Whose has the earliest memories of Old Warden?

Then and now

Cheers James,

That looks pretty conclusive to me.

Mark

Well, a comparason was asked for. The Original was from Mark12; the daytime shot taken by Man on the Fence on my camera which is why I’ve got it, the night shot was taken after the flying evening, by me!

Thanks Fergie1, and welcome!

Looking at Robbo´s pic of AR501 NN-D I was highly irritated – until I realised it is NN-A now… 😉

You can tell that by D-N-A testing!! 😀

Looking at Robbo´s pic of AR501 NN-D I was highly irritated – until I realised it is NN-A now… 😉

This was taken today from roughly the same spot, although the doors were closed today and I couldn’t be bothered to open them! I’ll let somebody else post the more visible ‘now’ picture 🙂
The carriages are caravans and they are in the main pre-war part of hangar 1. The actual caption to the photo is the last Proctor and the first caravans at Old Warden. The photo was taken when Shrager Bros, the maintenance team on site, was finishing aircraft maintenance and starting caravan production.

Fergy1

Albert, I’d love to, but I never have really cracked that photo-posting thing, plus the fact that my e.mail is at work and my photos are at home. Sorry.

If I can crack it, anyone can!! :confused: Scan your photos at 72dpi and make then 25cm wide, that go to ‘manage attachments’ which opens up another window. Click ‘Browse’ to find your photo and click ‘Upload’. If the file is too large, it’ll tell you. Good Luck!

It is the main part of Hanger 1 Workshops. It now has the blister hanger build on the front. The big sliding doors on the left are still in use as they separate the main part of the workshop from the blister.
I think that the “carriages” are actually caravans.

Not got one to hand. I’ll be able to do it after Sat Eve!

IIRC, and my orientation is right, the photogropher is standing inside the current gate to the road. Since the photo was taken, ther ‘penthouse’ hanger on the front of the depicted hangar has been changed to a round roofed item, so an exact match by angle may not be possible. Worth trying though!

THEN

That’s Old Warden. The carriages are interesting too!

Can any body match it with a NOW shot?

Mark

That’s Old Warden. The carriages are interesting too!

Slightly of topic…but

Here is a shot of Proctor NP308.

The note on the negative packet says: ‘Old Warden WWII’.

I wonder if any of the OW aficionados can confirm and match the hangar structure?

Mark

Early, possibly mid, sixties. It wasn’t a display day and I really can’t remember much more than the Spitfire and Hurricane just inside the gate, standing side by side and looking very tired.
I never imagined they would both be restored to flight.

Welcome Seafire, and thanks for sharing!

First time posting from a long-time lurker!

My first visit to Old Warden would have been in 1968 or ’69. Prior to that my parents didn’t have a car so even though I’d read about the Collection it was out of the question. I remember that once they got the car we used to go out most weekends, so I probably managed to talk them into a visit sooner rather than later!

I have to admit that my memories of that first visit are hazy, but I do recall the Spitfire and Sea Hurricane looking forlorn outside. Wasn’t there also an Anson – or am I thinking of the one at Southend? I recall there was a very battered section of a rocket (Blue Streak??) sitting outside one of the hangers, but it seemed to be doubling as a rubbish bin!

Anyway, Old Warden worked its magic and became a regular venue for outings. I can remember seeing a Meteor and a Bristol Sycamore at a show in the early ’70s. I’ll have to dig out the old home movies and see whether I can idenify any of the tiny dots!

As my brother and I grew up and left home, my parents stopped going, but I kept the faith and have been attending shows ever since. My wife was also regularly taken to Old Warden as a child, and both of our children made their first visits as babies. (Our son woke up in the middle of a BAE Hawk display with a very baffled look on his face, but our daughter managed to sleep right through a Harrier display!) Before she passed away a few years ago I was able to take my mother back to Old Warden for a couple of displays. It was a bit of a struggle for her as she was in a wheelchair by then, but the look on her face as the Spitfire and Hurricance took off and displayed showed that it was well worth it! (Funnily enough she didn’t seem quite as pleased to see Black 6!)

Memorable moments – the Shackleton leading PA474 in through the rain clouds (unfortunately we’d just given in to the rain and started to drive out, so no photos!), the Comet Racer, the Concorde display in ’87(?) and winning a flight in the Magister.

So, Old Warden continues to work its magic. We can’t make it this weekend, but barring any disasters we’ll be there on 5th September.

Not my earliest memory, but at www.BritishPathe.com there’s a lovely bit of footage of an Old Warden show from 1965 in colour. 504, Tomtit, Tutor and Brisfit feature, plus some general shots, one showing the Spitfire and Hurricane.

Worth having a look at – keyword: ‘Shuttleworth’ or the cat number is 335.02

Pathe notes:
335.02 | ANTIQUE AIRCRAFT (1:08:36:00 – 1:10:07:00) 09/09/1965

Biggleswade, Bedfordshire.

Shuttleworth Collection of veteran aircraft is featured. Various old aircraft are taken for a spin at an air display. The aircraft have been collected by the mother of a young R.A.F. (RAF, Royal Air Force) pilot killed in the Second World War. She has put the aircraft in flying order in his memory.

Aircraft featured include Spitfires, an Avro Tutor, a Hawker Tomtit and a Bristol Fighter. We see them all in flight and see spectators watching the display. C/U of chocks being pulled away. C/U of man holding a large cine camera. Various shots of the plane both on the ground and in the air. Two women sunbathe and look up at the planes.

Narration includes comments like: “Once upon a time these Spitfires saved your life – or your parents’.”

Any photos that you can share?

AlbertR

I have posted above the only shot from that first visit, re-dated now to 1957. It was not a public day, indeed did they even have public displays then?

The Spitfire was the sole aircraft outside and I believe it was only there as a marker for visiting aircraft, as OW is/was quite difficult to identify from the air.

At that time I had a fairly crude three speed sq. 127 format Purma camera with no flash facility. Internal shots of the hangar/workshops were a no-no.

I do have earlier shots from R. A.Scholefield and A.N.Other of the Spitfire at Old Warden back to 1953 and still in the US civil markings. Somewhere I have a shot of Wartime aircraft repairs being undertaken at OW but these are off the original topic – ‘your earliest memories’ etc.

Mark

Steve, any chance you can post some photos from those first visits?

Albert, I’d love to, but I never have really cracked that photo-posting thing, plus the fact that my e.mail is at work and my photos are at home. Sorry.

About ’71 was my first visit. School trip in the infants. My Mum came along to help out. It is soooooo embarassing to go anywhere with your mates and have a parent there. I took some colour slides, but I am notorious for not finding pics when I want them so I shan’t promise anything. However here’s one taken around that time.

I remember on the school trip the spit was parked o/s the hanger near the main gate with the doodle bug under its wing. I think the Hurricane was in the corrugated hanger near the gate.

About ’68 & my younger brother climbing all over the Spit. I cant remember the Hurricane, when did move inside/away ?