The Westland Westminster was an indigenous design conceived by Westland Helicopters during the early 1950s. This experimental machine utilised the reduction gear, five-blade main rotor and tail rotor assembly of the Sikorsky S-56. Powered by two Napier Eland 229 turbo jet engines mounted externally side by side above the cabin the prototype G-APLE made its maiden flight at the hands of Westland Test Pilot "Slim" Sear at Yeovil Judwin on 15 July 1958.

Vibration problems experienced by G-APLE during the early test flights in July and August brought about design changes which were to be incorporated in the second prototype the construction of which was already underway at Yeovil. Despite the vibration problems G-APLE completed ten hours of flying by the end of August and was thus eligible to appear at that years SBAC Display at Farnborough. G-APLE was little more than a flying test rig, the skeletal structure unenclosed apart from the crew compartment . This occasioned one commentator, Oliver Stewart, to remark that "it looks like a cutaway drawing of itself". The first prototype contained within its girders an inverted pylon with a fitting for use as a crane.

The second prototype G-APTX was to have been constructed to represent the proposed airline version of the Westminster featuring an enclosed monocoque fuselage. What transpired was another uncovered airframe but with the power plant, transmission and pylon enclosed in metal cowling. The addition of a small enclosed cabin situated in the rear fuselage provided a crew station for the flight test engineer. It also helped mitigate forward c.g problems. G-APTX first flew on the 4 September 1959.

During 1960, G-APLE was modified by having a new six bade main-rotor system fitted. At the same time, plywood frames and stringers were fitted to the skeletal fuselage and this more rounded structure was covered with a Terylene fabric. G-APLE, now looking sleek and streamlined first flew in this new guise on 17 June 1960 and in September it appeared at the SBAC Display at Farnborough. However, even as it entertained the crowds its fate had already been decided.

Duncan Sandy’s had outlined in the Government Defence White Paper of 1957 a rationalisation of the whole of Britain's Aircraft Industry. Two years later, as Minister of Aviation he devised a plan that would reduce the number of major British aircraft manufacturers from sixteen to just four. The Government wanted only one helicopter manufacturing base and that was to be at Yeovil. Consequently in August 1959 Westland acquired the helicopter divisions of Fairey, Bristol and Saunders-Roe..A rationalisation of the now extensive and varied portfolio of aircraft was also undertaken and in the large "heavy lift" helicopter role, the Bristol Type 194, Fairey Rotodyne and the Westland Westminster projects all came under scrutiny. In addition the Royal Navy had placed large orders for the Westland Wessex ASW helicopter and it was soon realised that Westland did not have the capacity to continue with all of the current projects.

Shortly after its appearance at the SBAC display in September 1960 and with no official Government funding available for continued development, the Westminster project was cancelled. Later that month G-APLE was dismantled at Yeovil whilst G-APTX found its way to RNAS Yeovilton where it to was dismantled in August 1962. To avoid paying the stringent import duties levied by HM Customs and Excise the components originally supplied by Sikorsky were returned to the United States. By 1963 no trace of the promising Westminster remained, the skeletal airframes having been cut up and sold to Coley’s Scrap merchants.

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