Former Airship Shed At Moat Farm

Former Balloon Shed at Moat Farm

This is a former World War I balloon shed, originally built for the Royal Navy Air Service and moved to its current location at Moat Farm after 1920. It was subsequently converted to use as a grain store. The building has been subject to mid and late 20th-century alterations.

The shed is constructed with a timber frame and corrugated metal cladding. It is rectangular in plan, oriented north-south, with a large entrance to the south. A brick outshut and tank are located to the west. The corrugated cladding and roof materials are all mid to late 20th-century replacements. A dormer was added during the mid to late 20th century to allow for a projecting grain drier. These external features are not of special architectural interest.

The principal feature of interest is the interior timber frame, which survives from the original balloon shed. The frame employs a 'hoop' construction with a triangular apex and collar, supplemented by horizontal and diagonal bracing. RNAS and Admiralty numbers are stamped on the frame, reading 'KBIII WH'. Additional supports have been provided by former electricity poles, and the purlins have been replaced. These later additions are not of special interest. Grain bins with a walkway and a grain drier of mid to late 20th-century date are located along the west wall.

Historical Context

Prior to World War I, British aviation activities were divided between different organisations. Aerodromes were operated by the Royal Flying Corps, established in 1912, while specialist aviation stations for airships and seaplanes fell under the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). Airship stations required mooring facilities, gas generators, and balloon sheds but did not need coastal locations. The seaplane stations, by contrast, required waterside sites with launching slipways. A nearby RNAS site was established at Kingsnorth, St Mary Hoo, and is believed to be the origin of the Moat Farm building.

During World War I, naval airships provided air observation of German submarines threatening shipping in the North Sea and English Channel. Although Farnborough in Hampshire was the location of the earliest airship trials, including the development of the first Submarine Scout (SS) airship (approved February 1915), the second airship was rapidly moved to Kingsnorth for trials. Farnborough's airship station was subsequently abandoned as aeroplane squadrons expanded there, and personnel and airships were transferred to Kingsnorth, which became the headquarters for naval airships. The Kingsnorth station was operational from 1915 until 1920. Demolition of the site probably took place after circa 1930, when the former airship station was sold.

This shed is one of only sixteen such balloon sheds designed and built by Dalacombe Marechal & Hervieu Ltd for the Navy's early small Submarine Scout non-rigid airships. The design was complex, but erection was straightforward; the company claimed that 40 men could erect one in just 10 hours. Construction involved erecting A-frame trestles first at 12 feet 6 inches centres (total length 175 feet), each fitted with a worm-driven winch for raising or lowering the roof. The central portion of the roof trusses was assembled on the ground, including purlins, rafters, and canvas covering or corrugated metal sheeting, then raised and locked in place with automatic catches. The trestles were braced with wire ropes and the complete shed was canvas clad.

The roof section at Moat Farm is unusual in length: these sheds were designed for a total length of 175 feet, but this example is 215 feet long. This may represent either an unusually long variant of the design or an amalgamation of two sheds with an extra 40 feet added. Two sheds were understood to exist at Kingsnorth, though the form of the other remains undocumented, making such an amalgamation plausible.