Historic planes to move from West Midlands to museums
A collection of historic planes, which enthusiasts spent 20 years lovingly restoring, will finally leave the West Midlands next month - 100 years since the firm first started manufacturing aircraft.
Members of the Boulton Paul Association (BPA) have been looking for a permanent home for their exhibits since their base was closed in Wolverhampton two years ago.
The P6 bi-plane, the replica of a research aircraft built by Boulton & Paul Ltd in 1917, is going to the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum in Flixton along with other exhibits on January 18.
The replica of the Defiant bomber destroyer will then be going to the Kent Battle of Britain Museum at Hawkinge, where a Defiant squadron was based in 1940 in the following months.
BPA chairman Cyril Plimmer said it would be sad to see the planes go and a piece of Wolverhampton's rich aviation history lost for good.
He said: "Boulton Paul has been a big part of Wolverhampton's history for many years. It is going to be sad to see all the stuff go.
"But I'm almost 87 and the other guys are in their 70s. We had to find new homes for the planes."
But he added both museums where the planes were headed were established and would provide a good home.
Boulton & Paul's construction engineering division began in 1905.
But it was 1915 when the firm began to construct aircraft under contract.
The historic planes were saved from the scrap heap in October after the two museums stepped in to host the collection.
It came after the RAF Museum at Cosford said the venue could no longer accommodate the aircraft. Cosford had previously taken delivery of the exhibits and had unveiled plans for an extension to show them off.
Heading to Flixton is also a Hawker Hunter nose and cockpit, similar to the development aircraft used to test a 'Fly by Wire' control system as installed in Concorde, and the replica Overstrand nose, housing the world's first totally enclosed aircraft gun turret.
The Boulton Paul Heritage Museum was forced to disband when GE, the owner of the site of the original Boulton Paul Aircraft factory in Wobaston Road, Pendeford, decided to prepare the land for sale following the move by Moog to the new i54 development in 2012.
Boulton Paul moved to Wolverhampton shortly after its formation in 1935. The firm built planes until the 1960s before concentrating on hydraulics and flying controls. The company was involved in several mergers and takeovers before becoming part of Moog.
