Accrington flying sites
Note: This map only shows the location of Accrington town within the UK.
ACCRINGTON see also PENNYHOUSE LANE
ACCRINGTON see also DUNKELHAGH HOTEL
ACCRINGTON: Gliding site
NOTES: How long I wonder did the Accrington Gliding Club exist? Presumably operating from a site near to the town? I have learnt that even in the 1930s, although mostly based at a nearby favourite site or sites, it was common practise even in those days for Gliding Clubs to move their glider(s) around and they explored gliding from a whole range of various sites.
Since the 1960s, (?), the popular method of storing gliders in purpose-made trailers which can be towed by a car, (or even shipped to another continent), means that the most dedicated, (and wealthy of course), clubs or even individuals can fly in their own aircraft from almost anywhere in the world.
OTHER ASPECTS
I have been told by somebody who should know, (reputed to be an expert), that only six official gliding sites existed in the 1930s. However, conducting my own research here is a list of 103 gliding clubs listed in Flight magazine in the March 27, 1931 issue: I expect it will never be known how many sites they used? I think an estimate of at least five hundred would be very reasonable guess?
It is well to remember that a dedicated gliding field was not needed in those days. Aero and cable tows were rare if not still waiting to be invented? Being towed off behind a car was done but I think by far the most common method was a bungee launch whereby a willing team drew out a long bungee cord, (usually if not always on a downhill slope), until the power of elasticity overcame the ‘stiction’ of the stationary glider and the resultant release was enough to launch it.
Although it is blindingly obvious that, for example, the Essex Gliding Club was in ESSEX, I have put the list of Counties in bold, so a partially interested reader can quickly scan down the list to ascertain the basic spread of gliding clubs in 1931 throughout the UK.
Abergavenny and District Gliding Club (MONMOUTHSHIRE)
Accrington Gliding Club (LANCASHIRE)
Aircraft Club Harrogate (YORKSHIRE)
Banbury Gliding Club (OXFORDSHIRE)
Barnoldswick Gliding Club (LANCASHIRE)
Barnsley Gliding Club (YORKSHIRE)
Barrow-in-Furness Gliding Club (CUMBRIA now - probably LANCASHIRE in those days?)
Bedord Gliding Club (BEDFORDSHIRE)
Belfast Gliding Club (NORTHERN IRELAND)
Birmingham Gliding Club (WEST MIDLANDS)
Bolton Gliding Club (LANCASHIRE)
Bradford Gliding Club (YORKSHIRE)
Bridlington Gliding Club (YORKSHIRE)
Brighton Gliding Club (SUSSEX)
Bristol Gliding Club ( Sites probably both in SOMERSET and GLOUCESTERSHIRE?)
Cardiff Gliding Club (GLAMORGANSHIRE)
Channel Gliding Club (KENT)
Comrie Gliding Club (PERTHSHIRE)
Cononley & District Gliding Club (YORKSHIRE)
Coventry Gliding Club (WARWICKSHIRE)
Dalkeith Gliding Club (MIDLOTHIAN – listed by me as simply LOTHIAN)
Derby and District Gliding Club (DERBYSHIRE)
Doncaster Gliding Club (YORKSHIRE)
Dorset Gliding Club (DORSET)
Dover Gliding Club (KENT)
Dover Sailplane Club (KENT)
Driffield and District Gliding Club (YORKSHIRE)
Dumfries and District Gliding Club (DUMFRIESHIRE)
Dunlop Aero Section (WEST MIDLANDS) A very interesting example. A club of Dunlop
employees based in ‘Fort Dunlop’ which is a few miles NE of Birmingham city centre. The
main building can still be seen today just north of the M.6, often draped with a huge
advertisement. Wouldn’t it be nice to know the sites they were gliding from in those days?
East Grinstead Gliding Club (SUSSEX
Eastbourne Gliding Club (SUSSEX)
Edinburgh Gliding Club (LOTHIAN)
Egham Gliding Club (SURREY but now in the area I’ve listed as LONDON)
Elgin Gliding Club (MORAYSHIRE)
Essex Gliding Club (ESSEX)
Everley Gliding Club (WILTSHIRE)
Exeter Gliding Club (DEVON)
Falkirk and District Gliding Club (FALKIRK)
Furness Gliding Club (CUMBRIA now – probably LANCASHIRE in those days?)
Glasgow Gliding Club (RENFREWSHIRE?)
