De Havilland and Brooklands Museums.

Airframes · Mar 30, 2019

Thanks for the additional info Grant. I just posted an abridged version of what the onboard guide told me. He also showed me the same window, and explained how areas of the skin / frame were glued too.
Buff, you're probably correct - I didn't read the small placard, assuming the mould was for the Mossie. Fairly sure there was once one at the museum.

The new hangar, under construction, is in front of the existing small hangar, at 90 degrees to it, and is well underway. This should improve the display lay out considerably.
I'll post some more pics later, when my wrists and habds are working properly, after some pain killers.

Airframes · Mar 30, 2019

Continuing with the final two batches from the De Havilland Museum.

PIC 1. Sea Vixen.
PICS 2 to 4. Former Swiss air Force Vampire FB 6.
PIC 5. Chipmunk, a type I used to get to fly now and then.
PIC 6. Replica Comet racer.
PICS 7 and 8. Hornet Moth from 1935.

Airframes · Mar 30, 2019

Final batch from the De Havilland Museum.

PIC 1 Tiger Moth crop sprayer, with a Tiger Moth 'Queen Bee' behind.
PIC 2. De Havilland Cierva Gyrocopter.
PIC 3. HS 125.
PIC 4. Heron.
PIC 5. Dove, smaller relation to the Heron.
PICS 6 and 7. Comet 4 flight deck.
PIC 8. Dragon Rapide under restoration.

I'll start posting pics from the Brooklands Museum tomorrow.

fubar57 · Mar 30, 2019

Great cockpit shot from the Venom

Gnomey · Mar 30, 2019

Lovely shots Terry!

Crimea_River · Mar 30, 2019

Beauties Terry. Thanks for cobbling these together.

Airframes · Mar 31, 2019

Part 2 - The Brooklands Museum

Although Karl and I visited primarily to see the aircraft and aviation exhibits, and in particular the Vickers Wellington recovered from Loch Ness, I also had a great interest in the history of Brooklands itself, as the birth place of British motor racing, and the 'Golden Age' of racing between the two World Wars.
Apart from the aviation connection, this Museum also displays a large collection of historic racing cars from the early days to present day, and there is also a large London Transport Museum on-site (which we didn't visit), as well as the historic buildings and a section of the famous banked race circuit, of which more later.

But first, a little background to Brooklands.
Located at the once small village of Brooklands, near Weybridge in Surrey, north west of London, the World's first purpose-built circuit was opened in 1907, and consisted of a large, semi-oval track, most of which was banked, and a long, sloping start / finish straight, with a concrete surface. The circuit measured 2.75 miles.
The Clubhouse, garages, and member's enclosures etc were at the northern end, where the museum is today, with the central area being Brooklands aerodrome, with the Brooklands Aviation HQ buildings at the south west edge of the field, inside the circuit.
Racing took place between 1907 and 1939, when the site was taken over by the government for the location of the enlarged Vickers Armstrong aircraft factory, and perhaps the most famous name at this time was Dr. Barnes Wallis, who not only designed the Wellesley and Wellington, but also, of course, invented the 'Upkeep' mine, 'Tallboy' and 'Grand Slam' bombs, among others. (more of his work will be shown later in the thread).
Post war, the site was expanded, inside and beyond the circuit to the west, to become the Vickers Weybridge factory, where such types as the Viking, Viscount and VC 10 were built. With nationalisation of Britain's aircraft industry in the 1960's, Vickers became part of the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC), later British Aerospace then BAe, and the site eventually closed in the early 1980's.
The area once occupied by the Weybridge factory and airfield, is now the huge 'Mercedes World' complex, with race and test tracks on the former runway and taxi tracks, with the south west corner of the former racing circuit now a retail park (still enclosed by part of the banked circuit).
The Museum still has such buildings as the original British Automobile Racing Club clubhouse, most of the original race circuit wooden buildings, part of the start / finish straight, banked circuit and 'Member's Bridge', and the original Vickers 'Bellman' hangar, the latter having been moved a few meters and re-clad.

