A London Colney aircraft museum preserving Hatfield’s proud aviation heritage is set to reopen this weekend.

After a 17-week shutdown due to coronavirus restrictions, the de Havilland Aircraft Museum will be reopening on Saturday, July 11.

Visitors will be able to view a unique range of more than a score of classic civil and military aircraft at the museum at Salisbury Hall, London Colney, all designed by the company at its headquarters in Hatfield.

“We will be open five days a week, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, in July, increasing to six days a week from August,” said museum marketing director Mike Nevin.

“Visitors can be assured that they will be able to tour our museum’s spacious display hangars, our new one built with National Lottery Heritage Fund support as part of our museum for the 21st Century project.

“They are fully accessible and you can also see our larger airliners on outside display, whilst following our one-way route and observing the social distancing guidelines.”

The hall, a Tudor mansion, was de Havilland’s wartime design office for the all-wood de Havilland Mosquito multi-role aircraft of the Second World War.

It has the world’s largest collection of the aircraft.

The museum’s three Mosquitos including the prototype, which was one of four built at Salisbury Hall.

As well as the Mosquitos, exhibits include a replica of the Comet Racer, a Tiger Moth, the Vampire, DH.110 Sea Vixen, and the fuselage of jet airliner DH.106 Comet 1.

The museum shop will be open as normal, where aviation-related items can be purchased.

Refreshments can be enjoyed at the café and outdoor ranch tables.

There will be hand sanitising stations for visitors to use in a number of places around the Hertfordshire museum, and toilets will also be open.

For the first time visitors can pre-book admission tickets via the new e-ticketing system.

On admission, visitors will be asked to complete a short contact details form to comply with the Government’s track and trace scheme.

There is free parking and the museum is signposted at Junction 22 of the M25.

Full details and pre-booking can be found on the museum website at www.dehavillandmuseum.co.uk where a new range of virtual tours of the museum and its aircraft can also be viewed.