Davidstow Airfield & Cornwall At War Museum
Davidstow Airfield & Cornwall At War Museum
Davidstow Airfield & Cornwall At War Museum
5
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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38 within 6 miles
See what travellers are saying
- Rozzie6 contributionsSimply the best military museum.The best museum we have ever been to. So many different articles with a different surprise around every corner. Excellent entry price and lovely gift shop. Staff were really friendly. Absolutely amazing day out. well worth a visitVisited October 2023Travelled with familyWritten 21 October 2023
- Anthony R1 contributionAbsolutely fantastic!Absolutely fantastic! We expected a tour of about two hours from 10.30, but ended up staying almost till closing time. Get chatting to the staff, so much to learn. Their work over 20 years in producing this museum is amazing. Go visit!Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 22 October 2023
- sophiamxx3 contributionsAbsolutely loved this and would totally go again.Friendly,dog friendly and learned a lot as it was very informative and have a display of the Falklands war and have a lot of display of royal family war things and great music and a place to make tea and coffee and bottles of water and much more. Sells cheese from the cheese factory and have a display for it. Highly recommended for war lovers and people with dogs!Visited October 2023Travelled with familyWritten 22 October 2023
- becnhughWickford, United Kingdom492 contributionsFascinating museumVisited with my husband and adult daughter. Absolutely fascinating museum with so much information. Friendly staff. One of the best mochas I’ve ever had even though it was from a machine! Spent a couple of hours there and only felt like we had scratched the surface! Definitely recommend.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 25 October 2023
- Chris B1 contributionReally good experience which captures the spirit of wartime CornwallThis is an unusual and very interesting museum. It contains a lot of rare exhibits from the Ist, 2nd and cold wars across all three services and is an absolute must for any military enthusiast and historian. It is run by dedicated and knowledgeable volunteers who were very welcoming and helpful. It is also a time capsule for wartime Cornwall and the activities of the RAF during the second world war. Highly recommended.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 27 October 2023
- Andrew PCaerphilly, United Kingdom3 contributionsA great place to visit.We had a very enjoyable few hours with our family visiting the museum last Saturday the 28th of October. The staff were lovely making our visit even more enjoyable. Our grandchildren were fascinated with the varied exhibits which engaged them throughout the time spent at the museum. Thank you so much for all that has been done to create this museum. We would highly recommend this museum as a place to visit with so much historical information and artefacts at hand. Even on a blustery and rainy day the weather did not stop us enjoying the visit.Visited October 2023Travelled with familyWritten 30 October 2023
- Angie C2 contributionsFantastic day Steve and his wife are amazingI went with some students from a SEMH school and we had a wonderful time Steve and his wife are wonderful, they looked after us all day and the learners were so engaged. I was truly blown away by the memorabilia that is there and just how dedicated they are to passing on their knowledge. I will definitely be visiting again and highly recommend this little gem.. Absolutely amazing day. Thank you bothVisited March 2024Travelled on businessWritten 27 March 2024
- Innes RSt Austell, United Kingdom83 contributionsVery cold and extremely GREAT!Great place to spend a couple hours with your family and children. The weather was very cold so you have to try and find the rooms with heaters. Tells you everything about the military. You can also see REAL military vehicles which is SOOOOOOOO cool!Visited April 2024Travelled with familyWritten 3 April 2024
- Paul SBanbury, United Kingdom20 contributionsWhat an amazing collection of all things associated with various militaries and war time!Very highly recommended to visitors of all ages. You are saluted at the gate by a very friendly & knowledgable member of staff. It’s very reasonably priced (just £7 for an adult) An amazing collection of all things military and wartime - Aircraft, Tanks, Vehicles, Artillery, Uniforms, Medals, Guns, Military surplus, Wartime artefacts, wartime paraphernalia etc. Also some genuine WW2 German artefacts displayed which some people might not like. The collection is vast and someone has poured a lot of time into this museum. It’s obvious that many of the items displayed have been donated to the collection by members of the armed forces or their family. There are numerous screens dotted about with some very good informative footage - my favourite was the video explaining the operation “Black Buck” which was carried out by the RAF during the Falklands War. None of the buildings are modern so it’s a bit of a shame to see a lot of the items suffering from the cold & damp. Allow yourself at least a couple of hours to get around all of the displays (which are numbered and you follow them around in sequence according to a map that you are given when you pay for your admission) This museum is a real credit to all the hard work that the volunteers have put into it.Visited April 2024Travelled with friendsWritten 4 April 2024
- Mary P2 contributionsBrilliant place to visit.We were astounded at the amount of artefacts had been collected together. With so much to see and many video presentations to watch it took my husband and I nearly 4 hours to get around the site. Liked the way the information was displayed in different rooms, fun following the numbers and the arrows! Staff were very pleasant and it is good that someone collects all these items from the past to show visitors. Highly recommended.Visited April 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 9 April 2024
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5.0
1,503 reviews
Excellent
1,378
Very good
112
Average
12
Poor
1
Terrible
0
Guide791623
Plymouth, UK1 contribution
Jul 2020
Stumbled on this place, by mistake, after visiting Port Isaac and then deciding to go for a drive. Saw the military museum sign and found this little known gem (little known outside of Davidstow!)
