Merlin 45 aeroplane engine, made by Rolls-Royce Ltd, Crewe, c.1941.

"The Rolls-Royce Merlin was a highly successful type of aircraft engine, developed in the 1930s and used widely during the Second World War.

The Merlin was powerful for its weight, reliable, and had great potential for further development, leading to many different and improved versions being produced. Merlin engines powered a wide range of different military aircraft, including the Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane and Avro Lancaster. They were used in several airliners, such as the Avro Tudor. Over 150,000 Merlins were manufactured.

Merlins were originally made in Derby, but new production lines were established in Crewe, Glasgow, Manchester and later the USA, to meet the demands of the Second World War. This particular engine is a Merlin Mark 45 and was manufactured in Crewe. The main use of the Merlin 45 was on Spitfire V fighter aircraft.

This particular engine was formerly part of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology study collection, and has been fitted with an electric motor and sectioned to show how it works inside. "