Barnstaple Aerodrome 1930's Then & Now

Devon · England · United Kingdom

Barnstaple Aerodrome

Barnstaple Aerodrome started in 1933 & also where the North Devon flying Club was formed. By 1934 it was opened as the North Devon Airport.

Barnstaple Aerodrome

Plan.

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Barnstaple Aerodrome

I have copied this picture from Chris Ashworth's Action Stations 5 SW. I hope they do not mind. History : Flights to the Island of Lundy were started using Rapid's, then Cardiff and Plymouth were added as destinations. May 1939 Western Airways opened a service from Penzance to Manchester which called in here.

Action Stations 5 SW

Barnstaple Aerodrome

Norman Edgar formed a new company, Norman Edgar (Western Airways) Ltd at Whitchurch. A De Havilland Dragon was bought. New routes were added, Cardiff and Bournemouth (Christchurch). Then further Dragons were added to the fleet and by 1939 Swansea – Barnstaple – Newquay (Trebelzue) – Penzance route once daily. Also trips to Lundy Island.

Av Post Cards

Link to - Western Airways. The West Country Airline by Graham M. SIMONS.

Barnstaple Aerodrome

Original Hangar. This does look as though it could be the original hangar?

04 November 2007

Short Scion six-seat passenger aircraft first flown August 18, 1933.

Barnstaple Aerodrome

Short Scion G-ACUW parked in front of the hangar.

Action Stations 5 SW

Barnstaple Aerodrome

Map of Lundy Island and red, the grass strip of the airfield.

04 November 2007

Barnstaple Aerodrome

Another Original Hangar. The left hand building looks like another original hangar and Inset from the 1930's picture with a DH 60X Moth G-AAIM in front.

04 November 2007

A DH 60X Moth G-AAIM first flown on the 22 February 1925.

Barnstaple Aerodrome

Flying Control/Club House. The bungalow behind the wartime SECO huts looks like the original flying control with all the bits removed and an extension added to the side. The chimney is a good guide as they look the same.

04 November 2007

Barnstaple Aerodrome

Air Photo of the Buildings. White squares : three of the original buildings. Yellow squares : could have been built after the original photo was taken. Red square : a Blister hangar of WW2.

04 November 2007

Barnstaple Aerodrome

Blister Hangar. The Blister hangar was placed here around 1940 when the RAF decided to use the whole of Barnstable Aerodrome and all the land to the west to build RAF Chivenor. They added: 1 x Blister hangar. 4 x Bellman hangars. 4 x Hinaidi hangars. 3 x hard runways.

04 November 2007

Barnstaple Aerodrome

Double Blister Hangar. You can see along the ridge that it is a double and originally it looks as though it was open with fittings for a curtain rail to hold canvas curtains.

04 November 2007

Curtain rail and rings for the canvas door.

Barnstaple Aerodrome

Another old Building. This blue building could also be an original building, its made of wood and sheeted with corrugated iron and is also longer than the Blister hangar.

04 November 2007

Barnstaple Aerodrome

Interesting bits of the wood cutting business.

04 November 2007

Barnstaple Aerodrome

SECO Huts. Built by Uni-Seco Structures Ltd from 1942. These were th original IKEA flat packs, they came with standard parts and were interchangeable. Seco huts were designed also to be recovered after the war and turned into emergency housing as Prefabs.

04 November 2007