Did you know we had a run way

[Chris R]

2 images in cluster Hesketh Park Aerodrome Heritage in SD3419 :: Geograph Britain and Ireland

It was along Hesketh Rd, you can still see the tarmac.

[Alikado]

2 images in cluster Hesketh Park Aerodrome Heritage in SD3419 :: Geograph Britain and Ireland

It was along Hesketh Rd, you can still see the tarmac.

I think I read somewhere a long time ago that the tarmaced area was where the Hanger / assembly area was and the planes were wheeled down to the shore and the beach was the runway. I remember the hanger being there and seem to remember that Giro housed his Dragon Rapide plane there.

[Hamble]

https://www.forgottenairfields.com/a...rome-1249.html

Fascinating.

[Little Londoner]

The hangar was also used as a bus garage and the Civil Defence also kept their vehicles in it.

[silver fox]

2 images in cluster Hesketh Park Aerodrome Heritage in SD3419 :: Geograph Britain and Ireland

It was along Hesketh Rd, you can still see the tarmac.

There is a board mounted there giving information, interestingly at one time Spitfires were assembled there and later during the war Spitfires were flown in, disassembled, crated then taken to Liverpool for delivery to other war zones, the runway was as stated, the beach, Hesketh rd being the taxiway.

[Blackrock]

2 images in cluster Hesketh Park Aerodrome Heritage in SD3419 :: Geograph Britain and Ireland

It was along Hesketh Rd, you can still see the tarmac.

You learn something new every day! I was born & bred in Southport in the 50's and never knew anything about this. In my defence however, I did live in the Birkdale area and hardly ever got to see the Hesketh Park side of town.

[Hamble]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpu62Ga_YKQ

[Alikado]

https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/operator/Giro%20Aviation

https://www.baaa-acro.com/operator/giro-aviation

https://www.seftoncoast.org.uk/artic..._aviation.html

http://www.lancashireatwar.co.uk/hes...ome/4595194542

https://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/n...story-12059256
noted ;- 'However, by 1868 the sea had retreated, so a 260-yard long extension was added to the pier' that was 150 years ago!

Off topic but worth a look.

https://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/n...thport-9023437

https://www.qlocal.co.uk/showthread.php?t=50369554

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=...iation&f=false

[said]

There is a board mounted there giving information, interestingly at one time Spitfires were assembled there and later during the war Spitfires were flown in, disassembled, crated then taken to Liverpool for delivery to other war zones, the runway was as stated, the beach, Hesketh rd being the taxiway.

There is another notice board in The Queen's Jubilee Gardens with a mention to a runway somewhere around there.

[salus.populi]

There is another notice board in The Queen's Jubilee Gardens with a mention to a runway somewhere around there.

There was an airstrip on the beach for pleasure flights between Weld Road and the Esplanade opposite where the Queens Jubilee nature trail is.

[The PNP]

There was an airstrip on the beach for pleasure flights between Weld Road and the Esplanade opposite where the Queens Jubilee nature trail is.

I remember that too. Part of the beach was roped-off, to protect the runway area. Later on, someone briefly tried operating a hovercraft service from here, across to Lytham.

[salus.populi]

I remember that too. Part of the beach was roped-off, to protect the runway area. Later on, someone briefly tried operating a hovercraft service from here, across to Lytham.

I thought the hovercraft launched by the pier.

[The PNP]

I thought the hovercraft launched by the pier.

I believe it did, though never saw it myself. A pity it stopped. Hovercraft ferries seem to have been unsuccessful elsewhere too....The cross-Channel 'Hoverspeed' service went the same way.

[said]

I believe it did, though never saw it myself. A pity it stopped. Hovercraft ferries seem to have been unsuccessful elsewhere too....The cross-Channel 'Hoverspeed' service went the same way.

I went out on that Hovercraft - viewed all the old wrecks in the area. Igot on it somewhere on the Beach, I think - between the pier and where the slip way now is.

