The Quarry

THE QUARRY: Balloon ascent site


The first picture is by the author in 2017.
A COUPLE OF ILLUSTRATIONS

One view of The Quarry in 2017

A map of Shrewsbury town centre, showing The Quarry park

Location: Near and just SW of Shrewsbury town centre

Period of operation: 1880 to 1913 (assuming this site was always used?)







 

NOTES:
There appears to be a wide gap in ballooning activities in Shewsbury after the initial ascent by Charles Green in 1824, and then another by Margaret Graham in 1938. (See SHREWSBURY flying sites for more info).

Balloon ascents usually carrying passengers or selected guests appear to have taken place in Shrewsbury every year from 1880 to 1913. The first on the 18^th of August 1880, by J A Whelan who when flying solo ascended to 12,000ft . Generally these aeronauts flew between 3000 and 6000ft, and sometimes up to 10,000ft.

Many of these flights were far from being local with destinations such as Great Barr near Birmingham, Tysoe near Banbury and even Newark-on-Trent, (93 miles away), being reached. They often flew in cloud and sometimes right through the night! Usually the considerable interest and generosity of local people was required to retrieve the balloon and a return jouney by train undertaken with the balloon on a goods train service separate to the pilot and passengers who invariably took a different route back but also by train. Quite a adventure for all involved.
 

Needless to say, as you might well imagine, this whole subject is both fascinating and complex and I can highly recommend ‘Wings Across the Border’ by Derrick Pratt and Mike Grant if you wish to learn more.

THE SPENCER AIRSHIP
It was from here, it appears, that the Spencer Airship operated from in August 1906 and on the 17^th, (or possibly 18^th?), Miss Gertrude Bacon, (daughter of the Rev. John Bacon of balloon enterprise fame), became the first women to fly in a British airship.

Taking off at 19.30 they eventually landed two miles beyond Wellington at around midnight.