Former Sopwith Aviation Company Factory
Former Sopwith Aviation Company Factory, Canbury Park Road, Kingston upon Thames
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1253383
- Date first listed:
- 09-May-1994
- List Entry Name:
- Former Sopwith Aviation Company Factory
- Statutory Address:
- Former Sopwith Aviation Company Factory, Canbury Park Road, Kingston upon Thames
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.
What is the National Heritage List for England?
The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.
The list includes:
 |
Buildings |
 |
Scheduled monuments |
 |
Parks and gardens |
 |
Battlefields |
 |
Shipwrecks |
Images of England Project
- Date:
- 1999-08-29
- Reference:
- IOE01/01051/31
- Rights:
- © Mr John Sparks. Source: Historic England Archive
Local Heritage Hub
Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.
Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1253383
- Date first listed:
- 09-May-1994
- List Entry Name:
- Former Sopwith Aviation Company Factory
- Statutory Address 1:
- Former Sopwith Aviation Company Factory, Canbury Park Road, Kingston upon Thames
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- Former Sopwith Aviation Company Factory, Canbury Park Road, Kingston upon Thames
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Greater London Authority
- District:
- Kingston upon Thames (London Borough)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- TQ1841469620
Details
TQ 16 NE
59/3/10014
CANBURY PARK ROAD
Former Sopwith Aviation Company Factory
II
Aviation factory, later polytechnic then university engineering department. Built in five main stages in the years 1913-18 with some minor additions made in 1935-36. The oldest part is at the centre of Canbury Park Road, originally a single-storey shed with two-storey offices on either side (including a first-floor drawing office) that masked the shed from the road. An extension was added in 1914-15 that included a saw mill and carpenters' shop on Elm Road, at least doubling the size of the original. This complex was itself doubled in size in 1916-17, with the addition of woodworking, paint and tinsmith's shops in two phases along Elm Crescent. Last of all came the offices at the corner of Elm Crescent and Canbury Park Road in 1917. The original part and the first extension, in Canbury Park Road, were raised in 1935-36 to provide new planning and cost offices above the drawing office. Mainly red brick with slate roof; two or three storeys.
Offices at corner of Canbury Park Road and Elm Crescent of 1913-14. Canbury Park Road elevation has 14 windows, mainly top opening metal casements, and including two storey five-light canted bay to left. Brick pilasters on ground floor. Elm Crescent elevation has 13 metal casements including two four-light canted bays to first floor and splayed round-headed entrance with keystone and impost blocks. C20 door. Adjoining in Elm Crescent are the 1916-17 woodworking, paint and tinsmith's shops. Three storeys with a series of gables with oculi. Canbury Park Road elevations incorporate the earliest part of the complex from 1913 with first floor drawing office heightened by one storey in 1935-6. Three storeys; 38 windows in all. Elm Road has 1914-15 saw mill and carpenters shop of two storeys incorporating section with four gables with oculi. Office has well staircase and panelled Boardroom reported. Metal truss roofs to factory. This is probably the oldest purpose-built aeroplane factory in England and no other site saw the design of so many outstanding aircraft. From 1912-20 this was the Sopwith Aviation Co formed by Sir T O M Sopwith which produced the Sopwith Camel (1916-17) and the Snipe (1918) designed here. From 1920 the factory continued as the H G Hawker Engineering Factory. Under the famous designer Sydney Camm (1893-1966) the Hawker Fury (1931) and the Hawker Hurricane (1933) were designed on this site. No other site in England saw the design of so many outstanding aircraft as this one.
Listing NGR: TQ1841469620
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 436564
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 25-Jun-2026 at 00:14:49.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.