The construction sheds at Weybridge

[Murray Keene]

I have been trying to find out info on what the shed looked like that the 10's were built in. I used to live across the road from Wisley and was often up there talking to the landowner, (a friend of my family). He remembers the HUGE hangars when G-ARTA was built, but my question is that there are not hangars at Brooklands HIGH enough for a completed aircraft to go in with the 40ft T tail?

At Brooky there are the remaining 'Wellington' shed and the strato chamber shed thats it.

Any clues anyone please I cannot find ANY pics of aircraft actually being moved in or out of such a shed or were the tails dropped on as a last fitting before the ferry flights to Wisley for trials

[Jelle Hieminga]

Most of the buildings that formed the factory were torn down. What is left at the Brooklands Museum is a very small part of what used to be there. Have a look at this image (from VC10 Trials and Tribulations):

The building at the top right marked 'Research and Development' is the clubhouse. The museum is in that corner of the area. The wings were built in the building East of the runway. West of the runway is the fuselage assembly building, and further to the top and left are the Flight Sheds. These were colloquially known as the Abbey and Cathedral and this is where final fitting out was performed.

On this page: http://www.vc10.net/History/vc10_50years.html you will find photos from the production lines but also taken in the Flight Sheds. These were high enough and large enough to house several VC10s with tail. Andy Lambert took some video footage inside one of these sheds before it was demolished in 1986:


The map above is from 1964, apart from a few buildings around the clubhouse (where the museum is now) and the old control tower (Aircraft Servicing School on the map) everything else is gone.
This photo on Flickr shows what the East side of the complex looked like (bottom part of the map above). This is now The Heights business park: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremai/4838325231/

[Murray Keene]

Lovely video it just occured to me my family were living in Ockham next to the airfield at that time but I never thought to go up and have a look

Ive since been up there and found the spot where the detuners were and hangar door runners etc. That hangar is almost as big as our Base hangar at Brize! Thanks for the replies, I am slowly recreating WW2 and notable airfields in flight simulator down to producing the 3D models of the buildings so I needed details for Wisley and Brooklands. Ive already done an old satellite airfield that used to be north of Brize Norton, the control town is still standing!

Once I load my airfields into flight sim you can land there and taxi round and have a look! I would love to see Wisley turned into one HUGE VC10 museum! It just sits there wasted ground as the cost of digging up the runway runs into MILLIONS as did the one at Greenham Common (now just scrubland

[Jelle Hieminga]

Sounds like an interesting project Murray! I know that someone else has had a go at Wisley a few years back, see here: http://www.cbfsim.co.uk/cbfs_bb/viewtop ... =6&t=18755
There is a download link a bit further along in that topic. He was working on Brooklands at the time but since the last reply was quite some time ago I fear that there may not have been much progress since. It might be worth getting in touch with him as he obviously has done some work on the clubhouse at Brooklands!

[Murray Keene]

Thanks Jelle. I spend a lot of time on detail visiting old abandoned airfields and measuring up or simply finding where hangar foundations were. Last year I did Upper Heyford and had to design a HAS and recently I recreated RAF Stoney Cross that was in the middle of the New Forest.

I intend to go back to Wisley and measure the hangar bases and detuner base now THEY will be challenging, 3D modelling TUBES!

[43 O Department]

Hello all,
First post, of which I am hopefully sharing a selection of photos of the old wing shop taken in the last days of the closure of the Bae Weybridge site back in 1986.
I have include an aerial shot taken in November 1985 of the Hurricane 50 anniversary meeting, just to give you some understanding of the area which was taken from the escort Devon that came to guide PZ865 on that day. (This photo is copyright Bae), along with a photo of the Hurricane getting airborne in front of the Abbey & Cathedral hangers.


https://www.flickr.com/photos/130649816 ... res/D8h35S

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[Tonkenna]

Great 1st post... and welcome. Interesting shots, particularly the air-to-ground one!

Andy

[Murray Keene]

It has ALWAYS angered me that the birthplace of aviation has been turned into an ordinary run down industrial estate, supermarket and tobacco company! In The United States - Brooklands would have been preserved AS WAS - and an appropriate business community built on the site complementing Aviation and Racing. They would have even probably REBUILT the world famous banking! I have been over there and witnessed the Confederate Air Force in action and they are even flying BRITISH aircraft that we wont allow to fly in our skies - EE Lightning, Gannets, Hunters galore etc, so sad this country has sold out to MONEY!

I have been a Brooklands Trustee for many years and watched the museum slowly and surely get pushed out farther and farther into one corner whilst the likes of Mercedes lord it over the place with their horrific big modern building that looks out of place in such a setting and frankly isnt wanted here!
Sadly in the UK no one steps up to preserve our heritage (government or private investor). I can see the Brooklands Museum one day vanish and a paint factory replace it or worse All the last aircraft had to be moved over to allow Mercedes a bigger playground for their rich customers! They couldnt destroy it in 1940 but they have now What does that tell us?