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By: - 25th September 2008 at 12:31 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Hi Roger
Can you get inside the building ??
Most old Hangars have the manufacturers name stamped or cast into the girders/support structure .... ie Dorman - Long etc
cheers baz
Posts: 1,067
By: - 25th September 2008 at 12:48 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
RAF Leuchars have a few pre-1930's hangars. Please see the link below and you will see one in the background. It has a domed roof like the blister but far more well engineer..
Regards,
Phil
By: - 25th September 2008 at 13:07 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
If you have no luck here, pop over to
http://airfieldinformationexchange.freeforums.org/
The fund of knowledge over there on this sort of thing is deeply impressive.
Moggy
By: - 25th September 2008 at 14:04 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Roger, do you mean this one?
'Hangar is part of our heritage
AMONG the buildings in Stoke Row that used to form part of the Rover factory, there is an aircraft hangar which, I understand, was where Rover built biplanes, pushed them out when completed and flew them from Barras Green.
This hangar is fronted by a row of terraced houses that were for the factory workers. The hangar cannot be seen from the road and has been forgotten but it does form part of the dwindling manufacturing heritage of this city.'
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/forums-blogs/coventry-telegraph-letters/2008/07/29/our-rubbish-still-needs-collecting-92746-21423235/
Martin
edit: pics deleted - wrong location
By: - 25th September 2008 at 15:48 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Wiesso,
Yes the letter in the local rag from June (I only saw it a few days ago) has prompted my enquiry. I tracked down the author of the letter then spoke to his "source" (who owns a car repair business on the same mini-industrial estate) who told me of the local folk-lore.
With the aerial pics you got the right area but it's a little more to the north (above you first pic and to the left of the second) - greyish roof with a hole in it.
bazv, no, not been able to access interior yet - I realize seeing the internal roof structure will be an important clue. There has been vague mention of keys but I got to push a bit more.
phantom phil, thanks for that but no, it's much smaller that a conventional RAF Station hangar
moggy - thanks for your response - will follow up.
Hopefully I have attached a pic I took today.
Roger Smith.
By: - 25th September 2008 at 20:50 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Couple of ariel views showing different aspects...
Thought they might help.
By: - 26th September 2008 at 07:30 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Used to be a couple of blister type hangar buildings just of Mercer avenue.
Lots of old units around Coventry thou. with all those old cycle works from the past etc,
The old Dawes cylce works still survive in some form in the Barras heath area.
as for your question on the old Hangars could be worth google earth around Mercer avenue area.
good luck with the search .
By: - 26th September 2008 at 14:33 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Despite the more modern brickwork - it still looks very similar in size and shape to a Bessonneau type.... I've been looking at some old photos online, and wonder if the framework originally used to support the canvas could have been re-used with new more substantial cladding?
Look at the similarities in the photo
http://pagesperso-orange.fr/aircollection/bessonneau2.htm
http://raf-lincolnshire.info/history/hangartypes.htm
By: - 26th September 2008 at 14:48 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
[QUOTE=hunterxf382;1302789]Couple of ariel views showing different aspects...QUOTE]
Yep, that's it.
'558 - I've had a look but can't see any likely candidates.
If anyone is interested I've been to our brand, spanking, new Local History facility this pm:-
The OS map for 1926 shows it, the one for 1913 doesn't.
Had a look at some surviving building approval plans - the triple-bay sheds with darker grey roofs to the north (between the building in question and Barras Green) were approved in April/May, 1920 (for the Midland Sidecar and Light Body Company). The white-roofed building to the south/adjoining the building in question was approved (for the Midland Light Bodies Company) in Aug/Sep, 1922. On the Block Plan for this latter 'our' building is shown and, intriuguingly someone has pencilled the word "hangar" on it!
The plot thickens! it does, then, seem possible it was erected during WW1 or, perhaps, it was bought as war surplus and moved to it's new site after the cessation of hostilities - how quickly did the RAF close down it's airfields?
Enquiries continue....
Roger Smith.
By: - 26th September 2008 at 14:54 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Despite the more modern brickwork - it still looks very similar in size and shape to a Bessonneau type.... I've been looking at some old photos online, and wonder if the framework originally used to support the canvas could have been re-used with new more substantial cladding?.......
You could well be right - I need to get to see the inside
Roger Smith.
By: - 26th January 2009 at 07:59 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
After 'phoning my "contact" (to whom I am grateful) every week since September and being told ".. the owner hasn't been around, maybe next week...." I tried again on Friday.
He is confident I will be able to access the building this week as a crew are due to demolish it!!!!!
It looks as if all I may be able to do is get a photographic record as it is pulled down :mad::mad:
Will be phoning him this am.
