Trengwainton House
TRENGWAINTON HOUSE: Temporary aerodrome
Operated by: Gustav Hamel
Location: About 1.7nm WNW of Penzance town centre
Period of operation: 23rd and 24th Sepember 1913
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
We have Mike Holder, a great friend of this 'Guide', to thank for both discovering this location and providing the maps and newspaper articles.
This first article was published in the Cornishman on the18th September 1913. It gives a good insight into the amount of advance planning required for such a brief visit.
THE EVENT TAKES PLACE - ALBEIT WITH INITIAL WEATHER PROBLEMS
This article, in five parts, was later published in the Cornishman on the 25th September 1913.
The third article was published in the Commercial, Shipping & General Advertiser for West Cornwall on the 26th September 1913.
The area view is from my Google Earth © derived database. The view looking south is of the field we think was probably used. If anybody can kindly offer advice, this will be most welcome.
NOTES: Today it might seem quite incredible just how quickly aviation advanced. Within just a few years in the U.K. after the first recorded powered flights were taking place, roughly around 1909, by 1912 it was already commonplace for 'exhibitions of flying' being arranged at numerous venues. Easy enough to understand for those early aviators as, if managed wisely, such displays could be very lucrative with huge crowds attending.
One aspect we probably forget about today, is that for most of the public, they had never seen an aeroplane, let alone one flying and giving public displays, especially in the more remote parts the country. The arrival of just one aeroplane at such events really was sensational and the aviators hailed as heroes.
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