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Renfrew Aviation
by James Reilly
Air
transportation has undoubtedly been man’s greatest achievement in the 20th
century. No traveller from 100 years ago, who would be given the opportunity to
visit us today, would find surface transportation unbelievable. They would
conclude that cars, trains and ships have become much more impressive, safer and
more efficient, but fundamentally they are unchanged. A visitor from the last
century would however be astonished at man’s progress in powered flight, where
its inference has initiated change in global and planetary accessibility through
miraculous feats of engineering. Today we may not only travel anywhere on our
planet within 24 hours, but have the capability to travel out with our planet
and into space.
Glasgow’s
existing airport evolved from that illustrious history, where its pioneers and
their contributions, are still, on the whole, little known to most. For such a
tiny country, Scotland lays claim to being arguably the most inventive
of
nations and without exception, early development in aviation displays a unique
diversity which includes aircraft & airship manufacturing, pioneering work
on the development of the helicopter, progress in airport design and a
substantial military contribution throughout both, the 20th
Century’s world wars. It is in a way questionable that the moon landing of
1969 would actually have happened if it had not been for Scottish innovation and
discovery.
Arguably
the most significant place in Scotland, where pioneering and flight operations
took place originated was Renfrew Airport, which was originally known as
‘Moorpark Aerodrome’. A fascinating series of events took place which
resulted in the establishment of civil aviation in Scotland. I have attempted to
look at Renfrew’s part chronologically and as follows;
1.
Beardmores; William Beardmore
1856 - 1936
2. Civil Air Transportation at
Renfrew - Part 1
3.
602 Squadron - City of Glasgow
4.
Civil Air Transportation at Renfrew - Part 2
5.
Renfrew’s Architecture - Sir William Kininmonth
1.
Beardmores;
William
Beardmore remains one of Scotland’s little known entrepreneurs.
Employing
42,000 people on the Clydeside and operating the biggest shipyard of the early
20th Century, his diverse manufacturing produced everything from
battleships to airships, and trains to flying boats. Beardmore’s major
contribution was in aircraft manufacturing, securing contracts from the Director
of Munitions (Lord Weir). During the first world war, around 500 aircraft were
built at the Dalmuir factory. Test sites for these aircraft included Inchinnan
and Renfrew. The first aircraft to fly the Atlantic both ways did so in 1919.
It
was the R34 Airship, built in Inchinnan.
The R34 leaves its enormous hangar at
Inchinnan 1919
At the end of the first world war, Beardmore was
responsible for the first scheduled air service from
Renfrew to London Croyden to demonstrate the
possibilities of aviation’s future. Interest in
flight however unfortunately waned following the
war, and the Beardmore Company were running into
financial difficulty. Not until 1924 did the Air
Ministry encourage the aviation section of
Beardmores to reopen.
It survived only until 1929, when in that short
time, Beardmore had acquired the rights to a system
of aircraft construction utilising all metal
stressed skin covering,
pioneered by Dr Adolph Rohrbach. Notable employees
at the Dalmuir base included W.S. Shackleton and
George Bennie. Given the size and scale of
Beardmores legacy, it’s lifespan was short lived and
lasted only 25 years.
Moorpark Aerodrome, Renfrew, circa
1922/3
2. Civil Air Transportation at Renfrew - Part 1
Renfrew Airport was the first Municipal Airport in
Scotland and flying from Renfrew, or as it was first
known, Moorpark Aerodrome, began as early as 1912.
At the end of World War 1, the possibilities of air
transportation were there to exploit, although
flying’s niche among road, railway and shipping, had
yet to be established. Investment and an
entrepreneurial mind would clinch the earliest
commercial exploits in aviation which saw newspaper
delivery and mail flights between Renfrew and
London. In the late 20’s and early thirties, the
foundations for fixed scheduled routes were laid by
prominent initiators such as Captain Edmund Fresson
who established a base in Inverness, John Sword in
Renfrew and E. L. Gander Dower in Dyce, Aberdeen.
Scotland’s introduction to commercial aviation
delivered companies such as Scottish Airways,
Railway Air Services, Highland Airways, SMT
(Scottish Motor Traction), Midland and Scottish Air
Ferries and Allied Airways, providing passenger and
mail services to London, Manchester, Belfast and the
Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Just as
commercial growth in services began to flourish,
September 1939 would for the second time, mark the
cessation of civil air progress. Functional use of
passenger services would commence however in their
new camouflaged livery.
