Bristol icons

Image: © Neil Owen Taken: 17 Oct 2017

There are two main thrusts to Sir George White (1854–1916): his vision and entrepreneurial talent allowed him to found Bristol's tramway system and also found some of the first attempts to conquer the air. A Bristol double-decker (TWS910T) stands as part of the Aerospace Bristol Collection here at Filton. The bus itself started life as a chassis (VRT/SL3/1677) built in Bristol, with the coachwork ECW 23063 Series 2 and fitted with a Gardner 6LXB engine. It entered service in March 1979 and retired in April, 1994; it was restored in the local company's Tilling green and is now part of the collection. The location is part of the new Collection Trust's new premises at Filton. The history of the important airfield and manufacturing base stretches back around a century. Part of the remaining buildings include this fine example of a 'Belfast truss' hangar, built around 1917-18. At that time, aircraft manufacture was a new but vital part of the war effort; with so many machines being made, it often became a problem delivering them. To ease congestion, aircraft acceptance parks were established and Filton was R.F.C. A.A.P. number 5. Originally there were up to thirteen such hangars but now only two remain; the museum occupies this one and it is a listed building.

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