Kent Battle of Britain Museum

The most important collection of Battle of Britain artifacts on show in the country. The Museum was lucky to acquire one of the sites of Britain's epic struggle for survival in 1940, in what was the greatest air battle of all time. The airfield itself was the nearest Royal Air Force station to enemy-occupied France and only some ten minutes flying time away from the Luftwaffe fighter airfields in the Pas-de-Calais, in addition to which the airfield and surrounding district was subjected to long range cross-Channel shelling from the German shore batteries stationed along the French coast. Not for nothing was the Folkestone area known as "Hellfire Corner".

Despite the passing years today's visitor can still savour the atmosphere of the airfield's past with the landmarks and buildings that remain, acting as points of reference, whilst beyond can be seen the English Channel and the French coast.

The Museum is entirely self-supporting and stands or falls by the number of visitors it attracts. It is run by eight enthusiasts and volunteers. We are always pleased to accept donations of relevant items of the period for display. Please contact the Museum direct. If you find your visit to our museum enjoyable and interesting, please tell your friends. Thank you for your support.

Additional info

FREE Parking for Cars and Coaches

All weapons in the Museum have been deactivated in accordance with Home Office guidelines and are incapable of being chambered or fired.

Children must be accompanied by an adult.

We welcome picnicking in the grounds.

Please, no dogs except guide dogs.

In keeping with common practice, on grounds of both security and copyright, we regret that no cameras, video recorders or any other types of recording equipment (including notebooks) are allowed in the Museum.

Hawkinge is situated on the A260 between Folkestone and Canterbury. From the M20 Ashford-Folkestone motorway, turn off for Folkestone on to the A260, signposted Canterbury. The Museum is located 1 mile along Aerodrome Road, Hawkinge. A bus service from both Folkestone and Canterbury is available, stopping in Hawkinge.