Bristol Aero Collection

XV798, a Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.1 on display at the Bristol Aero Collection at Kemble Aerodrome, England.
Replica of Bristol Babe G-EASQ on display at the Bristol Aero Collection at Kemble Aerodrome.
Prototype Bristol 173, military serial number XF783, on display at the Bristol Aero Collection at Kemble Aerodrome.

The Bristol Aero Collection is an institution dedicated to the history of the aircraft industry in and around the city of Bristol, England, and especially the Bristol Aeroplane Company. The organization has collected a range of large exhibits[1] and raised funds to build a museum.[2][3]

Formation

On 8 April 1988, a meeting took place at the Holiday Inn in Temple Way, Bristol, to discuss development of an institution to gather and protect historical information and artifacts related to aviation in the Bristol area. A public launch followed at Bristol Museum on 30 June 1990, and the Bristol Aero Collection (BAC), a company limited by guarantee, was incorporated on 19 February 1992 number 02689238 and registered as a charity on 24 April 1992 number 1010632.[4] A board of directors was formed and Stephen MacFarlane of Whicheloe Macfarlane & Partners became the charity's adviser on buildings. A parallel voluntary organisation called the BAC Team was established to help set up and maintain a museum.

Banwell 1993 to 1996

The Board of Trustees launched an appeal to build a new museum in the Filton area adjoining the airfield but this failed in a time of recession. However the Collection received a free offer, for a limited period pending redevelopment, of an 80,000 square foot building at Banwell 15 miles west of Bristol, formerly used by Bristol Aeroplane Company and after 1959 by Bristol Aerojet. The building was in 1993 owned by Meggitt Aerospace.[5] With no fixed outgoings, the Team members were able to acquire exhibits, including the fuselage of Bristol Britannia Charlie Fox, a Sycamore helicopter, Bloodhound missile, Proteus and Olympus engines, Beagle 206, Ikara, CB trials Harrier,[6] Giotto spacecraft mock-up, and the Bristol Aerojet exhibition of missiles. Open Days were held for members and their guests. In August 1994, British Aerospace made facilities temporarily available at Filton and BAC chartered a Concorde for supersonic passenger flights round the Bay of Biscay. This was combined with an exhibition and dinner in the works, and raised money towards long term housing of the Collection. A steering group was formed, consisting of members of the BAC, BAC, BAE Systems, Airbus UK, Rolls-Royce, Filton Parish Council, and the Cribbs Causeway shopping centre, to find a permanent home for the collection.

Kemble 1996 to 2012

In September 1996 the Collection moved to Hangar A1, RAF Kemble, Gloucestershire, later known as Cotswold Airport. The rent of the 45,000 sq ft building was £30,000 a year for a 10-year lease, while the move cost £11,000. At first there was no vehicle access for the general public but volunteers organised displays and carried out conservation work. Sub-letting of space helped to pay the annual rent, including to Airbus UK. Also in 1996, an air accident occurred when the only Bristol Freighter in the UK crashed and was destroyed at Enstone, severely injuring two BAC volunteers.

The Collection continued to grow, including a Mk 1 Bloodhound missile on its launcher, GAF Jindivik, Sea Dart missile, the surviving portion of the Concorde customer mock-up, and the Bristol 173 twin-rotor helicopter. The closure of a flying club meant that from Easter 2000 the public were allowed to drive to the Museum Hangar, which was open on most Sundays and Mondays until 2012. During this period the MoD sold the airfield to a consortium of local businesses, which resulted in the licensing of Cotswold Airport. The Collection moved to hangar E2 where space was made available at no cost by Airbus UK until the hangar was needed for commercial use, and the BAC Museum was closed on 31 May 2012.

Arrival of Concorde 216 in 2002

Concorde 216 (G-BOAF) flew into Filton in November 2002, and associated fund-raising for a Museum reached close to £500,000. Owned by British Airways, the aircraft was leased to Airbus UK with a brief to maintain it, and to allow BAC to arrange for the public to visit. Starting in August 2003 about 100 visitors a day toured the works and visited Concorde 216 producing funds to support museum-building, guided by BAC volunteers; but in September 2004 there was a fatal accident to a visitor on Concorde 216, and visiting was suspended Official inquiries continued until December 2005. In 2010 Airbus UK decided to close the Concorde for repairs, with no date for re-opening.

The Concorde Trust 2007 to 2012

Consultancy groups employed by the Steering Group consultancy firms produced a series of proposals for a new Museum which would include the Concorde. A new Charity, "The Concorde Trust", funded by the BAC, was formed in 2007 to continue this function, and produced applications for support such as Heritage Grants. £343,543 from BAC 'restricted funds' was spent on Consultants to make grant applications. Only one of these succeeded, an award of one million Euros from Airbus at Toulouse, to be paid when certain conditions were fulfilled. The Concorde Trust 2011 Accounts reported that it would wind up its affairs and merge into the Bristol Aero Collection Trust.[4]

In store at Filton, 2012

The BAC imported, at no nett cost, a Bristol Blenheim Mk IV (a Canadian Bolingbroke) from the USA and restoration was begun. The exhibits continued to be kept in store at Filton. In December 2012 The Post, Bristol reported that BAESystems, who were selling Filton Airfield for development, would be contributing the site and £2.4million in aid to a new Museum including listed hangars near the control tower, for which other corporate sponsors and a Heritage Lottery grant would be sought.[7][8][9]

In 2014, the trust was awarded a grant of £4.7 million by the UK National Lottery. Plans were begun for construction of a visitor centre.[10][11]

In 2015, the Bristol Aero Collection Trust received permission from the planning department to begin work on a permanent building for the Concorde in two hangars at Filton Airfield.[12] The organization began a project to raise 2 million pounds to complete the project.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "BBC News - Bristol Aero Collection: Storage sought". BBC News. 27 April 2012
  2. ↑ "Bristol Aerospace Centre: Sneak peek at exhibits". BBC News, 26 November 2015
  3. ↑ "Patchway Journal". Patchway Journal. 2 May 2013
  4. 1 2 "The Charity Commission - GOV.UK". charity-commission.gov.uk.
  5. ↑ S. Parsons, 'Shadow to Shadow', BAJ Coatings Ltd., page 49
  6. ↑ "1984 | 1003 | Flight Archive". flightglobal.com.
  7. ↑ "British Aero Collection Trust gets connected for fundraising with Advanced NFP’s Donor Strategy CRM solution". charitytechnews.co.uk.
  8. ↑ Marion Sauvebois. "Bristol aviation museum project a step closer". Gazette Series.
  9. ↑ Marion Sauvebois. "Bristol Aero Collection Trust £13 million museum project backed by BA". Gazette Series.
  10. ↑ "Take-off at last for Bristol's £16m Concorde museum at former Filton airfield". The Bristol Post, November 28, 2014
  11. ↑ "Concorde wins £4.4m funding". Southwest Bristol. 28-May-2013
  12. ↑ "Concorde museum at Filton gets planning go-ahead". BBC News, 21 July 2015.
  13. ↑ "Public in Bristol are being asked to help find the last £2million to pay for home for Concorde". The Bristol Post, December 28, 2015

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