News
Ballooning display takes off
Over 100 hot air balloonists at re-launch of West Berkshire Museum's exhibtion on sport's history.
By Liam Sloan, Reporter
http://www.newburytoday.co.uk
Hot air balloonists from around the country descended on Newbury last weekend for the re-launch of West Berkshire Museum’s display on the sport’s history.
For 25 years the museum has housed the only permanent collection of artefacts from the British Balloon Museum and Library (BBM&L), including race trophies, balloon baskets and photographs.
A quarter of a century on, over 100 enthusiasts turned up for the launch of the re-vamped display on Friday evening (January 4).
The display celebrates West Berkshire’s long association with hot air balloons.
Coldash vicar Rev John Bacon first took to the skies in 1888, becoming famous for his daring experiments to chase shooting stars and photograph the sea bed.
His daughter Gertrude was the first woman to make a balloon ascent, travel in airships and seaplanes and fly to Paris in a commercial aeroplane.
Their most perilous journey was made in November 1899, when Rev Bacon spent ten hours aloft after launching from Newbury Gas Works, before crashing in South Wales, just half a mile from drifting out over the Atlantic Ocean. The feat set a new British flight record.
At the time, the Newbury Weekly News recorded how the worried aeronauts dropped telegraph forms from the sky warning coast guards their balloon was out of control.
The newspaper recorded: “The despatching of some three dozen of these messages afforded a little relief to over-strung nerves, when fears were increased by the sound of waves and the wail of a ship’s steam siren.
“The balloon did not descend straight away but struggled manfully to keep above the clouds, and through the openings in the clouds the aeronauts saw the country sliding past at an ever-increasing speed.”
Also on display is the one-man Cloud Hopper balloon flown in the daring escape from a Mexico City skyscraper in the 1981 heist movie Green Ice.
Its pilot, and Ryan O’Neal’s stunt double, Robin Batchelor was among balloonists attending the launch.
He said: “I’ve been coming here to Bradford Farm locally right from when I started ballooning in 1970, so I’ve got great fond memories of this area. This new exhibition is first class. It’s needed fresh blood and enthusiasm for quite a while, and I’m just really thrilled.”
BBM&L Chairman Richard d’Alton said: “After 25 years the display looked a bit tired, so we took up the challenge. It’s still a work in progress.
“This is our flagship display – we don’t actually have anything else like this in another part of the country.”
The weekend also saw the 36th Icicle hot air balloon meet, which launched from Savernake Forest on Sunday morning.
This new exhibition is first class. It’s needed fresh blood and enthusiasm for quite a while.Robin Batchelor, balloonist