Fulham
FULHAM: Private ‘aerodrome’ I once suspected…actually a ‘primitive’ aircraft factory
Note: This picture was obtained from Google Earth ©
User: Mr F T Hearle and Geoffrey de Havilland
Location: Bothwell Street
Period of operation: 1909 only?
NOTES: Many years ago when starting the research for this 'Guide' I made a note: “It seems unlikely that even a short hop took place…. unless you know otherwise?” Even so this site seemed well worth recording because at that time in our aviation history attempts to build aircraft hopefully able to just lift off the ground were very significant milestones. Also, only a small strip of land was required to attempt a ‘hop’ or ‘jump’. And, indeed, in some cases public parks were used.
Many years later I learnt this was where de Havilland and Frank Hearle built their first aircraft. They then transported their first ‘designs’ to BEACON HILL and later HIGHCLERE, both in HAMPSHIRE to do the flight testing. The first flight was a disaster…but de Havilland survived albeit with a serious hand injury.
However, what we need to understand here is that de Havilland was designing everything, including the engine! He rented a room in Bedford Court Mansions, Bedford Square, London WC.1 in which to design his engine, a 50hp water-cooled ‘flat-four’ type. This was built by the Iris Car Company of Willesden in NW London.
I owe much of this knowledge to ‘The Balloon Factory’ by Alexander Frater and I’d strongly recommend you read it too.
Was it purely coincidence that Claude Grahame-White decided to set up his factory, building Blériot monoplanes in 1910, just down the road at ‘The Broadway, Walham Green’ also in Fulham. It seems reasonable to assume ‘The Broadway’ has since become known as ‘Fulham Broadway’. Unlike de Havilland, Grahame-White transported his aircraft to ‘Hendon’ for flight testing and it is often assumed this would have been the now famous HENDON site. However, it appears that initially Grahame-White used a field at THE HYDE in West Hendon which later, more or less, became the site for the Airco factory from 1912.
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