The worlds largest collection of hovercraft
In line with Government Guidelines we are delighted to announce we will be re-opening for our last 2 operational days on Saturday 5th and Saturday 12th December from 10am until 4pm.
On the 5th we are also hosting our special 20th anniversary of SRN4 hovercraft at Lee-on-the-Solent with a day of events until 1900 that evening – for more details and to book, please see the Home page
The trust is sad to announce that we will be closed with immediate effect in line with Government Guidelines regarding the Coronavirus pandemic. We will still keep a regular watch on the collection and continue to monitor emails and calls where we can, although there may be a longer than usual delay in replying in some instances.
In the meantime, please keep an eye on both the website and the Facebook page where will let you know of any changes as soon as possible.
Since re-opening in July we have invested lots in time, money and volunteer training to make visiting us a safe experience in the current climate, so we look forward to welcoming you back again as soon as we can. Until then, Stay Safe.
The Trustees
Alex, Ben, Doug & Louise
As most will be aware, the Hovercraft Museum along with all other museums in the U.K. has been shut during the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
During this period though, we have been busy with ongoing projects that we have been managing remotely to the Museum, utilizing the latest online technology for meetings, not only within our own team structure but also with outside organisations. This has meant that even though none of our volunteers have been able to attend the Museum for much of the closure period, nor been able to welcome the public on-site, the Museum has been able to sustain since March with no income.
The Government has announced that as from 4th July some leisure facilities and tourist attractions can open, provided they can do so safely.
This is great news, and we are excited at the prospect of being able to welcome the public and our volunteers back on site.
There will be much ongoing work in the meantime though, in order to ensure that the Hovercraft Museum will be a safe place for our volunteers and visitors alike and that we comply with all the Covid-19 regulations set out by the government.
Work has been underway for some weeks now, behind the scenes, updating policies and risk assessments, reviewing working practices and training procedures etc, the purchasing of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), sanitizing/cleaning products, signage, screens, safety barriers and much more.
A small but dedicated team of our volunteers has recently begun attending the Museum site in strictly controlled numbers and working independently, carrying out maintenance and cleaning, as well as starting to implement the necessary measures required for reopening.
The Trustees are extremely grateful for all the hard work that has been put in.
Special thanks must be given to Louise and Darren Jenkins and Ken Wheeler, for the very many hours all three have dedicated to the task of ensuring our Museum meets all the necessary requirements. Without all this work, we simply would not have been in a position to be able to reopen.
Our reopening date will be Saturday 25th July, but we will only reopen once we are absolutely satisfied that we are able to meet all the criteria, or in other words, that we are COVID-Secure.
As with all public spaces, there will be changes in and around the Museum’s grounds, its exhibits and in the display hangars. This will include a one-way system set up around the Museum, social distancing reminders and signage around the site, hand sanitizer points, regular cleaning of facilities and touchpoints, controls of numbers of people on-site at any time, contact details of all visitors taken (for Covid-19 contact tracing purposes), and other measures as required.
Our shop/cafe will not open in its usual form for now, although some refreshments will still be available for purchase.
We will be asking our customers to kindly adhere to all the guidelines on site. We will also ask for your patience if having to wait to be served by our staff or to use the toilet facilities etc.
We ask you to please, to not visit the Museum if you are suffering the symptoms of Covid-19, or have been in contact with someone with Covid-19.
Our commitment in return to our customers will be to provide not only our usual warm and friendly welcome, but also to provide an enjoyable and as safe as possible a visitor experience as we can.
Finally, following many enquiries from our friends and supporters with regard to future Hovercraft Museum events and hovercraft rides from the Daedalus slipway, we are in regular contact with cross Solent operator Hovertravel, planning future excursion dates, and we will ensure that as soon as any information is available, we will update our website and Facebook page accordingly with this information.
Unfortunately, due to adverse weather the Hovercraft rides planned for the 14th December 2019 are cancelled. We will be open as normal 10 am til 4 pm. Given the weather forecast, if the wind is too high we may be forced to close – we will put this on the website and Facebook. We suggest if you are travelling far that you call us beforehand to avoid a wasted journey.
We are then closed until 15th February for winter works, with the exception of New Years Day when we will open from midday to 4 pm.
On the 26th and 27th of May 2019 you can visit The Hovercraft Museum and take a trip in a Hovercraft at a discounted rate! For the price of only £20 for adults, and £10 for children you can take a 15 Minute Spin Around Lee-on-The-Solent Waters AND experience a Historic Hovercraft adventure exploring The Hovercraft Museum.
Rides will be occurring at 11:00, 11:30 & 14:00 on the 26th & 27th May. Call Hovertravel on 01983 717700 to book these tickets in advance, or buy your tickets on the day*.
*Tickets are bought on the day on a first-come-first-serve basis so please plan ahead!
Please be aware that due to the recent adverse weather conditions key winter work could not be completed in time. For this reason we have postponed our opening day by a week to the 23rd Feb 19 to account for this. We hope to see you soon and apologise for any inconvenience.
In addition to being a unique museum in our own right, we are now unique for a different reason as we have just had our BH7 Hovercraft added to the national ships register alongside such famous vessels such as HMS Victory and The Mary Rose.
Did you know that we now have FOUR craft listed on the National Historic Ships’ Register – a feat we don’t believe has been achieved by any other museum in the UK!
The craft listed are:
To make it even more special in 2019 both BH7 and The Princess Anne will be 50 years old. Why not celebrate by paying a visit and seeing once again these magnificent craft.
Come by and visit us on New Years Day 2019 – we’ll be open 12pm to 4pm.
Santa is adding to his already busy schedule this Christmas by making a very special visit to the Hovercraft Museum on Saturday 15th December. Santa will be giving out gifts (and coal) free of charge between 10:00 and 12:00.
Normal entry prices apply and include a Santa visit and gift at no extra cost. Santa’s time is limited and is on a “first come, first serve” basis so don’t miss out. We hope to see you soon!
Earlier last year Flog It! visited us at Lee on the Solent to shoot a segment for series 16 – with presenter Paul Martin even taking a ride on a hovercraft! You can watch this episode live on BBC1 this Monday (3rd December 2018) at 16:30. The episode will be available for 28 days after this broadcast on BBC iPlayer. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed filming it!