Heathrow Exhibition
The Heathrow Exhibition remains open
The Heathrow Exhibition is open to students, staff and external visitors.
Get up close to historic Heathrow artefacts and discover how this iconic airport became the UK’s hub for aviation.
Introduction
Winter break opening hours:
- 24 - 27 December - the exhibition will be closed.
- 28 - 31 December – the exhibition will be open 12pm to 4pm.
- 1 January 2025 - the exhibition will be closed.
- 2 January onwards – the exhibition will be open standard times.
‘Heathrow: The Journey’, which opened on 18 April 2018, is a free, permanent exhibition at the University of West London’s Ealing site on St Mary’s Road.
The exhibition is supported by the National Lottery through the National Lottery Heritage Fund and through a generous donation from Heathrow Airport.
The exhibition is normally open daily to students, staff and the public:
- 10am to 5pm Monday to Friday
- 12pm to 4pm at weekends and holiday periods*
*Please note that our opening times are subject to change. If you are travelling a long way, we recommend contacting the Paul Hamlyn Library at UWL to check that the exhibition will be open.
Information blocks
Follow Heathrow’s remarkable journey from its humble beginnings over 70 years ago to its current status as one of the world’s biggest transport hubs, serving more than 200 destinations worldwide.
Explore a unique and fascinating history, brought to life by period photos and artefacts dating back to the 1940s and an enticing mix of media, including motion-detection audio, rarely seen video footage and engaging text.
This exciting new addition to our campus was made possible thanks to money raised by National Lottery players via The National Lottery Heritage Fund and generous donations from Heathrow Airport and the University of West London.
Time lapse
Watch 'Heathrow: The Journey' taking form
This time lapse video shows the construction of the Heathrow Exhibition in the heart of our Ealing site.
The Heathrow Archive
In addition to the Heathrow Exhibition, the University of West London is also home to the Heathrow Archive, a collection of more than 800 artefacts that tell the story of Heathrow’s history from 1946 to 2016. Access to this unique collection, which is open to students, researchers and members of the public, is by appointment only.
Plan your visit
Finding us
The Heathrow Exhibition is located at The University of West London, St Mary’s Road, Ealing, London, W5 5RF.
Please arrive at our Park entrance where reception will sign you in. This entrance is on 'The Park' road.
Food and drink
Our St Mary's Road site has facilities catering to all, including a variety of food and drink outlets you are welcome to use during your visit. Enjoy hot drinks and snacks in our Ily Coffee Bar and Starbucks concession or a hot/cold lunch and soft drinks from our Heart canteen. All outlets accept both cash and card payments.
Flight simulator experiences
Why not make a day of your visit to the University of West London?
Experience the thrill of piloting a modern airliner in our 737 flight simulator. Our flight simulator experiences are a great gift for novices with a passion for aviation.
Practical information
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Transport and parking
Please note that no parking is available at our Ealing site, but there are car parks in the area and the campus is also easily accessible by public transport. Find out more about getting to our Ealing site here.
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Accessibility
Here are some considerations for visitors with accessibility needs:
- access to the Heathrow Exhibition via the Park and Lady Byron entrances is step-free
- there is parking for ‘blue badge’ holders available by arrangement - please contact the Library team in advance and provide your name, date and time you'd like to visit and car registration details.
- the Park and Lady Byron entrance are gated; these have a width of 90 cm
- the Exhibition gallery is on the ground floor. The route to the space is step-free and is the same distance whether using a mobility aid or not
- the public spaces in St Mary’s Road campus have hard floors throughout including matte and polished surfaces. The Exhibition gallery flooring is carpet tiled
- the Exhibition gallery doors are not powered. Please ask Library Services staff at the desk opposite for assistance if required
- the Exhibition gallery space is designed to be accessible and is well-lit. The content includes text, archive objects, and audio-visual elements. The video includes no flashing or flickering displays and is subtitled. The audio elements includes ambient airport recordings and historical sound-recordings including a background air raid siren and reporting on WWII
- St Mary’s Road is a working university campus, and can be both busy and loud at peak times (Monday-Friday daytimes) especially around lunchtime.