New home for Hurricane from Battle of Britain film
BBCA Hurricane fighter made for the 1969 film Battle of Britain will go on show at a museum later.
The replica aircraft, which sat atop a cinema in Lincoln for two months to promote the movie, has now been given a permanent home at the We'll Meet Again Museum in Freiston, near Boston.
Owners Paul and Linda Britchford, along with staff and volunteers, have spent two years restoring the plane, which will be housed in a purpose-built events space and hangar.
Linda said: "People can come and enjoy it for all its splendour in a perfect setting."
Battle of Britain, which tells the story of the aerial war between the RAF and Luftwaffe in 1940, had an all-star cast, including Michael Caine, Laurence Olivier and Robert Shaw.
While genuine World War Two aircraft were used for the spectacular flying scenes, a large number of replica planes were also built for ground shots, including the Hurricane now owned by the museum.
After buying the plane two years ago, Paul and Linda showed it at outdoor events in the summer, but were unable to display it all year around until they had created a dedicated space.
Paul said: "We've got a special Hurricane, so it wasn't about putting just a hanger up, we wanted to house it in a proper building."
The new extension also has an events space and museum display, including what Paul describes as the "rarest collection" of RAF memorabilia and uniforms.
Bradley Cooper, who volunteers at the museum, said it showed "all the different aspects of the RAF" during World War Two.
"People get the sense and the feeling of what they were wearing, they can see what they were eating, they can find out where they were living," he added.
"It brings it all to life when you're actually seeing the aircraft and you know personally what the person is about and what they were getting up to on a day-to-day basis."
Darren Avison, a trustee at the museum, said the Hurricane was "an antique in her own respects, without being an original one to the war".
"She's quite old and she's quite special to us, especially with all the work that went into restoring it," he added.
Linda said: "It's great now that people can come and actually see the Hurricane on display.
"I can't imagine the museum without it."
The museum is open from 10:00 each Friday, Saturday, Sunday, as well as most bank holidays.
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