Journal of Architectural Conservation
Volume 16, Issue 3, November 2010
The Listing and Conservation of the Farnborough Wind Tunnels
Judy Allen
Paper Summary
The Royal Aircraft Establishment factory site at Farnborough, UK, was used for most of the twentieth century to develop and test aircraft. The origins of the factory site are described together with the development of wind tunnel testing as the design of aircraft evolved. The significance of some of the factory buildings in use was recognized, and as the site was declared redundant and sold for redevelopment, attempts were made to safeguard the aeronautical heritage. During preparation of a Development Brief for the area around the listed wind tunnel buildings, the listings of the former factory buildings were reviewed. The brief and philosophy for the conservation of the listed wind tunnel buildings are described, and the current and potential uses of the retained historic buildings discussed.
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Figure 4 Archive photo of testing in the Q121 wind tunnel. (Farnborough Air Sciences Trust.)
Figure 10. View from the scaffolding looking up to the fourth floor of Q121 during replacement of the original asbestos coated corrugated steel cladding with new corrugated Rheinzink cladding.
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Judy Allen, Project Architect for the repair of the listed wind tunnels at Farnborough
Judy Allen is an Associate at Julian Harrap Architects, historic building specialists. She has been with the practice for 22 years, working as project architect for many Grade I listed buildings including The Monument, Sir John Soane’s Museum, Cliveden, St Clement Eastcheap and Headstone Manor.
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