Icicle Refrozen will take place on the 7th & 8th January 2017 at Donnington Grove Country Club on the North West edge of Newbury, Berkshire.The 3.4.40 Region of the BBAC has again taken on the organization of this iconic event and are delighted to revisit this new venue for both flying and social events. The […]
November 15, 2016
November 15, 2016
The BBM&L Luncheon & AGM was a Success
The Great British Balloon Lunchtime The 2016 BBM&L AGM and Annual Luncheon held at the Elcot near Newbury on October 30th was a brilliant success. More people attended the event this year than for the last six years, many travelling hundreds of miles, Wilf Woollett and Rachel, flew in from Ireland for the day! We […]
September 11, 2016
The Annual Luncheon & AGM Sunday 30th October 2016
The Annual British Balloon Museum & Library Luncheon is going to be on Sunday 30th October. It will be at the Mercure Elcot Park Hotel near Newbury, Berkshire. The BBM&L’s Annual General Meeting will take place just before the luncheon, and all Friends are welcome to attend, the AGM is at 11.00am. Click here for […]
September 11, 2016
The 14th British Balloon Museum & Library Inflation Day. By Tim Turner
Well, what a busy and exciting day it was for the 14th BBM&L Inflation Day, and the weather really was the cream topping to make it a perfect event! I cannot remember such an impeccable forecast during the preceding week and turning out as predicted on the day. The only complaint I received was ‘it’s […]
June 3, 2016
Have you Missed a Trailrope?
Here are the front covers of the last four Trailropes, the journal of the British Balloon Museum & Library. The most recent one has all the reports on the most amazing Inflation Day, held on May 7th. But do you realise that for £10 a year you receive four Trailropes plus invitations to the luncheon and […]
December 30, 2015
The BBM&L 14th Inflation Day, May 7th 2016
The British Balloon Museum & Library are pleased to announce that the 14th Inflation Day will be held on Saturday May 7th 2016. We are looking forward to welcoming you all to Lakeside Lodge at Pidley, near Huntingdon, where David Hopkins has very graciously agreed to host it again for us. LAAS International, the […]
November 26, 2015
Balloon Museum Annual Luncheon
The Annual Luncheon of the British Balloon Museum took place at the Elcot near Newbury, Berkshire at the end of October and was really well attended. The BBM&L were lucky to have persuaded Greg and Molly Winker to have cut short their European tour to come and tell us about Early American ballooning. It was […]
July 20, 2015
The First Hot-Air Balloon 1783
232 years ago, on June 4th, 1783, Etienne and Joseph Montgolfier demonstrated the first balloon heated by hot air to the nobles of Annonay in south of France. The Montgolfier family ran a large paper factory and had 16 children and they all worked there. Joseph was the 12th Child and Etienne was the 15th. […]
May 15, 2015
Anthony Smith’s Memorial Service
On Thursday 18th June at 11.30 am St Bride’s Church, Fleet Street, London, EC4Y 8AU over 300 people attended the Memorial service for a remarkable man in the history of ballooning, exploration, raft expeditions and journalism. Anthony’s son Adam looked forward to welcoming all who remembered his Father, and he was amazed at how many hundreds […]
February 4, 2015
48 Years ago today was the 1st flight in a gas balloon across the Channel with 5 passengers
1967 4th February, on a beautiful calm and sunny day, Malcolm Brighton piloted the 1st balloon to cross the English Channel carrying 5 people. JAMBO, a gas balloon was flown from Rye in Sussex to Berck Plage in France. JAMBO was better known as the gas balloon flown in Africa by Anthony Smith, and this […]