Bentwaters Cold War Museum

Bentwaters Cold War Museum is located in Rendlesham, United Kingdom on Building 134, Bentwaters Parks, Rendlesham, Woodbridge IP12 2TW. Bentwaters Cold War Museum is rated 3 out of 5 in the category in United Kingdom. BCWM – Welcome to the BCWM Home Museum News Visitor Information The Museum Museum Aircraft & Vehicles RAF Bentwaters History RAF Woodbridge History BAS/BCWM Store BCWM Links Contact Us MENU WELCOME TO THE BENTWATERS COLD WAR MUSEUM RUN BY THE BENTWATERS AVIATION SOCIETY WELCOME TO THE BENTWATERS COLD WAR MUSEUM RUN BY THE BENTWATERS AVIATION SOCIETY WELCOME TO THE BENTWATERS COLD WAR MUSEUM RUN BY THE BENTWATERS AVIATION SOCIETY General Info When are we open? Due to the current Covid-19 situation, we will unfortunately be closed for the remainder of 2020.  The Trustees have made the difficult decision not to reopen the museum this year as the physical layout of the building makes compliance with current government social distancing guidelines extremely difficult. The command post’s single entrance/exit and a main central corridor less than 2m wide, makes it impossible to implement a recommended one way system with a separate entrance and exit. These guidelines also prevent us from opening the shop and cafe…our biggest sources of income. Museum staff will be making use of the downtime to implement improvements to both the museum facilities and to further progress our aircraft restorations. Whilst we understand this will be disappointing to many, hopefully our return in 2021 will be well worth the wait. We are eternally grateful for all the support, donations and kind words we have received during this difficult time for the museum. Once again we apologise for any inconvenience caused. If you would like to support us in these difficult times, there is always the option to make a donation or even join the Bentwaters Aviation Society – you can get more details about both on the BAS website here : http://www.bentwaters-as.org.uk/join-us/ When we are open the details below are still relevant: The museum is open on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month as well as Bank Holiday Mondays, from April 2020. Outside the museum is our shop and snack bar, serving a selection of hot & cold drinks, burgers, hot dogs, and cold snacks. Group visits are sometimes possible by arrangement at other times, however as the museum is fully run by volunteers most in full time employment, this is only possible subject to volunteer availability and a minimum group size of 30 people. For former based personnel we will always try to open the museum where possible, please contact us to let us know that you wish to visit us. Opening Times: 1000-1600 Prices: Adult – £50, Child (14 & under) – Free, Concessions – £40. We accept debit and credit cards payments(over £5) as well as cash. What can you see? The Bentwaters Aviation Society (BAS) was formed in 2002 by a group of enthusiasts wishing to keep alive the memory and record the history and heritage of both the Royal Air Force and United States Air Force activity at RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge. Members of the Society also administer and operate the Bentwaters Cold War Museum, which opened to the public on Sunday 27th May 2007. The museum is based in the former USAF hardened command post on the former Bentwaters airfield, we believe that currently this is the only such building open to the public in the UK and Europe. The main “war operations room” and “Battle cabin” have been restored to original condition, the BT telephone exchange room, and decontamination showers and airlock are also as original. Other rooms within the building have been turned into exhibition rooms, covering the history of RAF Bentwaters from W.W.II until the base closed in 1993. Included in this are histories of the units that operated form the airfield, particularly the 81st FW. Another room is dedicated to the history of the other airfield which was part of the “twin base” complex RAF Woodbridge, again covering the period from WWII until the present day. We have other exhibition rooms featuring information on the “Special Operations/Rescue Squadrons” that were based at RAF Woodbridge, as well as the “Aggressor” Squadron based at Bentwaters. How do I get to the Museum? From the South [A12N], follow the A12 from Ipswich, as it passes Woodbridge, pass the 2 Shell petrol stations on either side of the road. At the next roundabout turn right [A1152] into Woods lane, follow this road straight over the next set of traffic lights, over the railway crossing, and at the next roundabout turn left, still following the A1152. After a short distance turn left and follow the A1152 towards Rendlesham, follow this road through Eyke, and past Rendlesham, at the next roundabout turn right, you will then come to the security barriers at the original base main entrance. From the North [A12S], either follow the A12 down to the A1152 Woods lane roundabout and follow the directions as above, or turn off the A12 at Wickham Market, and take the B1078 towards Campsey Ashe, follow this road until you arrive in Tunstall, then turn right onto the B1069. Follow this road until you come to a roundabout, at which you turn left, you will then come to the security barriers at the original base main entrance. On arrival at the security barriers, please follow the BCWM signs to the museum car park, or follow the instructions from the security staff as required. The airfield is private property, so please follow all signs and do not access prohibited parts of the airfield unless instructed to do so by museum staff or the security staff. To plan your route to the museum,  you can use Google Maps and enter the postcode IP12 2TW as your destination. What facilities are there at the Museum? Toilet facilities are available in the museum, please note that these are the original toilets from when the building was operational. Snack bar, serving hot & cold drinks, and selection of cold snacks. Disabled access – due to the nature of the building, disabled access is difficult, although not impossible, and a couple of rooms will be inaccessible, but you will be able to look into these rooms from the doorway. Please also note that there are no disabled toilets on site, and the doorways of the toilets are too small to fit a wheelchair through. Please contact us in advance if you do wish to visit so that we can fully discuss the situation with you, and help to plan your visit. A copy of the BCWM Access Statement can be found here for you to read or download. THE BENTWATERS COLD WAR MUSEUM The museum is based in the former USAF hardened command post on the former Bentwaters airfield, we believe that currently this is the only such building open regularly to the public in the UK and Europe. The main “war operations room” and “Battle cabin” have been restored to original condition, the BT telephone exchange room, and decontamination showers and airlock are also as original. Other rooms within the building have been turned into exhibition rooms, covering the history of RAF Bentwaters from W.W.II until the base closed in 1993. Included in this are histories of the units that operated form the airfield, particularly the 81st FW. Another room is dedicated to the history of the other airfield which was part of the “twin base” complex RAF Woodbridge, again covering the period from WWII until the present day. We have other exhibition rooms featuring information on the “Special Operations/Rescue Squadrons” that were based at RAF Woodbridge, as well as the “Aggressor” Squadron based at Bentwaters. A miscellaneous exhibition room has Cold War exhibitions and a Cold War timeline, as well as displays about the 81st Fighter Wing at Shepherds Grove, the USAF Cobra Mist installation on Orfordness, and the 2164th Communications Squadron. BENTWATERS AVIATION SOCIETY The Bentwaters Aviation Society (BAS) was formed in 2002 by a group of enthusiasts wishing to keep alive the memory and record the history and heritage of both the Royal Air Force and United States Air Force activity at RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge. Members of the Society also administer and operate the Bentwaters Cold War Museum, which opened to the public on Sunday 27th May 2007. You can visit the BAS website here. LAST UPDATED@ 30th JULY 2020 The Trustees have made the difficult decision not to reopen the museum this year as the physical layout of the building makes compliance with current government social distancing guidelines extremely difficult. The command post’s single entrance/exit and a main central corridor less than 2m wide, makes it impossible to implement a recommended one way system with a separate entrance and exit. These guidelines also prevent us from opening the shop and cafe…our biggest sources of income. Museum staff will be making use of the downtime to implement improvements to both the museum facilities and to further progress our aircraft restorations. Whilst we understand this will be disappointing to many, hopefully our return in 2021 will be well worth the wait. We are eternally grateful for all the support, donations and kind words we have received during this difficult time for the museum. Once again we apologise for any inconvenience caused. If you would like to support us in these difficult times, there is always the option to make a donation or even join the Bentwaters Aviation Society – you can get more details about both on the BAS website here : http://www.bentwaters-as.org.uk/membership/ Close Copyright © 2020 BAS. All Rights Reserved | Administered by Bentwaters Aviation Society Registered Charity No: 1124197 | Accredited Museum No: RD2222 We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. ACCEPT & CONTINUEI DO NOT ACCEPTPrivacy policy