Bellman Hangar, Brooklands Museum

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 04/04/2019

TQ 06 SE 374/4/10052

BOROUGH OF ELMBRIDGE Weybridge Brooklands Road Bellman Hangar, Brooklands Museum

(Formerly listed as Bellman Hangar, Brooklands Museum, Weybridge)

GV II Bellman hangar. Built late 1940 for Vickers-Armstrong on behalf of the Ministry of Aircraft Production. Manufactured by Head Wrightson and Co. Ltd of Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.

Corrugated iron cladding over steel frame of rolled sections, both walls and roof using the same standard units joined at their junction by a standard corner unit. Rectangular plan, 180 x 95 x 25 foot, with sliding doors in the end gables. Interior has exposed steel frame.

HISTORY: construction on this hangar and three others on the Vickers factory site commenced on September 16th, at the height of the Battle of Britain and after the Luftwaffe's devastating raid on the Vickers factory at Brooklands, and it was completed on the 12th December. These hangars had all been given a clear internal height of 25 feet, in order to accommodate Vickers Wellington bombers for the purpose of essential repair work.

Approximately 400 Bellman hangars were built on RAF and Ministry of Aircraft Production factory airfields, the majority of these having lower (16ft 6 inches) height which could not accommodate Wellingtons.

The Bellman hangar was aligned north-south on the Motor Circuit's finishing straight, but in 2017 was relocated to it current site off the finishing straight.

(Archives at and information from Brooklands Museum; Paul Francis, British Military Airfield Architecture, 1996)

Listing NGR: TQ0707262956