Really evocative and poignant on first approach. Strange, but I knew it was somewhere we were going to enjoy visiting.
Being a veteran myself, I had an instant rapport with the owner (who's name I have forgotten) who is also a veteran. He met us at the entrance, then took us into the guardroom to get our tickets.
We exchanged a bit of banter, and then we we advised about the Covid-19 safeguards which were white arrows indicating the route around the museum. These were really helpful, regardless of Covid-19 resrictions, but for anyone cautious of mixing with others, this is a perfect attraction to maintain your distance.
After a video pep talk in the camp 'cinema', we were left to wonder round, following the arrows, taking as long as we liked, and observing social distancing.
2.5/3hrs later, we had managed to see and hear everything that was on display. There was a mix of Royal Navy, RAF Regiment, RAF, Army and Royal Marines memorabilia on display. So interesting and informative.
It was difficult to believe up to 2500 personnel were based there, during the war.
The owner has a genuine enthusiasm and love for the place, that is infectious.
He is trying hard to get the museum on the list of places people visit on a trip to Cornwall, and it's easy to see why.
The airfield itself is impressive and poignant, with the old control tower in the middle of it. A physical reminder of the sacrifices made by men and women during the war, without quibble.
A lot of schools have trips there too, so youngsters are catered for, and they will come away with a knowledge they never previously had.
Can you tell we liked it??
Really evocative and poignant on first approach. Strange, but I knew it was somewhere we were going to enjoy visiting.
Being a veteran myself, I had an instant rapport with the owner (who's name I have forgotten) who is also a veteran. He met us at the entrance, then took us into the guardroom to get our tickets.
We exchanged a bit of banter, and then we we advised about the Covid-19 safeguards which were white arrows indicating the route around the museum. These were really helpful, regardless of Covid-19 resrictions, but for anyone cautious of mixing with others, this is a perfect attraction to maintain your distance.
After a video pep talk in the camp 'cinema', we were left to wonder round, following the arrows, taking as long as we liked, and observing social distancing.
2.5/3hrs later, we had managed to see and hear everything that was on display. There was a mix of Royal Navy, RAF Regiment, RAF, Army and Royal Marines memorabilia on display. So interesting and informative.
It was difficult to believe up to 2500 personnel were based there, during the war.
The owner has a genuine enthusiasm and love for the place, that is infectious.
He is trying hard to get the museum on the list of places people visit on a trip to Cornwall, and it's easy to see why.
The airfield itself is impressive and poignant, with the old control tower in the middle of it. A physical reminder of the sacrifices made by men and women during the war, without quibble.
A lot of schools have trips there too, so youngsters are catered for, and they will come away with a knowledge they never previously had.
Can you tell we liked it??
Written 13 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your review. It was good to chat with with you at a safe distant, when you visited. Your excellent detailed review illustrates beautifully what is to be found behind the RED GATES of the Cornwall at War Museum that is not obviously apparent when looking in from outside.
Regards
Steve
Written 13 July 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
FrannyFran
United Kingdom19 contributions
Oct 2020 • Family
There is so much to see here and you don't have to be a military buff to appreciate all the different exhibits. We were looking around for well over two hours ( I had my teen and 8yr old girls in tow and they were occupied looking at the exhibits) some very cool stuff to see ie like a Rapier tank various land vehicles and quite a few planes spanning different Era's. Very reasonable entry and great caretakers/curators looking after the visitors very well. Worth a visit even on a blustery rainy day.
Written 28 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
60mce
Cheltenham, UK48 contributions
Aug 2020
We decided to have a look around this large indoor and outdoor museum overlooking the Davidstow Cheese Factory. Well worth a visit. For an entry fee of just £6 per person, we spent almost 3 hours going into and through the various areas of the museum viewing and listening to videos of how the museum came about.
It is fascinating and extremely well put together by a group of dedicated volunteers.
They also sell the best cheese I've tasted in a long time.
It is fascinating and extremely well put together by a group of dedicated volunteers.
They also sell the best cheese I've tasted in a long time.
Written 27 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MAG
Oxford, UK32 contributions
Jul 2020 • Couples
Absolutely loved our afternoon rambling around the military museum through various buildings and displays, but most of all talking with the owner and the people. So enjoyable! We gained a lot of insight into the role of the airfield and surrounding area in WWII and found out the hard work put into creating it. It’s a quirky collection of all sorts related to the British military which spans multiple buildings, an actual air raid shelter, blast bunkers, etc. We recommend watching the beginning movie to get an idea of the restoration & displays. There are several aircraft in the large hanger, anti-aircraft guns, uniforms across all branches, torpedos, military vehicles, radar, various paraphernalia, and lots of information both written and on video and audio. There is a hot drinks machine that really does make quite a nice cup of hot chocolate, but due to COVID-19, there was no food available at the time of our visit. Not an issue as there is a farm shop near by you can easily stop for lunch. All around great afternoon and highly recommend a trip out here.
