The UK’s oldest aircraft museum has received £2.65 million to help get its latest project off the ground.

The de Havilland Aircraft Museum in London Colney received the funds from the National Lottery, charitable trusts and donations.

The 'de Havilland Aircraft Museum in the 21st century' project involves the building of a new hangar for some of its exhibits.

Contractors will arrive on site at the beginning of November once the museum closes for the winter from November 5 until February and building will take 10 months.

Museum chairman Alan Brackley stressed that the exhibits will continue to be open during the construction of the hangar.

He said: “Visitors will not be inconvenienced in any way whatsoever.

“All of our exhibits will be accessible for visitors to get close to and into several of our military and civil aircraft.

“Thanks to the money raised, the new hangar project will safely display several aircraft exhibits inside the new building away from the British weather.

“We are a working museum where visitors can watch restoration work being carried out and can get up close to the aircraft.”

The museum is based in the grounds of Salisbury Hall, a Tudor mansion, which was used by the de Havilland Aircraft Company as a secret design centre during the Second World War.

After the war, the site was no longer used and the owner of the mansion, Walter Goldsmith, established the museum in 1958.

The museum’s first ever exhibit was the “Wooden Wonder” Mosquito - a reconnaissance, bomber and fighter plane during the Second World War.

De Havilland would go on to build more than 7,500 until the aircraft's retirement in 1956.

De Havilland is also known for its creation of the first commercial jet airliner the DH 106 Comet in 1949.

The museum is the oldest of its kind in Britain and focuses on the types of aircraft and engines built by the aircraft company at its Hatfield factory in Hertfordshire.

Many of the volunteers at the museum were also past employees at the aircraft factory.