Chester flying sites
Note: This map shows the location of Chester Castle only.
CHESTER see also BEECHMOOR NURSERIES
CHESTER see also CHESTER CITY FOOTBALL GROUND
CHESTER see also CHESTER RACECOURSE
CHESTER see also COP HOUSE FARM
CHESTER see also CRABWALL MANOR HOTEL
CHESTER see also FORTE POST HOTEL
CHESTER see also FROG FARM
CHESTER see also LONG LANE
CHESTER see also MOLLINGTON BANASTRE HOTEL
CHESTER see also ROWTON HALL HOTEL
CHESTER AERODROME see SEALAND, FLINTSHIRE
CHESTER CASTLE: Balloon ascent site
Operated by: Vincenzo Lunardi
Location: The Chester Castle yard
Period of operation: 30th August 1785 and 8th September 1785
NOTES: Lunardi was flying his Charliére balloon ‘powered’ by hydrogen but it seems that on this occasion he allowed Lieut. French to make the flight. Nobody seems to know the how and why of this ostensibly very odd decision. Why exactly did Lunardi consider Lt French to be a capable aeronaut as the latter appears to have had no previous experience?
It would appear that probably three balloon ascents were made during this visit and indeed, Lunardi then allowed Thomas Baldwin to use his balloon. That ascent was made on the 8th September 1785. So perhaps this is the first occasion of ‘self-drive--hire’ in the world of aviation - as I imagine that money probably changed hands? OR is this being too cynical? Baldwin flew roughly ENE, made several sketches, notes, maps and indeed paintings apparently, before decending near Warrington.
The next balloon ascent in Chester wasn’t until 1824 when a Mr Sadler also ascended from the Castle Yard.
WORTH A MENTION?
It seems worth mentioning here that even if it was possible to identify every balloon launch site, which is very unlikely, I wouldn’t feel inclined to mention them all - there were so many. There was a lot of it going on in the nineteenth century despite the often protracted and/or difficult business of getting these mostly mainly coal gas filled 'aerosats' inflated.
THE FIRST?
The first coal gas ‘powered’ ascent is reported to have been by Charles Green in 1821, (I wonder where that was from?), and he went on to make 526 ascents over some 31 years spread across most of England if not the UK. It wasn’t just Charles Green either as by 1829 he, his brother James, (and their sons and a nephew apparently), had notched up 535 ascents between them! None of these figures can be entirely trusted of course….pilots log books hadn’t yet been invented and even after they were you can’t always trust pilots to fill them in correctly. (Which I can testify to, despite trying very hard to be diligent. Indeed, I have found no record in my log books of a couple of flights - which I remember so well).
A LOST HISTORY?
As mentioned elsewhere, but well worth repeating here I feel, the majority of those early balloon ascents were very much commercial ventures with admission charges, exactly akin to modern major air shows, and drawing crowds of similar proportions. I had absolutely no idea all this was going on in the UK at that time and before embarking on the research for this 'Guide', and I have now read a lot of books about ‘so called’ aviation history. Can anybody explain why this such important aspect of UK aviation history has been, generally speaking, almost completely ignored? It would seem, and the same goes for early gliding adventures too, that “if it ain’t got an engine bolted to it” it doesn’t much count.
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