A Brief History
Bristol Whitchurch Airport operated from 1930 until 1957 and played an important role in the early development of aviation in Bristol. Although the airport has long since closed, traces of its former existence can still be found around the site.
Today, much of the former airport has been redeveloped. A large retail and leisure complex occupies part of the area, including a cinema, hotel, restaurants and other businesses. However, several features still provide clues to the site’s aviation history. The surviving section of the original runway is particularly noticeable, although part of it disappeared beneath the later development. Remnants of taxiways and possibly some of the original airport structures can also be found.
The Whitchurch Sports Centre occupies the south-eastern part of the former airport. Its hangar-like appearance is fitting, as this was the location of the flying club’s original hangars when the airfield opened.
The Airport Opens
The story of Whitchurch Airport began in 1929, when the Bristol and Wessex Aero Club decided to move from its previous base at Filton. Land to the south of Bristol was selected for the new airfield, and work began in November 1929 to prepare the landing area and construct a clubhouse.
The first aircraft arrived on 4 February 1930. It was a de Havilland DH.60 Moth, registration G-EBXF, which was soon joined by the other aircraft belonging to the aero club as well as privately owned aeroplanes.
Whitchurch Airport was officially opened on 31 May 1930 by Prince George, Duke of Kent. The opening was marked by an international air pageant that attracted more than 30,000 spectators, demonstrating the public enthusiasm for aviation at the time.
The Final Years
As Bristol expanded, housing development increasingly approached the airport’s boundaries. This became a significant problem both before and after the Second World War.
The airport’s location also presented operational difficulties because of the nearby Dundry Hill. As aircraft became larger and more advanced, the limitations of the site became increasingly apparent. A new location was therefore sought for Bristol’s airport.
The former RAF station at Lulsgate Bottom, southwest of Bristol, was selected as the replacement site. This eventually became the airport that continues to serve Bristol today.
Official flying at Whitchurch ended on 13 April 1957. A small number of aircraft movements continued afterwards, including occasional accidental landings by pilots who mistakenly approached the former airfield.
Interestingly, the site experienced one final aviation event many years later. In November 1993, a Cessna 152 operated by the Bristol & Wessex Flying Club made an emergency landing on the remaining runway after running short of fuel.
Remembering Whitchurch
Although Bristol Whitchurch Airport disappeared from the city’s aviation landscape decades ago, its history has not been completely lost. The remaining runway, taxiways and distinctive buildings offer physical reminders of the site’s former role.
For aviation enthusiasts and local historians, these surviving features provide an opportunity to look back at a period when Whitchurch was an important centre of flying activity and when Bristol’s aviation industry was still developing.