Aircraft Enthusiast Creates a Spitfire Replica in His Garden

Photo Credits: BBC

When most had begun surfing OTT platforms and testing new recipes to avoid boredom during the Covid lockdown, David Price came up with something that made him the talk of the town in his village near the outskirts of Carlisle. 

A large tent could be seen in the garden of David Price, but contrary to expectations, he was not holding late-night parties. Instead, he was creating a replica of one of the most iconic pieces of British aviation history, the Spitfire. 

When the tail started poking out of the end of the structure, he had to place a stepladder next to the garden hedge so he could talk to people who had made the trip especially to see his masterpiece. 

When David was asked about how this idea came about, he said, "Do not let common sense spoil a good idea. It was really that lack of common sense which sealed me into doing this for four years." 

David had a building business until 2018, after which he had immersed himself in writing books related to aviation. The idea to build a Spitfire replica came to David after a visit to the Battle of Britain memorial in Folkstone, Kent. 

"They have a replica Spitfire standing by the cliff and I stood next to it and thought, 'This would fit in my garden,'" David joked. 

The 62-year-old Mr Price spoke about how, once he brought down the tents, hundreds of visitors would flock to his garden, which he described as bizarre. Many had travelled long distances to see the replica, which felt nice most of the time, but things like "trying to get into the car and suddenly this party of people would turn up, and they would want to go and look at it" were a hassle at times. 

The replica suffered damage when Storm Dudley hit in 2022. This prompted Mr Price to move the aircraft replica to the Solway Aviation Museum based at Carlisle Airport. 

With a passion for aviation literature, he decided to write about his experience in a book titled How to Build a Spitfire, published last month. He is also using his expertise to help rebuild the Blackburn Beverley, the last surviving example of the RAF's largest transport plane.