Worcester school plans to open Spitfire heritage centre

Tudor Grange Primary Academy Perdiswell wants to build an education centre at the school inspired by the area’s role in the Second World War and its connection to the iconic plane.

The plans are at an early stage and have been driven by pupils, who have been taking part in ‘Spitfire over the Midlands’, a two-year project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Pupils Kerris Mills, Daisy Hughes and Ryan Davies in a mocked-up air raid shelter beneath the Guildhall

This has seen them give living history tours at the Guildhall and this week perform a poem in Cathedral Square to commemorate D-Day, alongside secondary school pupils from Tudor Grange Academy Worcester.

But the immersive project has left pupils and staff wanting something more permanent that will help the wider community learn about Perdiswell’s rich history.

The airfield at Perdiswell Park was already in existence before the war but was requisitioned by the RAF in 1938 and renamed RAF Worcester.

It was in use until 1945 and legend has it that American film star Clark Gable was on board a plane that crash landed in 1942, blocking the Bilford Road.

After the war, a Spitfire was used as a gate guard at Perdiswell Park throughout the 1950s and 60s.

Rachel Hughes, principal of Tudor Grange Primary Academy Perdiswell, said: “The past two years have been an immersion into the heritage and history of Perdiswell and its connection to the war and the Spitfire.

“We are really looking forward to seeing how this develops into a heritage centre benefitting not only the children of Perdiswell but from across Worcestershire.”

She said the centre would certainly be open to visits from schools from across the county but could potentially also open to members of the public.

Gavin Coles, a drama teacher at Tudor Grange Academy Worcester, has been working with children on the Spitfire project for the past couple of years.

He said: “The children are really excited about this. It’s part of their history. A lot of them live in the area and they’ve been speaking about the war with their relatives.

“The project has brought history to life.”