Surviving Belfast Truss Hangars

The Tadcaster shed (N side of A64, the York side of the A1) is still in existence, or, it was the last time I went to York, Octoberish last year. Speaking of lattice trusses, there is an exhaust/tyres/garage building on Chesterfield Rd (A617) in Mansfield, near the Fire Station. Must date from the same era. Staff had no idea of its history.

I seem to recall a solitary, single bay Flight Shed sitting in a field near Tadcaster quite a few years ago.

There was also an episode of “Lewis” on Telly a few years ago which featured a boat yard (supposedly in Oxford but could have been anywhere) the main building had the characteristic lattice trusses – maybe an old seaplane hangar?

In related news (didn’t see a link posted):

https://medium.com/@thehangarthreeproject/belfast-truss-anatomy-101-e6357aa93827

Try 2. (see post 60)

The quoted text appeared but not the photos or text I typed in.

Inside the museum at Borden, the only picture I have showing the roof.

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Photo take outside, the only picture showing the end of the building.
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Both taken June 2015.

RMR

Hi Steve thanks for looking, be interesting if these Belfast Trusses showed up overseas.
Your pics are probably of RFC sheds with the standard truss design as the lattice work is normally easy to notice.
Can you post pics here?

As Steve mentioned in post #44, there are still a half dozen surviving Belfast Truss structured hangars at CFB Borden, but that’s not the only Canadian location. There are 2 in Deseronto, Ontario, on the fairgrounds, one in he town itself being used as a public works storage building and another near Beamsville, Ontario.

Regards
John

Work at Hooton Park goes on…

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=hooton%20park%20trust&epa=SEARCH_BOX

The two Rolls-Royce hangars at Hucknall are in the process of being demolished, alongside two WW2 Bellmans. The 1950’s hexagon sectioned tower adjacent them has already gone (Jan). The clutch of four privately owned hangars further north are protected (Grade II)
You’d think R-R would offer trusses etc. for sale as spares as both the buildings were in use until recently and are in excellent condition comparatively speaking. How can you trust a company that destroys its own history?

I visited the Whirlpool Factory in Yate (South Glos) and to my surprise discovered that they have two hangars on site with preservation orders on them.
The roof (from memory) looked like latticework. Could they be examples worthy of note?
I believe Bomber Turrets were made there during WWII when it was a grass airfield?

Time for Jon H to give us an update of the excellent work that has been going on at Hooton and post a few pics.

I don’t wish to steal his (and Graham Sparkes’) thunder!

Anon.

There is what I remember to be another example on the edge of Wilmslow, Cheshire (out towards Lindow Peat Common) which is in use as a tennis school – one end has a box added on to give it the needed length. Those who knew of it at Ringway never worked out from where it might have been removed.

Few corrections Bill 😉

and Hangar 1 looks really bad now

I suppose the North bay could do with a lick of paint –

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And it will be a several weeks yet before the contractors have finished all structural repairs in the South bay and fitted the new roof, but it is coming on a treat –

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But I don’t think it is all doom and gloom 😉

Staff and volunteers, contractors, have Hangar 1 all shored up inside with scaffolding and there is on-going efforts to get grants, etc, to restore it all.

Funding package of around £150,00 secured late last year, and contractors are presently about 3 months into the repair schedule.

The Black and white pic. (not mine )shows what I’m sure is an eastern view of hangar 1 with all doors open as it used to be some 60 yrs ago. I’m sure it is hangar 1 as that looks like hut 27 on other side. Nice shot of the Auxilliary RAF Meteors operation in 1950’s. —-1953 I believe.

All the information you require can be found here – http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK—Air/Gloster-Meteor-F8/1627995/L/

Location wise, the picture was taken roughly 20ft to the right of the picture you took of the Anson engine mounts.

Hope that helps 🙂 Though of course you can always keep abreast of progress and upcoming events at Hooton Park on Facebook (Like our page – https://www.facebook.com/hootonpark)

Jon
(The lucky chap overseeing the repair works on the Hangar)

Hooton Park hangars pics.

The 3 “Belfast Truss” hangars at Hooton Park are now 2 as hangar 3 collapsed a few years ago, and Hangar 1 looks really bad now, .(See Pics . I took these at the time. ) although a lot of conservation and restoration work has saved Hangar 2, Staff and volunteers, contractors, have Hangar 1 all shored up inside with scaffolding and there is on-going efforts to get grants, etc, to restore it all.
You can see the devastation after Hangar 3’s collapse, is bad and I hate to think what clear up costs will be. Since these pics. Hangar 3 has had more collapse at other end but Anson Aggie Paggie was dragged out of there in pieces in the nick of time.
So although this wonderful design and build of these types of hangars are an aviation historic landmark in UK, I doubt if designers thought they would be still standing in 100 years time without heavy conservation (as has been done on other “Belfasts”. ) What I’m saying is that you cannot just leave these types of hangars to rot down the years as these pics. show the results of the inevitable.
The Black and white pic. (not mine )shows what I’m sure is an eastern view of hangar 1 with all doors open as it used to be some 60 yrs ago. I’m sure it is hangar 1 as that looks like hut 27 on other side. Nice shot of the Auxilliary RAF Meteors operation in 1950’s. —-1953 I believe.

Bill T.

I believe there were Truss hangars at the Former MG Rover plant at Longbridge but that they were demolished a couple of years ago, they were the hangars that Hurricanes and fairey Battles were built in before being hoisted up the hill and flown off from the area which is now occupied by Chinese MG sales Centre. nice that the housing developer has called the street names after Fairey and Hurricane though!

The Belfast Truss hangars should survive as they are used by private companies for non aviation use and I think they are listed, and are separate to the Rolls Royce site/airfield site. I visited the WW.1 airfield at Harling Road in Norfolk at the weekend and there is still a 1917 Hangar on the site used by a Commercial Vehicle company. Not sure if it’s a BT type.

John

Think Hucknall can be added to the list………… Wonder if they will survive as the airfield closes next w/e?

Planemike

Fascinating. … and adopted by him to take loads around a semi-monocoque structure. There is a load path eliment in common, but otherwise different.

Of course, I may be wrong!

Semi monocoque geodetic? I thought the monocoque concept was a shell structure that was unbraced inside (like an egg). The semi-monocoque is a shell that is braced on the inside and was/is typically used in aircraft structures. Might be wrong though.

Regards

Sealand’s trusses

As mentioned Sealand’s were refurbished in early 2006. here are photos showing the trusses inside, behind the “door” structure:

Hello All,
Re Belfast Trusses. I am sitting in one of the hangers at Shrewsbury which was previously what we knew as Monkmoor Airfield. There are two “sheds” linked and now form a trading estate.
I always thought that buildings with Belfast Trusses were listed but I cannot find any listing for this site under English Heritage or Shropshire County Council, although I have often been told that they are listed. I suspect that they may be under threat of development and would like to think we could preserve them.
Has anyone any ideas about sites that may be listed or any chance that these could be added.
Cheers Algie

Hi Steve thanks for looking, be interesting if these Belfast Trusses showed up overseas.
Your pics are probably of RFC sheds with the standard truss design as the lattice work is normally easy to notice.
Can you post pics here?