The British Balloon
Museum & Library JOIN NOW MAKE A DONATION Help save the past for the future

Welcome to the British Balloon Museum and Library

The British Balloon Museum and Library (BBM&L) is the official museum of the British Balloon and Airship Club. A small group of balloonists formed the BBM&L in 1979; we are a registered charity with the objective of preserving the many different items associated with, and used in, hot air and gas ballooning, and other forms of lighter-than-air flight. We have no physical museum to house our collection but, thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, you can now explore many items in our collection for the first time online. The process of adding collection items to the website will be a gradual one, as more items are catalogued and photographed.

Background: an image from the Frank Hedges Butler collection. Find out more here.

Explore the Collection

The BBM&L holds a large collection of artefacts from the sport of ballooning, both hot air and gas, plus a good number of items from the world of airships. Click on the links below to navigate to the category you want, where you can view images of these items along with their descriptions.

Hardware Balloons, baskets, burners etc. Non-fiction, fiction, non-english. Books Oral history Audio interviews with key people. Advertising Posters and handbills. Clothing T-shirts, sweatshirts, flying suits etc. Photographs Single photos, bundles and albums. Post/Postal items Flown mail, stamps, envelopes. Art Paintings, prints. Moving films Documentaries, fiction, events. Memorablia China, glass, wood, metal etc. Trophies & plaques Awards, trophies and plaques. Records Logbooks, certificates, stationery etc. Publications Articles, magazines, newspapers etc. 3D models Models of balloons etc. Balloon G-AVTL taking off Book jacket for My Polar Flights Don Cameron in the Cameron Balloons factory Poster for French balloon meet 2001 Yellow flying suit Image from c.1908 of people in balloon basket Signed envelope of balloon launched from HMS Ark Royal Coloured engraving of 18th century balloon VHS video cover for Breitling Orbiter 3 video SAGA 1997 Official participant dish Trophy with two handles Montage of logbook items and image of Renee Thornton Daily Telegraph magazine cover featuring balloons 3D model of balloon

Search the Collection

Use the search box below to find a particular item, person or event.

Featured Object from the Collection

This print of the first hydrogen balloon flight is one of twelve produced by the Royal Aeronautical Society to mark its centenary in 1966. The original steel engraving by Pombart Sculp c1784 and depicts the first hydrogen balloon 1 December 1783.

Latest News and Events

We will post news items of interest here concerning people, balloons and airships. There will also be details of events as they become available.

View a selection of articles from our member magazine
As a thank you, we are offering you the chance to peak inside our quarterly membership magazine, Trailrope, to get a taste of the fascinating history of ballooning.

Digital Trailropes

If you have joined the BBM&L as a Friend then you will already have access to the digital copies of...

Model balloons at Bristol Fiesta

BBM&L Model Balloon Celebration Inflation, Bristol Fiesta 2026. Once again the British Balloon Museum & Library will be represented at...

LAASI Magazine ID26 Tribute

OUR CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN Finally, a good spell of weather across the UK and Pidley was blessed with the best! I...

Will you help preserve the history of ballooning?

Become a friend of the BBM&L now.

UK Friends of the British Balloon Museum & Library pay an annual subscription of £15, and it is £18 for Friends overseas. You will receive regular issues of our journal, Trailrope, and one of the much-prized BBM&L lapel badges. There are Inflation Days when historic balloons are given an airing and a great Annual Luncheon. Most important is the knowledge that you are helping to save what could so easily be lost.

This Day in History

13 September 1995
During the 39th Gordon Bennett Race, two American balloons were forced to land by armed forces from Belarus N-1636S flown by Michael Wallace and Kevin Brielman, and N69RW flown by David Levin and Mark Sullivan. However a third balloon, D-CARIBBEAN flown by Alan Fraenkel and John Stuart Jarvis was shot down by a Belarus helicopter and both pilots were killed.
13 September 1977
Charles Dollfus, the famous French balloonist, made his last flight with Tom Sage, an English pilot. They took off from Castle Howard, England during the 3rd World Hot Air Balloon Championships in a Cameron A500, the Gerard A Heineken, then the biggest balloon in the world. They had a hard landing due to high wind speed and Charles Dollfus was injured. This was 66years after Charles Dollfus's first flight. Source: Aerostat 77.5
13 September 1886

First flight over 24hours. Henry Herve and his co-pilot Gaston Alluard flew from Boulogne-sur-Mer in France to Great Yarmouth in England, a distance of 130 miles (209 kilometres). The flight lasted 24hours and 10 minutes. Source: Ballooning 1782-1972. Freiballonsport in Deutschland. Dollfus

Educational resources for everyone

How does a balloon work?
How do you land?

Hot air balloons are colourful and inspiring, great to fire the imagination and create an enthusiasm for learning. Visit our Education section to learn more about them and to access teacher resources.

0
0
Your Cart
Your cart is emptyReturn to Shop
Continue Shopping
Scroll to Top