Aviation History

The Hamble site of British Aerospace, Military Aircraft Division, is situated 8 km from the port of Southampton. It adjoins Southampton water near to the village of Hamble and has close motorway, rail and air links.

It was all these factors (except for the motorway), that helped make the choice of this site to start seaplane construction work, back in 1936. Since then the skill, expertise and dedication of thousands of employees have kept this site one of the premier factories for the design and production of aircraft and components.

At present the workforce is around 1,800 and is part of the Military Aircraft Division of British Aerospace plc. Hamble is part of the two divisions, who together are responsible for all BAe aircraft design, development, manufacture, repair and support activities. The main factory has a covered area exceeding 52,000 square metres. A variety of skills and expertise are available, ranging from the plastics forming, through to the final assembly of complex machined structures, in addition to the wide range of design, production support, complete inspection procedures and materials testing; with appropriate Government approvals and administrative services. At present work is being carried out on site, on significant parts of the very latest technology aircraft, including Hawk, Harrier, Tornado, A310 Airbus, ATP and the EAP. The present work load can be broken down into several categories: Detail & Assembly Manufacture, Machining and Toolmaking, Reinforced Plastics, Transparencies, Design and Technical Services.

A notable process along with the canopy production and chemical etching, is the reinforced plastics work. With new fibre materials and resins in the glass fibre and Kevlar Laminate field, Hamble were quick to realise the emerging revolution in aircraft structural thinking. With an already long tradition of manufacturing intricate high quality glass reinforced components, it enlarged in size and scope its plastics facility. An outline history of the Hamble site could rightly start with the mention of Sydney Lodge. Sydney Lodge sits at the top of the site and is the centre of administration. The building of Sydney Lodge commenced in the summer of 1789, in an attractive yellow Beaulieu Brick and was completed in 1798. It became a Grade II Listed Building in 1955. Sydney Lodge is a creation of the architect Sir John Soane, who, when just over 30 years old, rebuilt the Bank of England and had design responsibility for the Dulwich Picture Gallery. For the first 130 years, the building was commissioned by Admiral Sir Joseph Sydney Yorke. The lodge stayed in the family untill 1936 when it was sold to British Marine Aircraft Limited.