Driving down the winding lanes of The Roseland the last thing you might expect to find at a farm hidden away in this corner of Cornwall is a full size Spitfire.

But that is exactly what you will find at Trelonk where a dedicated team from Parnall Aircraft Company have lovingly recreated what was the St Ives Spitfire.

And as David Oakley, one of those who has worked on the aircraft, says: “It’s a bit like Jurassic Park, but instead of a dinosaur to make people go wow you have this.”

The St Ives Spitfire was an actual plane which was funded by the people of St Ives during the Second World War.

Communities across the country were challenged with raising the £5,000 needed to build Spitfires which would be used in the war efforts. There were 1,400 appeals across the country with donations totalling £13million – that’s the equivalent of £650m today.

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The St Ives Spitfire (BL709) was a Supermarine Spitfire Mark Vb – it joined Squadron 340, which was mainly engaged in defensive patrols.

But in 1942 it was part of fighter sweeps over France and on some days the St Ives Spitfire took part in three sweeps over France. However just six months into its career in the air it was taken off the active list due to severe damage from bullets during a raid.

Hidden away at Trelonk the team from Parnall Aircraft Company have been painstakingly recreating the St Ives Spitfire for a static model.

But this project has not just been about creating this monument of history but also looking to the future with apprentice aerospace engineers working alongside world-class experts to recreate this fascinating aircraft.

The St Ives Spitfire was unveiled to the public for the first time this week when invited VIPs went along to Trelonk to see the aircraft and meet those behind the project.

A specially commissioned artwork was also unveiled which is connected with the aircraft and the project – created by local artist Eleanor Steele.

For the apprentices on the project it has been an opportunity to learn new skills as well as take part in something which has been interesting and enjoyable.

Murphy Ransley-Miles, 21; and Lawrence Byself, 24, are two of those who have been involved in the scheme. Having completed a three-year apprenticeship, connected with Cornwall College, they have then continued to work on the Spitfire project.

They said that they were honoured to be able to work on the aircraft. Lawrence said: “Before this came up there was nothing like this in Cornwall.

“To be able to work on something like this is really special and we have learned a lot.”

David, who has worked in aerospace for 35 years, said that it had been rewarding to work alongside the next generation of engineers.

“It is all about the skills and you are watching the youngsters and helping them to get involved in aerospace. To be able to talk to the lads and help them to solve the problems which have come out as we have gone along has been really good.”

Jack Lewis has been working on the project for just a few months having originally started as a volunteer, but he said that it has been a labour of love.

With a background in fabrication he said that working on something which originated from the 1940s had meant learning a whole new set of skills.

“This kind of sheet metal work is completely different to anything I had done before so it was really interesting to work out how this is done and to get the project together.”

The team used original documents and plans to put the aircraft together and also admitted that there was a lot of using Google to find photos to ensure that they were recreating it faithfully.

They have also been able to draw on assistance from various experts across the country to help ensure that this static machine looks the business.

The Parnall Aircraft Company, which was founded in 1919 in Bristol, was involved in the design and manufacture of aircraft and during the Second World War, was a sub-contractor of Vickers Supermarine, building Spitfire components.

So this current project creates a full circle for the company which is now headed by Mark Parnall as part of the Parnall Group.

Mark said the reconstruction was “a unique opportunity to celebrate not only the beauty of the Spitfire, but the way in which communities, individuals and companies came together to create them. These plans were the free world’s gift to ‘the few’.”

He added: “Through the Parnall Foundation’s apprenticeship scheme, this project has provided opportunities for young engineers to develop their skills for the future and become

qualified Aviation Engineers, under the tutelage of world-class experts.”

One of those experts is chief engineer Tim Fane who has been leading the project for the last five years after enjoying an extensive career in the aerospace industry.

He said: “We all know what a Spitfire looks like but to see one here and to see what they have created, I am extremely proud of the guys.”

He added: “To see these young guys come here without knowing anything and then being able to work on something like this has been very special.”

The next project for the team will be to build a fully flying recreation of the St Ives Spitfire – work has already started and the first parts can be seen in the hangar at Trelonk.

That will be a much more complex project as in order to be able to fly it will have to meet strict specifications.

For now the attention is on the St Ives Spitfire static model which is almost complete – when finished there are plans for it to go on tour of Cornwall, including a visit to St Ives. It is then hoped that it will go to London to be exhibited before a permanent home is found for it.

It will be shown alongside the sculpture which has been created by Eleanor Steele which reflects the effort which was made by the community to build the original St Ives Spitfire.

She explained that in researching the project she learned how the fundraising efforts in the Second World War had some peaks and troughs and so she wanted to create that ripple effect with her artwork.

There are hopes that the aircraft and the artwork will be the first of many which can be created by Parnall Aircraft Company to celebrate the history of the aircraft as well as giving a new generation of apprentice engineers a chance to hone their skills.