Solway Aviation Museum in Cumbria, England recently shared video updates on their work preserving the world’s only remaining Blackburn Beverly.
The Beverley was a large British military transport aircraft developed in the early Cold War period for the Royal Air Force. First flown in 1950 and entering service in 1956, it had a distinctive high-wing, twin-boom layout with a raised tailplane, four Bristol Centaurus radial engines, and a rear clamshell loading door that allowed bulky vehicles, cargo, and paratroops to be carried. Although slow and visually ungainly, the Beverley was valued for its rugged short-field performance and exceptional load-carrying ability, serving with RAF transport squadrons in Britain, the Middle East, and the Far East until its retirement in 1967.
The museum’s aircraft (XB259) last flew at the end of March 1974 when it was flown to Paull airfield for Hull Aero Club’s use as a clubhouse. It was saved from scrapping following the closure of a small museum at Fort Paull in 2020 and relocated to Solway where it is currently in the process of being reassembled. Check out recent video updates below, which detail the cockpit section and center wing section being lifted back onto the main fuselage and progress on the engine mounts.
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