Wandsworth
WANDSWORTH: Balloon and Airship launching site
Note: This picture was obtained from Google Earth ©
Location: Wandsworth Gas Works
NOTES: I found this account of a balloon launch here on the 25th May 1907 by C C Turner in his wonderful book Old Flying Days published in around 1927:
“The balloon, which was the largest in Great Britain and was named “The Mammoth”, had been built by the late A. E. Gaudron, a Frenchman domiciled in this country and connected by marriage with that famous ballooning family, the Spencers. Several journalists were invited,
(Turner says he was invited simply because he was available for duty that Saturday), to take part in a trial ascent……”
“Including the aeronaut, Gaudron, there were fifteen of us crowded in the big basket of “Mammoth”, which, fully inflated, held 108,000 cubic feet of gas, and which measured 59 ft in maximum diameter. The ascent was made from Wandsworth gas works, and for most of us it was the first experience of ballooning. Apart from the unpleasant crowding which prevented freedom of movement, the experience was intensely interesting. We drifted very slowly westwards up river, and we saw several other balloons, for the Aero Club were busy that day on one of their sporting events. The air was warm and clear, and the views were remarkable to our inexperienced eyes, although we never went higher than about 2,000feet.”
“Towards the end of the trip thunderstorms were gathering around, and it was decided to land before we got into their influence. We landed as lightly as a feather in a field about three miles west of Basingstoke, having taken three hours to travel 60 miles; and no sooner had we landed than the rain came down in torrents. With one of the party I walked back to Basingstoke, and being drenched to the skin put up for night.”
It is claimed that during 1910 the ‘Spencer’ airship was fuelled with coal gas from the gas works in Wandsworth to attempt a flight to Olympia, about three miles away. Some people regarded the Spencer airship as being nothing more than “a powered balloon.” A ‘Spencer’ airship was sighted flying over north Ealing at one point.
To put this intended flight into some form of perspective it was during 1910 that the DELAG operation in Germany had established nigh on scheduled services across Germany using Zeppelin airships. Also, in the UK Ernest T Willows was making considerable progress in 1910 having made a flight in his design of airship from Cardiff to London and the first British airship flight from London to Paris. I’d like to know where he departed from in London?
A trawl through the inter-web will reveal pictures of balloons, and at least one of an airship, at this location.
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