It's not really possible to show all of the exhibits in detail (and there are a lot of cars !) without making this thread rather long and packed with photos, so I will attempt to cover the main areas of interest with a few key photos, starting with the Museum site.

PIC 1. Taken from the Museum guide leaflet, this shows the layout of the Museum.
PIC 2. A period photo showing the Brooklands circuit and aerodrome as it was in the 1920's.
PIC 3. This large display in one of the buildings shows the original circuit, with the Brooklands Aviation site at left, and the Clubhouse area (the present museum site) at the right, with start / finish straight. The preserved banked track and 'Member's Bridge' can be seen at the top, right hand corner.
PICS 4 and 5. The preserved BARC Clubhouse, part of which is a cafe.
PICS 6 to 8. Inside the 'Sunbeam Cafe', named after the Sunbeam racing cars, with some vehicles on display.
PIC 9. The Member's Billiard Room, preserved as it was in the 1930's.
PIC 10. The Club Secretary / Stewards Office at it used to look.

I'll post some more tomorrow, if I'm still awake after a ten hour session of medication at the hospital !

Gnomey · Mar 31, 2019

Great shots Terry!

fubar57 · Mar 31, 2019

Agreed

Crimea_River · Apr 1, 2019

Interesting history. Never knew.

Airframes · Apr 4, 2019

Thanks very much chaps, and apologies for the delay in posting,
Been resting, under Doctor's orders, after an infusion of 'wonder drug' medication on Monday. Also, the darned central heating has decided it doesn't want to play for the last couple of days, just as the temperature has dropped after a warm spell, and it's bl**dy freezing in my house, so back to stiff hands and wrists !
Anyway, back to the thread.
Being the 'birthplace' of British motor-sport,, Brooklands has a lot of very rare cars on display, as previously mentioned, from the very early days, to the present.
I'll start off with a selection of some of them, which I'll attempt to 'spread' evenly through the thread, inter-mixed with the aviation connection and, later in the thread, the star attraction, the 'Loch Ness' Wellington.

One of the first things we saw on arrival, was this beauty.
No prizes for guessing what it is (although I'm blowed if I can remember the model number !!).

More to follow tomorrow.

KiwiBiggles · Apr 4, 2019

Possibly the Ferrari 355 S of 1957

nuuumannn · Apr 4, 2019

when my wrists and habds are working properly, after some pain killers.

Well, take it easy Terry. I do enjoy your threads though, your additional historic info is always interesting mate.

Ooo Brooklands. It's a great place.

Airframes · Apr 5, 2019

Thanks chaps, and yes KB, you may be right.
As far as I know, the Ferrari was visiting, and was near two Mustangs (the four-wheeled variety), 'limited edition' types, there for a photo-shoot.

I'll post more later today.

Gnomey · Apr 5, 2019

Lovely shots Terry!

Wurger · Apr 5, 2019

Airframes · Apr 5, 2019

Thanks Hugh and Wojtek.

Concerning the Ferrari, I've just remembered I overheard a conversation, suggesting that this was a replica based on the 355S (of which I believe only four of the originals were built), but I believe that the engine and main parts are genuine Ferrari. The originals had 'vents' in the side panels.
Replica or not, it was a superb car.

A few more of the car collections, with some of the early racers, before moving on to other areas of the Museum site.

PICS 1 and 2. Singer 9hp from 1933, Riley (?), Wolsley racer and Morgan three-wheeler two seat.
PICS 3 and 4. 1932 Cuthbert Riley 9 hp Special, raced at Brooklands.
PIC 5. Bentley, of course, this one from 1929.
PIC 6. 1927 Bentley 4.5 liter.
PICS 7 and 8. Lagonda (replica, I believe based on original parts.) A stunning example, down to the last detail.
PICS 9 and 10. This beast, from 1931, is a Clemons 4.25 liter, on a 1927 Dussenberg chassis.

All of the cars on display are operational, and are displayed regularly at Brooklands, and other events in the UK.

More to follow soon ..................