Scottish Airways ‘Rapides’ fleet
lined up at Renfrew Aerodrome 1930’s
 Renfrew’s
historical Air Ambulance Service which continued
from Renfrew to Abbotsinch, remains the oldest Air
Ambulance service in the world, commencing 1932.
3. The 602 Squadron ‘City of Glasgow’.
After the first world war, the army and navy were
antagonistic with regard to forming a reserve flying
force manned by civilian flyers, but in 1924 the law
under the Secretary of State for Air (Sir Samuel
Hoare) changed to
confirm the commencement of territorial fleets. The
first of these squadron’s to form was 602 City of
Glasgow in September 1925. Based at Renfrew until
1933 when the squadron moved to Abbotsinch, the
‘weekend flyers’ would prove to be a major force in
the ensuing war of 1939-1945. Their list of
achievements included :
Q The precursor to the Scottish Air Ambulance
Service, whilst flying medical supplies to Islay in
1930.
Q First to win Auxiliary Air Force Trophy in 1929.
Q First to introduce the kilt and Highland Mess kit
in 1937.
Q It’s CO’s (Marquess of Douglas & Clydesdale & Flt
Lt. D.F. McIntyre) making the first flight over
Mount Everest in April 1933.
Q First Auxiliary Squadron to be issued with
Supermarine Spitfires ahead of many regular RAF
Squadrons.
Q First Squadron to down German enemy aircraft on 16
September 1939.
Q 15th September 1940 - Battle of Britain Day. 602
Squadron destroyed 10 enemy aircraft and sustained
no loss of their own.
Wartime tally of 150 enemy aircraft shot down
including 89 in the Battle of Britain.
This picture shows the first formal
parade of the 602 Squadron ‘City of Glasgow’
photographed in 1925. In the background you can see
the Arkleston Cemetery house which pre-dates the
Airport and aviation, and still stands today,
although it is in very poor condition. The house can
be seen by travellers passing the M8 motorway
between
Junctions Arkleston & Hillington. This stretch of
motorway was Renfrew Airport’s Runway 08/26.
RAF Station Abbotsinch was transferred to the navy
in 1943 to become HMS Sanderling. Following World
War 2, the squadron were reformed and operated from
RNAS Abbotsinch until its deteriorating runway
forced a temporary move back to Renfrew between June
1949 and June 1954.
The 602 Squadron returned to Renfrew
for a brief period whilst Abbotsinch underwent
Runway Resurfacing. The buildings seen in the
background are the King George V playing fields
changing accommodation. The Vampire Jets parking
area is now a children’s play park.
In March 1957, the Auxiliary Air Force was
disbanded. It only took ten or so years after the
Wright brothers took to the air, for man to utilise
aircraft in warfare. Just four decades later, the
second world war was fought by much advanced killing
machines, either in airborne combat, or by
bombing raids. The eventual realisation that man was
capable of destroying not only his neighbouring
countries, but his own planet, saw aviation’s speedy
progress re-evaluating political culture and causing
a social reappraisal of mankind itself.
A Douglas Dakota DC3 helped pave the
way for modern civil air transportation as we know
it.
4. Civil Air Transportation at Renfrew - Part 2.
After the second world war, military airfields as
with aircraft, were surveyed and transformed for
civilian use, Renfrew was no exception. Following
the 1945 election of a labour government,
nationalisation of civil aviation commenced.
British European Airways became a corporation in its
own right, distinct from BOAC, it operated scheduled
domestic services exclusively. By 1948 Renfrew was
Britain’s third busiest airport, handling 107,052
passengers that year.
In 1950 a Glasgow- Manchester-Paris service was
operated by the new Vickers Viscount which had
replaced the Viking. Growth was such that in 1950 a
new terminal building was commissioned by the
Ministry for Civil Aviation.
The chosen architect was Sir William Hardie
Kininmonth who was born in Forfar in 1904.
Kininmonth studied at Edinburgh College of Art and
at the Slade in London.
