Filton Airfield, Filton, South Gloucestershire
Man working spreader as part of the construction of Filton runway. The site began as an aircraft factory in 1910. Sited close to the Great Western Railway line, it was used as an Aircraft Acceptance Park during World War One. This involved the final assembly and flight testing of aircraft sent from other production sites. The military airfield facilities were expanded in the interwar years of the 1920s and 30s, and in 1929 it became part of an operational fighter base. By 1936 the base had a full range of buildings including married quarters, barracks, mess facilities, a workshops, a parachute store and technical buildings. The base finally closed as a military airfield in 1947, reverting to civil use as an aircraft factory. The photograph comes from the John Laing Company Archive.
