Solent Sky

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Solent Sky
Solent Sky general view.JPG
Southampton from OpenStreetMap.png
Red pog.svg
Location within Southampton
Location Southampton, United Kingdom
Coordinates 50°53′53″N1°23′35″W / 50.89793°N 1.39313°W / 50.89793; -1.39313
Type Aviation museum
Website www.solentsky.org

Solent Sky (previously known as the Southampton Hall of Aviation) is an aviation museum in Southampton, England.

Contents

The museum depicts the history of aviation in Southampton, the Solent area and Hampshire. There is a focus on Supermarine, the aircraft company based in Woolston, Southampton, and its most famous products, the Supermarine S.6 seaplane and the Supermarine Spitfire, designed by a team led R. J. Mitchell. There is also coverage of the Schneider Trophy seaplane races, twice held at Calshot Spit, and the flying boat services which operated from the Solent.

History

The forerunner to the museum was a museum focusing on Supermarine set up in the 1970s in a NAAFI hut alongside Havelock Road. [1] In the latter part of 1982 decay of the buildings lead to the museum committee petitioning Southampton city council to build a new museum. [1] Construction of the current building began in 1983 and was designed by Barry Eaton, then the City Architect. [2] A Short Sandringham on loan from the science museum group was moved into the unfished building on 1 July 1983. [1] The new museum opened 26 May 1984. [3] [1] On 25 November 2023 the fuselage of a BAC One-Eleven was moved to the exterior of the museum from Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre. [4] In November 2024 the museum was granted planning permission to build a connection between the aircraft fuselage and the main museum. [5]

Exhibits

Aircraft

Aircraft on display at the museum include:

Supermarine S.6A, N248 on display. Supermarine S.6A N248.JPG
Supermarine S.6A, N248 on display.
A drone view of the museum

Engines

The following engines can be seen at the museum:

Alvis Leonides Major on display. Alvis Leonides Major.JPG
Alvis Leonides Major on display.

Calshot Spit lightship

Calshot Spit Lightship Calshot Spit Lightship.jpg
Calshot Spit Lightship

The LV 78 Calshot Spit is a lightship built in Southampton in 1914. It was decommissioned in 1987. Between 1988 and 2010, it was located at the entrance to Ocean Village marina, [6] which formed a static attraction at the marina. This Trinity House navigation aid had guided ships entering Southampton Water from the western end of the Solent, coming around the low lying sand and shingle Calshot Spit. It was built in 1914 by J I Thornycroft shipyard in Southampton, and decommissioned in 1978. The lightship was removed on 3 November 2010 and taken to be restored at Trafalgar Dry Dock. The lightship was to become a "gateway attraction" at a new heritage museum called Aeronautica. [7] The plans for Aeronautica came to a halt in January 2012. [8] In December 2019 the Calshot Spit Lightship was transported to its new home at the Solent Sky Museum with plans to convert it into part of the museum's cafe. [9]

Other items

In 2017 an exhibition by the Hampshire Police and Fire Heritage Trust was added to the museum. [10] In September 2020, three of Southampton's former trams were moved to the museum site. There are plans for the trams to undergo restoration before going on public display. [11]

Charity

The work of Solent Sky is supported by a registered charity, the R. J. Mitchell Memorial Museum Limited, whose objects are "to advance the education of the public in matters relating to aviation by establishing and maintaining a museum as a permanent memorial to R. J. Mitchell, the designer of the Schneider Trophy S6B seaplane and the Spitfire." [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supermarine</span> 1913–1960 aircraft manufacturer

Supermarine was a British aircraft manufacturer. It is most famous for producing the Spitfire fighter plane during World War II. It also built a range of seaplanes and flying boats, winning the Schneider Trophy for seaplanes with three wins in a row in 1927, 1929 and 1931. After the war, the company produced a series of jet fighters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. J. Mitchell</span> British aircraft designer (1895–1937)

Reginald Joseph Mitchell was a British aircraft designer who worked for the Southampton aviation company Supermarine from 1916 until 1936. He is best known for designing racing seaplanes such as the Supermarine S.6B, and for leading the team that designed the Supermarine Spitfire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schneider Trophy</span> Annual air racing event for seaplanes (1913–1931)

The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider, also known as the Schneider Trophy, Schneider Prize or (incorrectly) the Schneider Cup is a trophy that was awarded first annually, and later biennially, to the winner of a race for seaplanes and flying boats. In 1931 Britain met the conditions to retain the Trophy permanently; it is on display at the Science Museum in South Kensington, London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calshot Spit</span> Shingle bank in Hampshire, England

Calshot Spit is a one-mile long sand and shingle bank, near the village of Calshot, located on the southern bank of the open end of Southampton Water, on the south coast of England.

RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS <i>Daedalus</i>) Former Royal Naval Air Station in Hampshire, England

Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent,, is a former Royal Naval Air Station located near Lee-on-the-Solent in Hampshire, approximately 4 miles (6.44 km) west of Portsmouth, on the coast of the Solent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce R</span> 1929 British aero engine

The Rolls-Royce R is a British aero engine that was designed and built specifically for air racing purposes by Rolls-Royce Limited. Nineteen R engines were assembled in a limited production run between 1929 and 1931. Developed from the Rolls-Royce Buzzard, it was a 37-litre capacity, supercharged V-12 capable of producing just under 2,800 horsepower (2,090 kW), and weighed 1,640 pounds (770 kg). Intensive factory testing revealed mechanical failures which were remedied by redesigning the components, greatly improving reliability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocean Village, Southampton</span> Marina in Southamption, UK

