P1251328601SDHUY

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Hooton Park Airfield
Kim Noonan Year 9 (2007)
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Contents

1. Introduction
2. History of the Area
3. First Military Use
4. Conversion into non-military airport
5. The return for military use for World War II
6. Post-war
7. After the closure of the airfield
8. Inception of the Hooton Park Trust

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Introduction
Hooton Park, Cheshire, is an airfield originally
built for the Royal Flying Corps in 1917 as a
training aerodrome for pilots in World War I.
During the early/mid 1930s , it was one of the
two airfields (with Liverpool Speke) handling
scheduled services for the Merseyside region.
Hooton Park was home to 610 (County of Chester)
Squadron and, post World War II, to 611 (West
Lancashire) and 663 (AOP) Squadron.
The aerodrome closed in 1957 after the
disbandment of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, but
the three pairs of Belfast Truss hangers survived
the closure.
The small remaining section of the airfield site
is now owned and managed by the Hooton Park
Trust. Hooton Park is also home to The Griffin
Trust and The Aeroplane Collection
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History of the Area
In 1070, William the Conqueror granted the lands
of Hooton to Adam de Aldithly. Eventually they
passed to the Stanley Family thorough a series of
marriages. After the Battle of Bosworth, Hooton
had a new hall and the first Lord Derby in
Lancashire. A second half-timbered hall was built
in 1488. A third Italian-style hall was
constructed circa 1778 but this later sold to
cover the Stanley familys gambling debts in
1850. The hall was bought by a Mr. Naylor, a
wealthy Liverpool banker, for 82,000 guineas. He
spent a further 50,000 guineas on the addition of
a 100 foot tower, an art gallery, and a large
dining hall. He also built a racecourse, polo
ground, heronry, stud farm and a church in
Childer Thornton in memory of his first wife. His
yacht was moored on the Mersey but in the 1890's
the construction of the Manchester Shi Canal cut
off his access, so he moved to another of his
properties in Nottinghamshire. To avoid paying
rates the hall was emptied of contents and staff
but the estate continued to be farmed whilst the
racecourse and polo ground remained in use.
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First Military Use
On April 1, 1918, the Royal Flying Corps became
the Royal Air Force. By the end of the First
World War the 37 aircraft on charge were moved to
RAF Sealand and RAF Hooton Park was closed.
During the following years the
aerodrome reverted to farmland. The hangars were
empty and the hall was so damaged by military use
it was sold as a redevelopment opportunity and
subsequently demolished (although the racecourse
and polo ground remained).
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Conversion into a non-military Airport
The airfield site was purchased by a Mr. G.
Dawson, an air enthusiast. In the summer of 1927,
the Liverpool Corporation held an air pageant at
Hooton as part of its civic week. This show was
such a success that the Liverpool and District
Aero Club was formed. Dawson allowed the new club
to use his aerodrome for a fee. The club became
one of the most successful in the country in only
twelve months and was the centre for aviation in
the north. For three years the aerodrome served
as Liverpools airport. Dawson persuaded two RAF
engineering officers to resign and set up
companies at Hooton Nicholas Comper, who
designed and built the Comper Swift single
engined sporting monoplane and Douglas Pobjoy,
who supplied the Pobjoy radial engines. Dawson
ran into financial trouble and died in 1933. In
the same year, Liverpool Corporation opened Speke
Airfield as its airport. The flying club
subsequently moved there for cheaper hangarage
and clubhouse facilities. Comper moved to Heston
and closed his company. He died as the result of
a practical joke in 1939. Pobjoy went to work for
Short Brothers at Rochester, but was killed in a
mid air collision in 1946. Despite these setbacks
Hooton was still an important aerodrome with many
private owners and several small airlines
continuing to operate out of it.
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The return for military use for World War II
In 1935, Martin Hearn, an ex-pilot and -ground
engineer and who had previously worked for
Cobhams Flying Circus as a wing walker and
aerial trapeze artist, created Martin Hearn Ltd.,
employing a few mechanics to service the aircraft
using the aerodrome. In, 1936 number 610 (County
of Chester) Squadron Auxiliary Air Force was
formed at Hooton Park. Most of the pilots took
private flying lessons to qualify. One person
said, "Never have I seen so many Rolls Royce cars
in one spot at the same time an indication of
the pilots' typical social status. The squad was
initially a bomber squadron with Avro Tutor
trainers, Hawker Hind and Hart bombers. In 1939
it took charge of a flight of
Hurricanes that were quickly replaced by Mark 1
Spitfires. At the outbreak of the Second World
War on 3rd Sept 1939 the squadron was mobilised
and sent to Wittering for final training. At the
same time, Martin Hearn obtained a contract from
the Ministry of Aircraft Production to repair
large numbers of Avro Ansons as well as de
Havilland Mosquito fighter-bombers. As No. 7
Aircraft Assembly Unit, the work also included
the assembly of various types of American
aircraft that used to arrive at the Mersey docks.
Aircraft such as Mustang, Lightning and
Thunderbolt fighters as well as Boston Havoc and
Canadian built Handley Page Hampden bombers and
Harvard trainers.
The first helicopters used by the Allies were
also assembled and tested at Hooton towards the
end of the war. During the war years, Hooton
assembled and repaired thousands of aircraft. The
RAF operated a flight of Coastal Command Avro
Ansons, Tiger Moths and Hornet Moths on anti
submarine patrols during 1939 and 1940. No. 11
Radio School and No. 3 General Reconnaissance
School flew from the airfield. In 1941 the grass
airfield was transformed to include a 6000 foot
