdin’s Cave of an Archive – it is just breathtakingly huge with all sorts of incredible assets which in the future, it is hoped will be opened to the wider community and others. Alongside the Craft’s on the Hangers and across the site, there is such deep history which you can explore, sit in, learn from and try and comprehend the sheer scale of these ‘vehicles’…if you get the chance to visit, please do.
Now, at this critical juncture, the museum finds itself embarking on a NLHF grant application which will see its first steps and ambitions to become a heritage asset secured for generations to come.
I have been supporting one small part of this journey in creating an Evaluation and Organisational Readiness Review document. It has been an exceptional journey to get to know the team, partners, stakeholders, local authorities and other Consultants working with the museum.
I look forward to seeing the museum build on its hard work thus far and continue to embed resilience programme and developing its master plan, all made possible with the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
