Brough to Close

[Garry Russell]

The old Blackburn factory at Brough is to cease manufacturing after almost 100 years

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-17217153

[GHD]

Sad. I was interviewed at Brough for my first job in 1959. It certainly was an ancient facility then, they were making Buccaneers.

I didn't accept the job but went to Avro.

[TobyV]

Can't keep a factory open if there's nothing to build. I often wonder how the modern philosophy of having a few highly sophisticated aircraft would pan out if they were actually called upon to defend this country. When we think of the rate of which we were [capable] of producing military aircraft during WWII and the vast total numbers (e.g. 22,000 Spitfires, 7,000 Lancasters) and compare that to the handfuls we have today. We are geared up really only for wars against powers far less equipped than ourselves where the result is more or less a foregone conclusion.

Looking at sites (factories or factory/test airfields) that have closed (incomplete list I am sure):

Castle Bromwich (Vickers) 1945
Chilbolton (Vickers-Superarine / Folland) 1961
Moreton-Valence (Glosters) 1963?
Brockworth/Hucclecote (Glosters) 1964
Radlett (Handley-Page) 1970
Wisley (Vickers/BAC) 1973
Bitteswell (Armonstrong Whitworth/HSA/BAe) 1983
Weybridge (Vickers/BAC/BAe) 1987
Kingston upon Thames (Hawkers/HSA/BAe) 1992
Hatfield (de Havilland/HSA/BAe) 1993
Dunsfold (Hawkers/HSA/BAe) 1999
Chadderton (Avro/HSA/BAe/BAES) 2011
Woodford (Avro/HSA/BAe/BAES) 2012
Filton (Bristol/BAC/BAe/BAES) 2012
Brough (Blackburn/HSA/BAe/BAES) 2013

Factory at Christchurch? (DH/HSA)
Factory at Portsmouth (Airspeed/DH/HSA ~1960s?)
Supermarine Factory Woolston?
Supermarine Factory Eastleigh (~1950s?)
Hunting factory (Luton?)
Vickers/BAC factory Hurn?


leaving:
Hawarden/Broughton (Vickers/de Havilland/HSA/BAe/Airbus)
Warton (EE/BAC/BAe/BAES)
Samlesbury (EE/BAC/BAe/BAES)
Prestwick (SA/BAe/BAES)
Yeovil (Westland/GKN Westland/Agusta Westland)
Hamble-le-rice? (Folland/HSA/BAe/Aerostructures
Shorts/Belfast (as Bombardier)
GKN plants?
Britten Norman (Bembridge / Lee-on-Solent)?
Martin-Baker (Chalgrove)
...?

[Garry Russell]

For so long there has been no serious attempt to replace the current products

So as they wind down the shut the doors afterwards until they can sell no more and then just give up and buy foreign then wonder why there is mass unemployment among the working classes.


What is the status of the Saro factory at Cowes???...Hovercraft???

[TobyV]

Hi Garry, I think it was BHC for a while, then GKN. Some websites say still they have some facilities there but the big hangar with the Union Jack on it was until 2009 the Vestas wind turbine factory. That is now closed and I am not sure what the building is. I think both airfields on the Isle of Wight have also closed in recent years and I believe B-N Islander production was or had shifted to Lee-on-the-Solent. Hoverwork and Griffon Hovercraft have merged and from what I could see on my last trip on the train to Southampton around Christmas time, the Griffon factory close to where Supermarines once was had also now gone.

[Garry Russell]

Cheers Toby

Some things get a bit muddy after a while

[DaveB]

Unless the name has changed.. that would be Lee-On-Solent matey Didn't realise BN had moved there though I did read somewhere once that they needed bigger facilities

ATB
DaveB

[Garry Russell]

Funny thing Dave

I went there a few times and it was Lee-On-Solent as far as I knew but if you said that to the locals they immediately corrected it to Lee-On-The Solent

It is as if they pointed out the name of the the name of the town was different from the base.

Always made me think

Or....maybe the 'the' was a proper name and the lack of 'the' a popular name they didn't like for the sake of tradition.

There are many local areas here where the maps show popular names rather than the correct version

Whatever the reality, the Lee locals were keen to correct.

[TSR2]

According to the company website B-N group operate from both Sandown and Daedalus

They pulled out of Bembridge in Dec 2010

[DaveB]

Hi Garry..

It's probably like Goring on the other side of the river to Streatley. Many call it Goring on Thames but the actual signage says Goring. I lived at the rear of Daedalus on the married patch at Rowner and never heard Lee refered to as anything other than Lee on Solent so I guess the 'the' was either dropped or remains optional.. for those wanting a little bit more on their addresses

Rgr on BN Ben. I thought they still had a presence on the IoW

ATB
DaveB