# Cardington Airship Facility, May 2011



## MD (May 30, 2011)

The story starts not with the village but with the Shorts Brothers Engineering Company. Having won a contract for the construction of an airship in 1916, the original design team had set up offices in a private house in Hampstead, London. In September of 1916 they decided to move to Bedford, choosing this market town for its sufficiency of high grade light engineering works and its population of about 35,000. Outside the town, at Putnoe, was a stretch of farmland being used as an aerodrome for the Royal Flying Corps as part of the United Kingdom's defence network against the Zeppelins. Within sight of Putnoe was, and still is, the village of Cardington.

The man who headed up the enterprise for the Shorts Company was a young man by the name of Claude Lipscomb. At 29, Claude had already served his apprenticeship at Woolwich Arsenal but had joined Shorts at the outbreak of the war in 1914 attracted by the prospect of technological advancement in the new aviation world. Claude set up his first drawing office in a loft of the coach repair shop in Bedford. Having been attacked by Zeppelin Raiders that September and with the threat of the new Super Zeppelins, agreement was reached to develop our own ships. With its gentle prevailing wind, the site of farmland south west of Bedford and the site of Cardington was chosen.
Internal Dimensions: 
Length: 812 ft 
Width: 180 ft 
Height: 157 ft
Total weight of steel: 4,000 tons
some pictures from me 
some idea of the scale my missus is in the middle of this pic 



small by M D Allen, on Flickr




huge by M D Allen, on Flickr
not really rubbish as i like their tyres



goodyear by M D Allen, on Flickr
Mahoosive doors



doors2 by M D Allen, on Flickr
i climbed these 



stairs by M D Allen, on Flickr
to get this shot 



doors by M D Allen, on Flickr

before playing this



me by M D Allen, on Flickr
then using warp speed to leave 




Warpspeed by M D Allen, on Flickr

if your in the area you should visit, its hard to show the scale and size of this building...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattdonut/sets/72157626841675678/


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## klempner69 (May 30, 2011)

One of my fave explores this,love the warped shot.


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## urban phantom (May 30, 2011)

Great pictures mate


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## tommo (May 30, 2011)

klempner69 said:


> One of my fave explores this,love the warped shot.



second best explore for me last year as well fella........i am sure the first will come out soon


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## alex76 (May 30, 2011)

Nice one Matt yeah the last one is is the bolox love it cheers bud


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## Priority 7 (May 30, 2011)

Have they started filming next door yet, I noticed a fair bit of extra's around the live hangars when I passed this morning. Nice shots you got there.


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## night crawler (May 30, 2011)

Place seems done to death but I don't tire of the photo's, like the last one.


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## King Al (May 30, 2011)

Good stuff MD, I loved this one! its just so frigging massive in there


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## Winch It In (May 30, 2011)

First Class Pic's MD, got to get myself down there soon as im only down the road.


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## kathyms (May 30, 2011)

*cardington*

brilliant shots, this is probably were id have gone today if it wernt for the puncture.


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## tommo (May 30, 2011)

kathyms said:


> this is probably were id have gone today if it wernt for the puncture.



brilliant your a legend


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## klempner69 (May 30, 2011)

You beat me to it buddy!!


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## tommo (May 30, 2011)

klempner69 said:


> You beat me to it buddy!!



ha ha face book add coming me thinks


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## Bobo urbex (May 30, 2011)

You went further up those crappy stairs than I did mate, Legend!!!


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## tommo (May 30, 2011)

Bobo urbex said:


> You went further up those crappy stairs than I did mate, Legend!!!



its so damn hot up there its the heat thats more dodgy than the stairs lol


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## MD (May 31, 2011)

Priority 7 said:


> Have they started filming next door yet, I noticed a fair bit of extra's around the live hangars when I passed this morning. Nice shots you got there.



im not sure there is loads of stuff lying around and loads of cables going into the green shed 
so anytime soon 

cheers


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## Snips86x (May 31, 2011)

Love these photo's. Thanks


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## kevsy21 (May 31, 2011)

Always good to see this place, id like to get up them stairs.Good pics.


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## Priority 7 (May 31, 2011)

kathyms said:


> brilliant shots, this is probably were id have gone today if it wernt for the puncture.



Kathyms, give me a shout if you go again I am determined to make it to the top of the stairs I know mookster wants to get in here too.


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## Dirus_Strictus (May 31, 2011)

The number 2 Shed (the painted one) was originally built on the RNAS Pulham (Pulham St Mary, Norfolk) in 1915. It was dismantled in 1928 and moved to the Cardington site for rebuilding and reuse in the Government Airship Project. 

A bit of info for any Speedway History fans out there - The reclaimed timber from the second Shed at Pulham was used to build the Firs Speedway Stadium in Norwich (1931 to 1965).


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## kathyms (May 31, 2011)

*cardington,*



Priority 7 said:


> Kathyms, give me a shout if you go again I am determined to make it to the top of the stairs I know mookster wants to get in here too.



ok that would be brill, my oldest wonts to go and im sure the youngest will. ill go just to see you climb the lader. we will have to check with alex 76 when he got time off work. im looking forward to it.


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## MD (Jun 1, 2011)

its a nice "sunday" walk !!!


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## Priority 7 (Jun 1, 2011)

kathyms said:


> ok that would be brill, my oldest wonts to go and im sure the youngest will. ill go just to see you climb the lader. we will have to check with alex 76 when he got time off work. im looking forward to it.



No problem I am local, are you sure you don't mean you want to see me fall over and hurt myself again. Those hangars and I have unfinished business I want to make it to the top platform this time out  PM me when you fancy a trip to discuss it as at the moment some days are better than others


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