If you were to hear the words ‘Surrey’ and ‘aviation’ mentioned together, you might be forgiven for immediately thinking of nearby aviation centres such as Farnborough or Hatfield. However, Surrey’s own connections with the aviation industry are both extensive and historically significant. The county was not simply a place where aircraft were built; it played an important role in the development of British aviation itself.
From the earliest days of powered flight at Brooklands to the development and testing of some of Britain’s most significant military and passenger aircraft, Surrey became a centre for innovation, engineering and experimentation. Pioneering pilots learned to fly here, designers developed revolutionary ideas, and thousands of aircraft were manufactured and tested across sites including Brooklands and Wisley.
The legacy of these achievements can still be seen across the county today. Several roads and streets in and around Surrey are named after some of the aviation industry’s most famous designers, engineers and pioneers, serving as everyday reminders of the people whose work helped shape the course of British aviation.
Brooklands – Where Surrey’s Aviation Story Really Takes Off
Brooklands Museum opened in Weybridge in 1907 as the world’s first purpose built motor racing circuit, but aviation quickly became part of its identity. The site very quickly became a huge aircraft manufacturing and design centre. Out of the site came some legendary military and civilian planes before it opened as a public museum in 1991.
It was 1915 when Vickers started manufacturing aircraft at the museum. This came after they had initially opened a flying school at the site in 1912. Vickers became Vickers-Armstrong in 1929 and in 1939 when World War Two began, both the Vickers-Armstrongs and Hawker aircraft companies had exclusive use of the Brooklands site for military aircraft production.
The entirety of the Brooklands site was purchased by Vickers in 1946 and they proceeded to not only design, but continue building a variety of aircraft there too. This included the Vickers Viking, which entered service in the mid-1940s and was used by airlines including British European Airways.
Brooklands did of course also play an important role in the manufacture of the world famous Concorde, helping Surrey become part of one of the most ambitious commercial aviation projects ever undertaken.
Barnes Wallis – The Surrey Engineer Who Changed Aviation
Barnes Wallis joined Vickers at Brooklands in 1913, initially working on airships before turning to aircraft design. He became particularly interested in geodetic construction, an innovative way of creating lightweight yet remarkably strong aircraft structures.
His ideas were incorporated into the Vickers Wellington aircraft. Designed by Rex Pierson, the Wellington’s geodetic structure gave it considerable strength and allowed it to withstand significant battle damage. The prototype first flew from Brooklands in 1936, and more than 2,500 Wellingtons were eventually built at the Surrey site.
Wallis continued his research at Brooklands, looking in to high-speed and high-altitude flights. A huge Stratosphere Chamber was constructed at the site in 1946, allowing researchers to investigate conditions encountered at extreme altitudes.
Wallis’s career reflects the remarkable transformation of aviation during his lifetime – from early aircraft and airships to wartime aircraft and the emerging age of high-speed flight.
His legacy remains an important part of Brooklands today, where the museum preserves his Stratosphere Chamber and a Vickers Wellington. His story is a powerful reminder that Surrey’s aviation heritage is not simply about the aircraft that were built here, but also about the engineers and innovators whose ideas helped make new generations of aviation possible.
Tommy Sopwith – The Surrey Pioneer Who Helped Shape British Aviation
Few individuals are as closely associated with the early development of aviation as Sir Thomas Sopwith, better known as Tommy Sopwith. He arrived at Brooklands in 1910, when powered flight was still in its infancy, and went on to become one of Britain’s most influential aviation pioneers.
Sopwith taught himself to fly at Brooklands, surviving an unsuccessful first attempt before gaining his Royal Aero Club pilot’s certificate within a month. In December 1910, he won the £4,000 Baron de Forest Prize for the longest flight from England to the Continent by a British-built aircraft, flying from Dover to Belgium.
Brooklands soon became much more than a place for Sopwith to fly. In 1912, he established the Sopwith School of Flying at the aerodrome and founded the Sopwith Aviation Company. Although the company’s manufacturing premises were in Kingston upon Thames, Brooklands remained central to its operations, with aircraft brought to the aerodrome for final assembly and testing. Working with colleagues including Australian test pilot Harry Hawker, Sopwith developed a succession of aircraft during the First World War, including the Tabloid, Triplane, Camel and Snipe.
After achieving great success, Sopwith purchased the Horsley Towers Estate, where he lived from 1919. Having co-founded Hawker Aviation, he also named an aircraft after his Horsley home; the Hawker Horsley. Despite achieving such great success, there came a time when Sopwith had some financial difficulties and made the decision to divide the land of his estate and sell off some of the plots individually. One of these plots was sold to renowned builder Frank Chown, and we currently have the property for sale with us; the wonderful Dove Cottage.
Wisley Airfield – An Important Part of The Story
Whilst Brooklands was very much at the centre of aircraft manufacturing and testing for Vickers Aviation for many years, the development of increasingly large post-war aircraft meant that the nearby Wisley Airfield became an important part of the story. Once Wisley had been developed from a grass airfield into a site with a fully tarmac runway, its longer runway offered greater scope for testing larger and heavier aircraft. Brooklands, meanwhile, had limited opportunities for further expansion because of the surrounding urban development.
Wisley therefore became an important testing ground for some of Vickers’ most significant post-war aircraft. The airfield’s longer runway allowed test pilots to put new aircraft through their paces, making it a natural extension of the work taking place at Brooklands and helping Surrey retain its position at the forefront of British aviation.
One of the most famous aircraft to make its maiden flight from Wisley was the Vickers Viscount, which took to the skies for the first time in 1948. The aircraft was a landmark in commercial aviation, becoming the world’s first turboprop-powered commercial passenger aircraft to fly and subsequently enter airline service. The Viscount was quieter and smoother than many earlier piston-engined airliners and proved popular with both airlines and passengers. It was operated by carriers around the world, meaning that an aircraft developed and tested in Surrey went on to connect cities and countries across the globe.
Surrey as a County has plenty of history to it, much of which has been written about in our previous blog, Exploring Surrey’s Rich History . However, many are not aware of the strong ties to the aviation industry and how instrumental sites such as Brooklands were to so many airliners. It’s safe to say that Surrey is a place with so much more to it than beautiful homes and landscapes.