Grosvenor Gliding Club (COUNTY DURHAM)
Halifax Gliding Club (YORKSHIRE)
Halton Gliding Club (BUCKINGHAMSHIRE)
Harrogate Gliding Club (YORKSHIRE)
Herts and Essex Gliding Club (HERTFORDSHIRE & ESSEX)
Huddersfield Gliding Club (YORKSHIRE)
Hungerford Gliding Club (BERKSHIRE)
Ilkley and District Gliding Club (YORKSHIRE)
Imperial College of Science Gliding Club (LONDON)
Isle of Thanet Gliding Club (KENT)
Isle of Wight Gliding Club (ISLE of WIGHT)
Jersey Gliding Club (CHANNEL ISLANDS)
Kendal Gliding Club (CUMBRIA)
Kent Gliding Club (KENT)
Kilmarnock Gliding Club (AYRSHIRE)
Ladybank Gliding Club (FIFE)
Lancashire Gliding Club (LANCASHIRE)
Leeds Gliding Club (YORKSHIRE)
Leicestershire Gliding Club (LEICESTERSHIRE)
Lincoln Gliding Club (LINCOLNSHIRE)
Littleborough Gliding Club (LANCASHIRE now GREATER MANCHESTER)
Littlehampton Gliding Club (SUSSEX)
Llandudno Gliding Club (CONWAY or CONWY)
London Gliding Club (Based at DUNSTABLE in BEDFORDSHIRE)
Loughborough Gliding Club (LEICESTERSHIRE)
Malton Gliding Club (YORKSHIRE)
Manchester Gliding Club (Sites in CHESHIRE, DERBYSHIRE and LANCASHIRE?)
Matlock Gliding Club (DERBYSHIRE)
Merthyr and District Gliding Club (GLAMORGANSHIRE)
Midland Gliding Club (Based at LONG MYND in SHROPSHIRE )
Newcastle Mechanical Club Gliding Section (TYNESIDE)
Norfolk and Norwich Gliding Club (NORFOLK)
North Cotswold Gliding Club (GLOUCESTERSHIRE)
North Kent Gliding Club (KENT)
North Lindsay Gliding Club (LINCOLNSHIRE probably?)
North Staffordshire Gliding Club (STAFFORDSHIRE)
Nottingham Gliding Club (NOTTINGHAMSHIRE)
Oxford County Gliding Club (OXFORDSHIRE)
Pilning Gliding Club (GLOUCESTERSHIRE)
Portsmouth and Southsea Gliding Club (HAMPSHIRE)
Preston and District Gliding Club (LANCASHIRE)
Rainford Gliding Club (LANCASHIRE)
Richmond (Yorks) Gliding Club (YORKSHIRE)
Rugby Gliding Club (WARWICKSHIRE)
Sailplane Club of T.M.A.C. (I cannot discover what T.M.A.C. stands for, but perhaps the club secretaries address in Fleet Street, London EC.4 might just possibly be a clue? In the same issue of Flight it is stated that the club started flying again from SMALLDOLE (my capitals) on the 22nd March. The only place with a similar name I can find today is SMALL DOLE (two words), in SUSSEX. Is this perhaps the same site?
Scarborough Gliding Club (YORKSHIRE)
Sheffield Gliding Club (YORKSHIRE)
Southampton Gliding Club (HAMPSHIRE)
Southdown Skysailing Club (SUSSEX)
Southend-on-Sea Gliding Club (ESSEX)
South Essex Gliding Club (ESSEX)
South Shropshire and North Herefordshire Gliding Club (SHROPSHIRE & HEREFORDSHIRE)
St Helens Gliding Club (LANCASHIRE)
Stirling and District Gliding Club (STIRLING)
Stockport Gliding Club (CHESHIRE)
Suffolk and Eastern Counties Gliding Club (Based at Hadleigh (?) SUFFOLK)
Surrey Gliding Club (SURREY)
Whitehaven Gliding Club (CUMBRIA)
Wiltshire Gliding Club (WILTSHIRE)
Winchester Gliding Club (HAMPSHIRE)
Wolseley Gliding Club (WEST MIDLANDS – younger readers may not know about this then famous car manufacturing company and, like the Fort Dunlop club, indicates that during this period four or five gliding clubs were ‘attached’ to a particular company or institution.
Worthing and District Gliding Club (SUSSEX)
Wrexham and District Gliding Club (WREXHAM)
I have printed the list in full to illustrate both the popularity of gliding clubs during this era, but also to show how widespread these clubs were throughout England especially, with ninety clubs listed. Scotland boasted ten clubs but Wales only three.
ACCRINGTON: Early airfield?
NOTES: In 1910 a Mr H Berfan was listed as being experimenting with a monoplane in or near ACCRINGTON. Unfortunately it appears that no records exist to confirm this aeroplane flew or even “hopped”.
Alan White
This comment was written on: 2020-09-01 09:40:03In Clayton Le Moors there was a field we used to go play football at, a short walk from the primary school there. It was said at the time it was a disused airfield, presumably WWII, may have been WWI also. I saw an article that stated there were a couple of Avro's stationed at an airfield near the Burnley Rd, which is right where this one is situated. Hope this is useful.
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