What Was The First Temporary Aircraft Hangar In Britain?

There has been a close connection between robust, affordable temporary shelters and aircraft hangar buildings that have existed since the dawn of aviation.

Whilst there are still gigantic custom-built hangars such as the famous Goodyear Airdock in Akron, Ohio, most hangars used by aviation businesses are kit-build buildings designed to be moveable and temporary, even if some ultimately end up lasting longer than supposedly permanent alternatives.

This is part of the reason why early aircraft hangars were known as “aeroplane sheds” and varied in design as aviators found the best way to construct a large pillarless building.

The first of these aeroplane sheds in Britain was constructed by an aviation pioneer whose name would go down in history decades later.

The First Home Of Avro

Born in Eccles, Lancashire, Edwin Alliott Verdon Roe was fascinated by flight from an early age, having wondered how albatrosses manage to stay in the air whilst working odd jobs in Canada and as part of the Merchant Navy.

His big break came in 1906 when he became the Secretary of the Royal Aero Club; despite lacking in experience, his passion for flight impressed his interviewers and he would quickly work somewhat sporadically in the industry both in Britain and the United States.

Following a disagreement with his employers at G.L.O. Davidson of Denver, he quit and started to build his own flying machines in a set of stables owned by his brother in Putney.

During an era when The Daily Mail newspaper offered cash prizes, he won a prize for a design that would later become the Roe I Biplane.

A Disagreeable Shed

Once it had been constructed, Mr Roe moved the biplane from Putney to Brooklands in Surrey, a race circuit that was also used by early aviators due to its size. 

The Brooklands Automobile Racing Club were not entirely happy to have him there, and one of the conditions of allowing him to house his aeroplane there was that he had to allow racetrack staff to sell refreshments from it.

This also meant that it had to be moved from its original position close to the finishing straight of the track, minimising the amount of time needed to prepare for test flights, to a location south of the racing clubhouse, largely out of sight and out of mind.

On the first racing day, attendants tossed the plane haphazardly over a fence, damaging it and leading to further tension between the two parties.

However, despite the best efforts of the race officials and the Clerk of the Course, Mr Roe did successfully leave the ground in an aeroplane of his own design, although this record would be described as an “uncontrolled hop” by the Royal Aero Club.

Finally, following the first flight and a few attempted test flights, the plane was damaged again by a gust of wind and Mr Roe was evicted before he had the chance to rebuild it. He dismantled the plane, although a replica was constructed and still stands proudly in Brooklands Museum today.