concrete runway one of the longest in Europe at
that time. As aircraft became redundant they were
sent from all over the country to No. 100 Sub
Storage Site at Hooton to be scrapped. The end of
the Second World War brought a decline in work to
Martin Hearn. The company then had to seek
peacetime work. To this end, buses were repaired,
armoured cars overhauled and Slingsby gliders
manufactured.
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Post-war
In 1947 Martin Hearns company was re-named
Aero-Engineering and Marine (Merseyside) and
Martin Hearn was no longer connected to it.
Martin Hearn went into partnership with Lily
Belcher and ran the Glider Club , adjacent to the
airfield at its north western corner , as a
successful and popular hotel for some 25 years.
The engineering company survived until 1955,
latterly servicing Canadair Sabre jet fighters
for the RCAF. Wing Commander "Wilbur" Wright
opened a flying school at Hooton and later a
gliding club was operated from the northern end
of the airfield. The gliding club survived as a
local wining and dining venue until 1986. In 1946
No. 610 Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force
returned to Hooton Park after valiant war service
flying Spitfires in the European theatre. No. 663
(AOP) Squadron was reformed at Hooton Park in
1949 using Auster spotting aircraft. In 1951 No.
610 Squadron received Meteor twin jet fighters
and No. 611 Squadron (West Lancashire) relocated
from Woodvale to use the longer Hooton runway
required for this type of aircraft. Both
squadrons operated as R.Aux.AF units from the
airfield until all Auxiliary flying squadrons
were disbanded in March 1957. At this point the
station was closed and all flying ceased at RAF
Hooton Park.
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After the closure of the Airfield
The closure of the aerodrome was not the end of
the story for Hooton Park it became the site of
the norths biggest agricultural show (The
Cheshire Show) until 1977 and the runways
continued to be used by Shell Research for
testing cars at high speed. In 1960 the site was
purchased by Vauxhall Motors for the construction
of a vehicle production plant at Ellesmere Port
the first car to roll off the production line
being the Vauxhall Viva.
In the summer of 1986 Hooton opened its gates for
two days to host the Wheels 86 Transport
Extravaganza. This event was so successful that
four other Wheels Shows (88,92, 94 and 96)
were held. Over 80,000 people attended these
events and many thousands of pounds were donated
to charities from the proceeds. For the first
time since 1957 the runways were used. Harrier
Jump jets thrilled the crowd and for a few
precious hours, cutting edge aviation technology
paid homage to this pioneering aviation site.
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Inception of the Hooton Park Trust
Early in the 1980s the group of four people
organising these events successfully approached
the local authority to obtain a preservation
order on the three historic World War One
hangars. English Heritage bestowed on the three
hangars a grade II listing in 1985 because of
their rarity as a group of three double bay
hangars utilising the Belfast truss form of
construction. In the late 1980s this group of
four people formed themselves into an alliance
called The Griffin Trust and Vauxhall Motors
granted them a peppercorn lease on two of the
hangars. The third hangar continued to be used to
service Vauxhall motor cars. After a great deal
of work, the buildings were brought into some
semblance of order. Despite many attempts to
raise capital for the repair and maintenance of
the buildings The Griffin Trust were unable to
secure any substantial grant funding. On the 9th
October 2000, The Hooton Park Trust obtained the
freehold of the three WWI aircraft hangars, with
associated ancillary accommodation and land at
Hooton Park. The sale of the freehold concluded
twelve months of intensive negotiations between
The Hooton Park Trust and Vauxhall Motors. These
were entered into in response to Vauxhall Motors
application in September 1998 to the local
planning authority (Ellesmere Port and Neston
Borough Council), for Listed Building Consent to
demolish the hangars.
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This created an enormous protest from aircraft
enthusiasts and local people who were determined
that the buildings should be saved in recognition
of their role in the development of military and
civilian aviation. The campaign was also
supported by people concerned with the
architectural value contained within the sites
buildings. Vauxhall Motors and their parent
company General Motors, met with representatives
of The Hooton Park Trust. The Trust managed to
persuade the car giant of the value of the
heritage asset they owned and as a gesture in
recognition of this the freehold was passed to
The Hooton Park Trust. The motor giant provided
substantial financial support to supplement
planned applications for public sector funding as
well as support expenses to aid the Trust in the
first three years of operation. English Heritage
commissioned a thematic review of military
aviation sites throughout the United Kingdom. In
that review Hooton Park was recommended for
upgrade to grade II (two star) listing. Belfast
truss hangars were now exceedingly rare and
Hooton Park were in the lucky position of having
three double bay examples set in context with
their original ancillary buildings. In March 2003
the two star listing was achieved and a scheme of
emergency repairs was devised by consultant
engineers working on behalf of the Trust.
Unfortunately, the very substantial funds needed
have not yet (late 2006) been raised and the
hangars regrettably therefore continue their
steady deterioration, with one having suffered a
large roof collapse. The primary aim of The
Hooton Park Trust remains to work towards the
survival of the remaining historic site and
buildings at Hooton Park and to operate the site
to the benefit of the local and regional
communities.
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Pictures
Birdseye view of Hooton Park
Hangers in Hooton Park
The Lightning
The Thunderbolt
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