top of page

Wroughton's Historical Journey

A Legacy of Innovation Across
Seven Decades

Wroughton's story is one of purposeful reinvention. For more than eighty years, the 545-acre site in Wiltshire has served as a critical hub for national endeavours, first as a military asset, then as custodian of scientific heritage and now as a thriving centre for creative enterprise, research and development. This progression reflects not discontinuity, but rather a deepening commitment to Britain's role in innovation, culture and advanced manufacturing.

Scroll Down

  • Change the text and add your own content, including any information that is relevant to share.

    • Wroughton Airfield was conceived as a strategic wartime facility.

    • The airfield served as a maintenance unit where approximately 7,000 aircraft were assembled, maintained and prepared for service throughout the Second World War.

    • The sites robust infrastructure, vast hangars and runways spanning over two kilometres inclusive of hard standing, capable of accommodating heavy industrial operations.

  • This is a paragraph where you can include any information you’d like. It’s an opportunity to tell a story about the company.

    • Facing capacity constraints in West London and driven by the need to safeguard more than 300,000 objects representing the nation’s scientific and technological heritage, the Science Museum Group identified the Wroughton airfield as an ideal location for a purpose-built repository.

    • The site’s cavernous aircraft hangars proved particularly well suited for the storage and preservation of large and complex objects within the national collection.

    • Over the subsequent decades, Wroughton evolved into the National Collections Centre, ultimately becoming a globally significant custodian of scientific and technological artefacts.

  • Describe a feature you’d like to share about this company or highlight a particular service it offers.

    • Science and Innovation Park in 2007 signalled a strategic shift toward a multi-use enterprise.

    • The Hawking Building remains the anchor, preserving and displaying the nation's scientific heritage, the broader 545-acre site became a platform for diverse activities aligned with research and sustainability.

    • Native woodlands supporting biodiversity, with one of the UK's largest solar farms suppling renewable energy. 

    • In April 2026, Wroughton Studios will initiate its renovation program to convert the site’s historic 48,000 sq. ft. aircraft hangars into state-of-the-art sound stages.

    • This redevelopment will underpin the studio’s ambitions to establish a world-class film and television production facility.

    • The project will include supporting infrastructure such as production offices, workshops, film and sound editing suites and collaborative communal spaces.

    • Together, these facilities will create an integrated environment where media, technology, and artificial intelligence align to support and enhance creative vision.

bottom of page