De Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre The de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre , formerly the Mosquito Aircraft Museum , is a volunteer - run aviation museum in London Colney , Hertfordshire , England . The collection is based around the definitive prototype and restoration shops for the de Havilland Mosquito and also includes several examples of the de Havilland Vampire - the third operational jet aircraft in the world . Salisbury Hall . The site has been occupied by a number of large manor houses since the 9th Century . The present house was built around 1668 by the London Banker James Hoare , bringing with it associations with Charles II and Nell Gwynne , who lived in a cottage by the bridge to the Hall . The Hall subsequently passed through various hands , and during the latter part of the 19th century was occupied by a succession of farmers . However , about 1905 Lady Randolph Churchill , as Mrs . Cornwallis West , came here to live . Her son , Winston Churchill , became a regular visitor . During the 1930s Sir Nigel Gresley , of the London and North Eastern Railway , was in residence . He was responsible for the A4 Pacific steam locomotives , one of which , Mallard , still holds the world speed record for steam locomotives of 126 . 5 mph . Rumour has it that the name came from the ducks in the moat . In September 1939 the de Havilland Aircraft Company established the Mosquito design team in the Hall , the prototype Mosquito , E0234 / W4050 , subsequently being built in the adjacent buildings . Nell Gwynne ' s cottage was the centre of a silk worm farm , which supplied the silk for the Queen ' s wedding and Coronation robes . After de Havilland left in 1947 the Hall slipped into a derelict condition . When Walter Goldsmith , a retired army major , purchased Salisbury Hall , he soon came to realise that it had been used by de Havilland during the war . On contacting Bill Baird , then in charge of PR at de Havilland at Hatfield , he discovered that the company had used it as the design centre for the Mosquito , and that Baird had squirrelled the original prototype away in the Fiddlebridge stores , just off the airfield at Hatfield . Having resisted several calls to burn the aircraft , Baird was delighted to find someone who could offer the old aircraft a home . de Havilland carried out basic restoration work at Hatfield , and Goldsmith accepted the aircraft back at Salisbury Hall in 1959 . Prototype Mosquito . The prototype Mosquito became the first aircraft to be displayed at Salisbury Hall , and was followed by examples of the de Havilland Vampire and Venom in 1968 . In 1970 , the collection was joined by a further example of the de Havilland Mosquito , which had been donated by Liverpool Corporation , following its use in the film " Mosquito Squadron " . The collection was later expanded with examples of the single - seat Vampire , Sea Venom , Sea Vixen , Chipmunk and Dove all arriving by 1978 . Additionally , the fuselage of a Mosquito FB6 arrived in 1976 ; it is now the only survivor of the most numerous sub - type to be preserved in Europe . The museum houses the fuselage of the last surviving square - windowed de Havilland Comet 1 , the world ' s first jet airliner . The museum is the largest such museum devoted to one manufacturer in the country . Aircraft restoration . The supporters society has been responsible for the high quality restoration and conservation of many of the exhibits , starting with the Chipmunk in 1978 , an airframe which was subsequently restored by members once more in 2003 - 2007 . The supporters were also active in building a hangar to house the ex - Liverpool Mosquito in 1980 , and then completely restored the aircraft , completing the work in 1990 . The supporters society has also been responsible for work on Tiger Moth , Hornet Moth , Vampires , Mosquito 6 , Heron , Dove and many other aircraft in the collection . In 2001 , it was recognised that the prototype Mosquito was in dire need of conservation work , something that is continuing in a very detailed and careful fashion to this day with BAE Systems supporting the project . Current projects include the DH Rapide being restored to flight status , the DH88 comet replica , the Comet 1 fuselage , the Mosquito Mk 6 and the Sea Venom . The collection . Aircraft on display . The following important historic aircraft are on display or under restoration : Engines on display . A number of historic de Havilland engine types are also on display .