Ocean Village is a mixed-use marina, residential, business and leisure development on the mouth of the River Itchen in Southampton, on the south coast of England. Originally the site of Southampton's first working docks, the "Outer Dock" which opened in 1842, the area was redeveloped in 1986 and became the leisure marina it is today. After experiencing a period of stalled development with the late-2000s recession, Ocean Village underwent another series of major, multimillion-pound redevelopment projects. Current recreational facilities include a cinema, cafes, wine bars and restaurants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supermarine S.6B</span> 1930s British racing seaplane

The Supermarine S.6B is a British racing seaplane developed by R.J. Mitchell for the Supermarine company to take part in the Schneider Trophy competition of 1931. The S.6B marked the culmination of Mitchell's quest to "perfect the design of the racing seaplane" and represented the cutting edge of aerodynamic technology for the era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supermarine Southampton</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supermarine Seagull (1921)</span> 1920s British flying boat

The Supermarine Seagull was a flying boat produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Supermarine. It was developed by Supermarine's chief designer R.J. Mitchell from the experimental Supermarine Seal II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supermarine S.6</span> 1920s British racing seaplane

The Supermarine S.6 is a 1920s British single-engined single-seat racing seaplane built by Supermarine and designed by its chief designer, R.J. Mitchell, who refined the earlier Supermarine S.5 to produce a larger, more powerful aircraft. Two aircraft, N247 and N248, were built to participate in the 1929 Schneider Trophy contest. Rolls-Royce produced the R engine for the new all-metal aircraft. The engine's initial issues—such as the short time between overhauls and the heat generated when the engine power was increased to 1,900 hp (1,400 kW)—were resolved within a few months before the aircraft were completed at Supermarine’s works at Woolston, Southampton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supermarine S.4</span> British floatplane (1925)

The Supermarine S.4 was a 1920s British single-engined monoplane built by the company Supermarine. Designed by a team led by the company's chief designer, R. J. Mitchell, it was designed to compete in the 1925 Schneider Trophy contest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Calshot</span>

Royal Air Force Calshot or more simply RAF Calshot was initially a seaplane and flying boat station, and latterly a Royal Air Force marine craft maintenance and training unit. It was located at the end of Calshot Spit in Southampton Water, Hampshire, England, at grid reference SU487024. It was the main seaplane/flying boat development and training unit in the UK, with the landing area sheltered by the mainland, to the west, north and east, and the Isle of Wight, a few miles away to the south on the other side of the Solent, where seaplanes and flying boats were mass-produced by Saunders-Roe. It closed in 1961. Much of the former base has been preserved, with most of the site now being occupied by the Calshot Activities Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tangmere Military Aviation Museum</span> Aviation museum in Tangmere, West Sussex

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supermarine Sea Lion II</span> 1920s British racing flying boat

The Supermarine Sea Lion II was a British racing flying boat built by the Supermarine Aviation Works. Designed by Reginald Mitchell, the Sea Lion II was a modification of Supermarine's Sea King II. It was powered by a 450 hp (340 kW) Napier Lion engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supermarine Sea Lion III</span> 1920s British racing flying boat

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviation Heritage Museum (Western Australia)</span> Aviation museum in Bull Creek, Western Australia

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TSS T/T <i>Calshot</i>

TSS T/T Calshot was a tug tender built in 1929 by John I Thornycroft & Co, and completed in 1930 for the Red Funnel Line. Calshot was one of only three surviving classical tender ships which served the great ocean liners, another example is the SS Nomadic, which tendered the ill-fated RMS Titanic on her maiden voyage at Cherbourg, France. The third being the Manchester Ship Canal's Daniel Adamson. In her career, Calshot has tendered some of the most famous ocean liners ever built, such as the RMS Caronia, the Cunard Queens RMS Queen Elizabeth and RMS Queen Mary, the SS United States, and the White Star Line ship RMS Olympic. During World War II she was requisitioned by the British Admiralty for servicing troop ships and took part in D-Day. She was a registered vessel of the National Historic Fleet of the United Kingdom, holding Certificate No. 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LV 78 Calshot Spit</span>

LV 78Calshot Spit is a former Trinity House lightvessel that was anchored off Calshot Spit and is now a museum ship in Southampton.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Jones, Alan (1984). "Making of a Museum". Southampton Hall Of Aviation The Aviation Experience. pp. 22–25.
  2. ↑ O’Brien, Charles; Bailey, Bruce; Pevsner, Nikolaus; Lloyd, David W. (2018). The Buildings of England Hampshire: South. Yale University Press. p. 619. ISBN   9780300225037.
  3. ↑ Rooney, David (14 April 2021). "Flying Boats at southampton". Science Museum. Science Museum Group. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  4. ↑ Edgley, Timothy (26 November 2023). "Aircraft towed through Southampton streets on way to Solent Sky Museum". Southern Daily echo.
  5. ↑ Yandell, Chris (21 November 2024). "Plan to extend Southampton's Solent Sky museum approved". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  6. ↑ "Trinity House LV No. 78 - Calshot Spit 1914 - 1978". Archived from the original on 9 August 2006. Retrieved 2 July 2006.
  7. ↑ Bethan Phillips. "Landmark Calshot Spit lightship moved from Southampton's Ocean Village to Trafalgar Dock". Dailyecho.co.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  8. ↑ "Southampton Aeronautica museum site is withdrawn". BBC News. 19 January 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  9. ↑ "Southampton Calshot Spit lightship on the move ahead of cafe revamp". BBC News. 12 December 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  10. ↑ "Exhibition on the history of Hampshire police and fire services opens at Solent Sky Museum". Southern Daily Echo. 14 July 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  11. ↑ Yandell, Chris (1 September 2020). "Famous Southampton trams make final stop at Solent Sky Museum". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 7 October 2020. 
  12. ↑ "R. J. Mitchell Memorial Museum Limited, registered charity no. 262995". Charity Commission for England and Wales.

Further reading

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