Renfrew Municipal Airport - Terminal
Building, 1954
The project was significant as the new building was
the first post war air terminal in Scotland. The
definitive design standard sought by Kininmonth,
would inevitably impact on future airport
construction both at home and abroad. Working under
the restrictions of building licensing and scarcity
of materials, Kininmonth’s main ingredients were
limited to reinforced concrete and glass. The
striking new terminal was opened on 26 November
1954, it displayed the very strong influence that
prominent French architect Le Corbusier had on
Kininmonth’s work. Entrance through the single
revolving door revealed a transept shaped hall, with
curious curved roof beams supported by girders and
suspended by wire rope from the gigantic hyperbolic
arch at the airport frontage. Optimum use of glass
walling provided maximum daylight illumination
inside. It remains widely accepted that most
reinforced concrete structures were ugly,
impractical and decadent, however Kininmonth’s
whitewashed curves offered a milieu of harmony,
paradoxical in it’s space age design.
Entrance Hall, Renfrew Airport.
Apron from the south east.
Balcony
from the North West
Waiting Lounge
The subsequent replacement for Renfrew’s premier
routes from the DC3 and Viscount aircraft, was the
Vanguard in 1961.
Vickers Vanguard arrives at Renfrew
Cassius Clay arriving at Renfrew pre
name change.
Renfrew Airside
Vickers Viscount. Directly opposite
Renfrew’s main Terminal building, the ‘Hertz’ car
hire re-opened as a pub following the closure of
Renfrew Airport. It functions still and is called
‘The Viscount’.
By then the limitations of developing the site
clashed with the impending need to. The climatic
record was unfavourable, with strong crosswinds and
frequent periods of fog. Expansion of the runway was
proposed, but the landscape would not offer a
significant improvement in length and
would only be short term. The shining new Vanguards
operated at less than full capacity due to the
restrictions, constituting a loss of potential
revenue for the airline operator.
this photograph shows Renfrew Airport
from the air some time in the early 1960’s. The
Scottish Aviation hangars are now Renfrew High
School’s football pitches.
The stunning building was unfortunately short lived,
due to the limited possibilities for expansion.
By the late fifties, passenger figures at Renfrew
were growing at an astounding rate, and the
introduction of jet airliners finally heralded the
cry for a larger
terminal building and a longer runway. On the 1st
May 1966 the airport operation at Renfrew ceased and
was relocated to Abbotsinch, following the
disbanding of the Fleet Air Arm.
Glasgow’s new Airport, 2nd May 1966.
Renfrew airport is
in the background with some aircraft on the ground
waiting to fly the short journey across to
Abbotsinch. Renfrew’s Runway is also visible (now
the M8 Motorway).
Renfrew Airport Terminal Building stood until 1978
when it was destroyed to make way for a land
development which subsequently became ‘Tesco’s’.
A plan to utilise the building for this function
was proven to be too costly.
Other proposals for its use included a sports
complex and a Mosque.
It is very sad that no-one had the vision to realise
the significance of the structure historically and
architecturally. Today, many organisations cringe at
the demolition, realising the original status of the
construction, and that no other exists.
These photographs were taken the
weekend the building was
demolished. The concrete frame remains following the
removal of the glass.
People often confuse the ‘Luma Lamp Factory Tower’
as part of Renfrew Airport, perhaps because they
perceive a similar style construction.
It is however not related in any way, and the
construction does not even compare with the
ingenious engineering of Kininmonth’s.
Air Traffic Tower & Terminal 1978.
There are various reminders of Renfrew’s aviation
background, such as Arkleston Housing Estate, where
the place names reflect aircraft of the time i.e.
Viscount, Vanguard, Caravelle, Dakota, Convair etc.
A monument to Renfrew’s existence is displayed on
the grass area directly in front of where the
Terminal Building once stood. A Cairn also exists
between Newmains Road and Sandy Road which
celebrates the Air Ambulance service, where the base
is inset with stones from the Northern Isles of
Scotland, served by the Air Ambulance Service. If
you look even closer, there are many reminders of
Renfrew Airport’s past such as the Dean Park Hotel,
which was once ‘Renfrew Airport Hotel’, and within
the grounds of Renfrew High School, are the original
tarmac apron slabs and the door runners for the
Lochkeed Hangar.
This model of Renfrew Airport’s
Terminal was commissioned by myself for display at
Glasgow Airport. I will arrange in the near future
for it to be displayed at Renfrew Museum.
The Renfrew Museum is holding an exhibition from
Friday
27th June to Saturday 13th September, where you can
see
this display.
James Reilly, Archivist, BAA, Glasgow Airport
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