Brabazon hangar not listed

It would be far more use if whole airfields could be found protection then the buildings built there could continue being used for what they were designed to do, house aircraft.
Once an airfield closes the hangars and other infrastructure have much reduced significance, apart from in a small number of instances where they become museums(Hendon).

Richard

The Longbridge Flight Shed was another building of considerable historical and architectural significance that should have been listed and wasn’t. Empty building rates, the value of scrap metal and an apathetic developer saw it’s to it’s demise at the end of 2011.

As mentioned previously, listing the Brabazon hangar doesn’t mean it can’t be demolished but if it’s still in use then it should be safe for the time being.
A bit more Longbridge Flight Shed history here.

http://www.aronline.co.uk/blogs/facts-and-figures/essays/in-memoriam/in-memoriam-longbridge-flight-shed-1937-2011/
http://www.aronline.co.uk/blogs/news/news-longbridge-flight-shed-update/

Err…….. no 😉

The Brabazon hangar was actually built BEFORE the Hatfield flight test hangar that is now a fitness club etc., and is smaller in span.

Also, it’s not made of steel 😉

It’s made of aluminium 🙂

Which is predominately why it was listed, as at the time of construction it was the world’s largest permanent aluminium structure, and probably still is to this day.

The Brabazon hangar is often cited as being the largest clear span structure, but technically it’s a triple span structure.

I think the largest real single span steel structure is currently Terminal 5 at Heathrow?

This is interesting. Can we infer that the main reason for listing at Hatfield was architectural rather than the buildings historic aviation connection. Even if this is the case are the Brabazon hangers not of architectural interest whatever the technicalities are regarding the span? And surely the former homes of the Beatles are of no architectural interest and yet they are Gll Listed. I am thinking this is more to do with sustainability in the sense of on going maintenance costs and who owns them. In the Beatles case they are owned by the NT who only take on properties if they have the funding in place for onward preservation. Is there a reluctance to list sites if the current owner is not prepared or unable to maintain them?

On the subject of the Brabazon hangar being ‘the largest single span steel structure’, this accolade was also held by the Comet hangar at Hatfield. This is the main reason why the hangar was listed, and it’s now been sympathetically turned into a gym/health spa thingy.

Err…….. no 😉

The Brabazon hangar was actually built BEFORE the Hatfield flight test hangar that is now a fitness club etc., and is smaller in span.

Also, it’s not made of steel 😉

It’s made of aluminium 🙂

Which is predominately why it was listed, as at the time of construction it was the world’s largest permanent aluminium structure, and probably still is to this day.

The Brabazon hangar is often cited as being the largest clear span structure, but technically it’s a triple span structure.

I think the largest real single span steel structure is currently Terminal 5 at Heathrow?

Filton

To continue on from Proteus6’s comments, the WW1 buildings are currently fenced off from the rest of the site. The Bristol Aero collection is busy moving it’s exhibits from Kemble into the WW1 hangars. In the meantime, the airfield itself is being asset stripped / dismantled in preparation for re-development.

The both the Police helicopter & Air Ambulance continue to operate from the north side & will do so for some time to come.

Filton

Hi Paul
The Aircraft assembly hall (brab hangar) is not listed, the two First World War buildings on the north side of the runway are and will form a part of the Bristol aero collection including hopefully a new building to house Concorde.
The AAH is being used as warehouse space so is safe for now.

It is not as though the Brabazon hangar was little used. In the early 70s, I used to take a stroll through it on my way to and from lunch. As well as Concorde production in the main bay, in the other bays there was also work on RAF Britannia overhaul with perhaps three examples being there at any one time. There were two-seat Lightning nose jigs and including at least one nose. There was the three-engined VC10 and there was a Percival Prince. There were probably others, but I don’t recall.

An interesting story I heard was that someone broke a manometer inside a Britannia, spilling a small amount of mercury into the bottom of the fuselage. There was a tremendous hoo-haa and all the mercury had to be recovered and accounted for. Apparently mercury and aluminium don’t go well together.

Can anybody give an update in view of the closure of Filton? Are these hangers still not listed?

I was looking at BAE Systems proposals for Woodford. After all the ‘adding value’ and ‘maximizing potential’ paragraphs, there was one on preserving the ‘AVRO hangars’ for possible use by the Avro Heritage group. Promising?
atr42
Finger trouble! Mixing Alfa Fox and Delta Golf (at Brooklands) 😮
mmitch.

Without wishing to hijack your Filton thread, I don’t think any of the buildings at Woodford are listed at all despite some dating back to the 1920s. I suspect they will be demolished if required.

Agreed with what has been said. You might find AG in Seattle though. AF I believe is the one you have down there. I fine aircraft I had the pleasure of flying on to NY a years ago.:)