[Snig's foot]

This area has a great history of pioneering in aviation and motor sport.
Early aero pioneers liked our coast: it was convenient for crash landing in the sea (crash landing was a common occurrence). There were extensive areas of fairly flat sand good enough for take-off and landing. The local councils were willing to allow the activities to occur, and for the building of hangars on the beaches and local areas.
In the 1910s one third of pilot's licences in Britain were held by locals or people with hangars in this area.
The first hangars to be built locally were at Freshfield where 4 hangars were constructed (with the doors facing inland so that sand did not build up against them); these were at the end of Victoria Road (i.e. now well out to sea!)
Southport Corporation had received several enquiries about building aircraft hangars...they turned them down, but recognised an opportunity and built their own on Hesketh Road, then rented it out to John Gaunt (another local pioneer) who built aeroplanes there, and flew them.
Claude Grahame-White was already a famous aviation pioneer when he came to Southport in 1911 to give aeroplane demonstrations, these attracted a lot of attention and caused more aviators to congregate here.
Henry Melly flew from Southport, then built hangars at the end of Sandheys Avenue in Waterloo, and flew from there.
More record breaking took place in the 1930s when top US pilot Dick Merrill was employed by night club owner and amateur aviator Harry Richman to fly Richman's plane on a round trip across the Atlantic. Transatlantic flights had been in relatively small planes up to then and were very dangerous: many people had been killed in the attempt (the USA even made transatlantic flight illegal for a few years because of the risks involved). A two-way Atlantic flight had not been done before; Richman's plane was bigger, and he hoped to set some records. To ensure his survival if they ditched in the sea Richman stuffed the plane with 40,000 ping-pong balls so that it would float. They set off from New York in September 1936, after encountering a storm they made a forced landing in Carmarthanshire, refuelled and flew on to London (Croydon airport). Then followed a brief flight to Paris and back for R&R. They then wanted a great circle route back to New York, so needed to take off as far west as possible in north west England. The prevailing winds ruled out Liverpool airport so they requested a take-off from Southport, which was granted. They took off from the beach, going south from Weld Rd towards Ainsdale at 3.00 in the morning on a 'runway' marked out by lanterns provided by Southport Corporation and Southport Motor Club. After crash landing in Newfoundland they repaired the plane and made it back to New York, nineteen days after leaving.
Dick Merrill returned the following year with another professional pilot, Jack Lambie. The idea this time was to make the first 'commercial' return transatlantic flight, carrying valuable cargo on both legs. They took off from New York in a Lockheed Electra on 9th May 1937 carrying mail, but also newsreel film of the Hindenburg disaster which happened on the 6th. They landed in Essex on the 11th, then flew to Ainsdale, Dick Merrill had again chosen Southport to begin his return.
They planned to return on the 13th, this time with newsreel of George VI's Coronation, however, fog round London meant the plane from London could not deliver them, so they took off without, but did have some 'first-day' covers of Coronation stamps to be taken to the US. The plane took off from Ainsdale beach heading towards Birkdale. The plane landed in New York 24 hours after leaving Ainsdale.
It is this plane that is the sculpture at Ainsdale roundabout on the Coast Road.

Motor racing was also a big draw in the early 20th century. The only race circuit on mainland Britain was Brooklands, racing on roads was banned, even when they were closed. Therefore motor racing took place on roads in Ireland (North and the Republic), the Isle of Man, and on beaches where conditions were favourable. There were a few private roads where motor racing took place...these were often promenades at seaside resorts; races and time trials took place at Southport, Bexhill, Wallasey and others.
Southport was a favourite for sand racing on the beach and had major events in the 1920s and 30s featuring major motor racers of the day such as Billy Cotton, Freddie Dixon and others.
The ultimate was Henry Seagrave setting a world landspeed record on the sands in 1926 driving a Sunbeam, putting Southport into quite a short list of venues where land speed records have been set.
Let's not forget that there are only three venues where the British Grand Prix have been held since the current championships started in 1950: Silverstone, Brand's Hatch and Aintree.