Written 9 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael J
1 contribution
Sept 2021 • Couples
What a great museum! For only £6 there is so much to see. You will need about 3 hours to be able to see everything without rushing. Lots of fascinating military history to read about from the build-up to WW1 until the present day. Different buildings across the site have different themes such as the Falklands war or Animals at war. Mannequins wearing uniforms or clothing from the period give a sense of being transported through time. We went because it was a rainy day (we may not have gone otherwise), but I would highly recommend if you are visiting the area. The icing on the cake was a very friendly and humorous welcome from the creator of the museum when we arrived. Very genuine and down to earth people. One of the best military themed museums I have been to. 5 stars.
Written 28 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ben Tucker
Barnstaple, UK4 contributions
Sept 2021
What a brilliant museum, so much to see and do while you’re there. There’s room after room filled to the brim with exhibits, aeroplanes, vehicles and all sorts of other items that are waiting to be explored and read about. The staff are so passionate about preserving the past and passing on their knowledge to you which is fantastic to see. I’d definitely recommend visiting on a Thursday and taking part in the airfield tour, it’s well worth it and you’ll be amazed at what there used to be at the airfield during its operational heyday and what still survives nearly 80 years later, Steve, who took us on the tour is an absolute Gent and I guarantee will make you laugh! Just make sure you book in advance! Will definitely be returning to the museum in the future as we were a bit pressed for time when we visited first time around. Luckily it’s not too far from home, never knew it was there but it was an all round fantastic afternoon spent there, we’ll be back soon!
Written 26 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
places2seeplaces2go
England, UK6,739 contributions
Jun 2021 • Couples
This attraction was very near to our holiday cottage & on a rainy morning thought we’d give it a go.
What a delight. The volunteers that look after these treasures are clearly passionate about what they do & also do it with feeling & a sense of humour.
You walk around a one way system into different rooms full of an array of eclectic artefacts.
We spent a good 2 hours exploring & would recommend a visit on a bad weather day.
Dog friendly too.
What a delight. The volunteers that look after these treasures are clearly passionate about what they do & also do it with feeling & a sense of humour.
You walk around a one way system into different rooms full of an array of eclectic artefacts.
We spent a good 2 hours exploring & would recommend a visit on a bad weather day.
Dog friendly too.
Written 12 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Luke M
1 contribution
Oct 2020 • Couples
Excellent displays of multiple branches of the military. One of the best if not the best military museum I have visited. Entry fee is extremely cheap considering the immense detail displayed in the exhibition's. Will be visiting again in the future!
Written 29 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David S
Worthing5 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
We had a brilliant visit to the museum. The staff were welcoming and obviously passionate. The exhibits were fascinating and packed full of so many pieces of memorabilia.
We spent about 2 hours here, but could have stayed longer and will definitely be back for another visit soon.
I would highly recommend anyone visiting here as it gives you a real insight into Cornwall’s part in the two World Wars and others conflicts, including the Falklands.
Go visit!
We spent about 2 hours here, but could have stayed longer and will definitely be back for another visit soon.
I would highly recommend anyone visiting here as it gives you a real insight into Cornwall’s part in the two World Wars and others conflicts, including the Falklands.
Go visit!
Written 28 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
deniseholyome
Reading, UK7 contributions
Sept 2020 • Couples
A little gem, this museum is the product of a mans hobby & passion. Run by volunteers & enthusiasts it is crammed with information and objects. The films & videos are great to watch.
The founder of the museum is on hand to inform, direct & make you laugh.
There is so much to see here that one visit will not be enough
The founder of the museum is on hand to inform, direct & make you laugh.
There is so much to see here that one visit will not be enough
Written 12 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It's a bit rough to drive on. Davidstow airfield is private land but people do drive on the runway. Wouldn't recommend any faster than 10mph.
Written 23 April 2019
The museum does not own the runways which I believe belong to a farmer who keeps a flock of sheep on them. The museum probably know who to contact, maybe worth a phone call.
Written 9 July 2018
We visited today expecting to spend about an hour in a small local museum. We were there for 4 interesting hours. It’s an astounding collection of military memorabilia and information put together by a small group of enthusiasts and volunteers. The film of how the derelict airbase was transformed into the museum was fascinating. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable and the entrance fee well worth it.
Written 16 May 2018
Is it free for locals if not how muce is entry.
Do you have an aerial picture of the whole airfield and surrounding area ?
Written 18 April 2018
Hi Kevin admission was £3 last year but so worth it! There is another museum next to it but smaller where admission is free with donation box on way out. Sorry don't have aerial picture. PS there is also free parking.
Written 19 April 2018
yes it does from the second world war etc.
Written 26 July 2017
Is there anywhere to get food onsite?
Written 1 August 2016
Only in the "Naffi Tent" area and it is very basic, you can make tea/coffee and buy crisps and biscuits etc. There is a honesty box to use and children this room on school visits. Like the rest of the museum it is good fun and a bit quirky.
Written 3 August 2016
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