Guy Ritchie shares vision for heritage-themed airfield

Guy Ritchie owns Compton Abbas airfield and neighbouring Ashcombe Estates

Film director Guy Ritchie has said he wants to develop the airfield he bought in February as an aviation heritage-themed visitor attraction.

Ritchie said he was hoping to make Compton Abbas airfield, in north Dorset, a "more complete experience".

In an interview with Flyer magazine, he said ideas included creating a "walk through the hangars".

He said the "creative aspects" were in the early stages and he would "know more in a year".

The Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels director said: "We want to take aviation more seriously, particularly in terms of the heritage aspect, principally selfishly, because I am interested in the aesthetic of that."

When asked if he was considering opening a museum, he replied: "Funnily enough, we were just talking about that.

"It would be great if you could walk through the hangars and have an experience.

"We're at the thin end of the wedge in terms of what can be explored in terms of the creative aspects.

"It's too early for me to be able to articulate and explain about all the things, partly because I am rather naive, but the other reason is, just honestly, we have only been here six months.

"I'll know more in a year but the plan is we will invest more into making this more of a complete experience."

Ritchie said the airfield and cafe would continue to operate

The revamped airfield already operates a restaurant and bar, and hosts heritage air experience days featuring Spitfires and Mustangs.

A spokesman for Ritchie said plans would involve refining the food and drink service and increasing the number of vintage and heritage aircraft shows.

He added it would "evolve in stages" into a "hub of automatic curiosity".

Ritchie, who runs his Gritchie brewery from Ashgrove Farm just over the county border in Wiltshire, dismissed speculation that he might close the airfield, saying he had already invested heavily in its infrastructure.

Compton Abbas airfield first opened in 1961, according to the Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust, and had been run by the same family for 35 years before being sold in February.