Roger Smith.
By: - 26th January 2009 at 08:50 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Sad to see another hangar being demolished.
If I ask very nicely, could you keep the Airfield Information Exchange forum updated as well please?
thanks
By: - 7th April 2009 at 01:24 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Got inside at last this afternoon - Monday 6th April.
The structure is not the same as the plan I've seen for a Bessoneau. However the original building is wood - nearly all bolted together like a giant meccano set. Each of the triangular shaped uprights which hold the roof trusses are at 13' 3" pitch. It reminds me of a Robin hangar - but made out of wood. I'm pretty sure from further research it was erected c.1921 as the proposal plans for the attached much larger steel building date from 1922 and refer to it as "Hangar".
At some time in it's past it has had a large, heavy-duty first floor installed over about half-span either side of the ridge-line. This structure has replaced the roof trusses for that half-span (although the purlins look original).
So, in summary, we have a central modern steel framed building with a quarter of an original wood framed hangar either side of it.
Hopefully photos are attached.
Roger Smith.
By: - 7th April 2009 at 07:28 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Interesting pictures - I was wondering what happened with this thread...
And how come it is still standing? It was due for demolition - is that still the case?
By: - 7th April 2009 at 07:31 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
No manufacturers name plates/carvings Roger ?,there is usually some clue left by manufacturers,but I do realise even if they do exist they could be difficult to find.The structure does have similarities to Bessonau/Robin.But I agree with HunterXF that the overall shape is more Bessonau.
cheers baz
By: - 7th April 2009 at 09:23 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Different internal structure to Bessonau, not by much but it is different.
Nice to see how period it stll looks on the inside. What is the future, has it bee reprieved?
By: - 7th April 2009 at 11:10 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Yep, thread went dormant as had nowt to report - I had been visiting the site about once a week and my contact had promised to ring me when someone connected turned up. This he did yesterday lunchtime. His opinion a while back was that when they start to demolish a start would be made at the other end of the site. I now understand from him that it has a temporary reprieve (perhaps due to the economic situation) - in fact he is to rent a smaller adjoining building for a while.
Only had a short time to look inside and didn't see any sign of any manufacturer's plates. Yes, the roof structure (trusses) looks very different to a Bessoneau or at least the only plan I have seen of one.
Have e-mailed Stow Marie curator who had wished to be kept informed. I've not been able to post photos (yet) on Airfield Info... Forum - although one member there reckoned "it" had been sold to a museum in New Zealand!!! Trying to find out more.
Roger Smith.
By: - 7th April 2009 at 12:20 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Forum - although one member there reckoned "it" had been sold to a museum in New Zealand!!! Trying to find out more.
Odd, apparently that is the possible fate of Odihams' Bessonau!?
By: - 7th April 2009 at 13:03 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Roger,and I am only thinking aloud here...how much of the original roof structure is left ?
I work in a 1917 2 bay with central support wall between the bays,but the roof has been completely replaced-so it now has a double pitch roof,you can still see the 'steps'where the original roof was mounted.
Also could the building have been internally modernised but kept the same external shape to keep planners happy,if so any clues might be at the sloping side supports/uprights,manufacturers usually like to put their mark on but of course it could be a small plate under layers of paint or even stamped /engraved on wood
cheers baz
By: - 9th April 2009 at 07:41 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I have a pdf file uploaded to my online storage area...that may help you its approx 3mb in size.
I can't remember where I got it from..... but it covers RAF ww2 hangers
http://www.esnips.com/r/hmfl/doc/f2b6446a-f7e5-4b73-8372-14473e4de679/hangertb_02-02
Posts: 2,895
By: RPSmith - 25th September 2008 at 11:45
Can anyone point me towards an on-line resource to identify the different designs of hangars please?
I've just been to look at a building (guessing it's size about 80ft span x 100ft long) in Stoke, Coventry that local folk-lore apparently says "Rover (the car company) built biplanes in and wheeled them onto nearby Barras Heath to fly". Plans have been submitted to demolish and replace with housing.
To my knowledge there were five companies that built aeroplanes in Coventry during WW1 - and Rover wasn't one of them. There were two Aircraft Acceptance Parks in Coventry and Barras Heath wasn't one of them either. Also I've never seen any other reference to Rover being involved in aeronautical production prior to the late 1930s.
Although difficult to look at (it's rather hemmed in by other structures) the building looks a bit like a hangar (as opposed to most industrial buildings) and the next step is to consult OS maps to see if I can find out approximately when it was erected.
The roof is similar to a blister-type but with a definite ridge-line and I can't see whether the roof edges stand on walls or extend down to ground level.
Roger Smith.