Woodford Aerodrome

{{short description|Former airport and aircraft factory in the United Kingdom}}

{{Redirect|EGCD|the extended Euclidean algorithm|Extended Euclidean algorithm}}

{{Infobox airport

| name = Woodford Aerodrome

| nativename = Manchester Woodford Aerodrome

| image = Avro Lancaster bombers nearing completion at the A V Roe & Co Ltd factory, Woodford, Cheshire.png

| caption = Avro Lancaster assembly line, 1943

| IATA =

| ICAO = EGCD

| type = Private

| owner =

| operator = BAE Systems

| city-served =

| location = Woodford, Greater Manchester, England

| elevation-f = 295

| coordinates = {{coord|53|20|17|N|002|08|56|W|type:airport_region:GB-SKP|display=inline,title}}

| pushpin_map = Greater Manchester

| pushpin_label = EGCD

| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Greater Manchester

| website =

| metric-rwy = Yes

| r1-number = 07/25

| r1-length-f = 7,520

| r1-length-m = 2,292

| r1-surface = Asphalt

| footnotes =

}}

Woodford Aerodrome {{Airport codes||EGCD}} is a former airfield and aircraft factory at Woodford, Greater Manchester, England, {{Convert|6|NM|abbr=on|lk=in}} north of Macclesfield. It was opened by the Avro company after the First World War and became an important production centre for military aircraft in the Second World War. Notable planes made at the factory include the Avro Anson, Avro Lancaster, Avro Shackleton and Avro Vulcan.

After almost 80 years of aircraft manufacture at the site, Woodford was closed and sold off by BAE Systems in 2011.

History

=Pre-war=

The aerodrome opened in 1924 when successful aviation pioneer Alliott Verdon-Roe bought the original farmland to enable his Avro company to move its aeroplane assembly and test flying facilities from Alexandra Park Aerodrome in south Manchester. Originally it had a small grass landing area with several temporary Bessonneau hangars. The Lancashire Aero Club also used the aerodrome briefly in the 1920s until moving to the new Barton Aerodrome and used a converted farm building as a clubhouse and a 'Dutch barn' style steel-framed hangar built for A V Roe around 1927.

By the late 1930s, the aerodrome was upgraded with the construction of concrete runways; the main runway was also extended to the east. Increased factory space, particularly at the northern edge of the aerodrome next to Woodford village, was constructed to allow vast expansion of aircraft production. During the Second World War, the Avro Lancaster was constructed at the site.

=Post war =

In 1945, Hawker-Siddeley bought into Avro Canada. Avro continued to be operating name at Woodford but it was actually a subsidiary of the Hawker Siddeley Group and used only for trading purposes. When the company was absorbed into Hawker Siddeley Aviation in July 1963, the Avro name ceased to be used.

On 29 April 1977, Woodford was taken over by British Aerospace. It was formed as a result of the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977 (c. 3) when Hawker Siddeley Aviation and Dynamics were nationalised and merged with British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) and Scottish Aviation.

=Final years=

Woodford became part of BAE Systems as a result of the £7.7 billion merger of British Aerospace (BAe) and Marconi Electronic Systems (MES) in November 1999. The aerodrome and factory became known as BAE Systems Woodford until it was sold in late 2011. The site was due to close anyway in 2012 when its Nimrod project was to be completed but in late 2010 the Woodford-built BAE Nimrod MRA4 project was cancelled. It was previously believed that some jobs would be transferred to BAE Systems' Military Air Solutions headquarters in Preston, Lancashire.{{cite web |title=Crainsmanchesterbusiness.co.uk |url=http://www.crainsmanchesterbusiness.co.uk/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080714/FREE/360407340/1166/-/-/bae-systems-chief-exec-turner-skills-at-woodford-must-be-saved|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080803032742/http://www.crainsmanchesterbusiness.co.uk/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080714/FREE/360407340/1166/-/-/bae-systems-chief-exec-turner-skills-at-woodford-must-be-saved|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 August 2008}}{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/6192540/BAe-Systems-to-cut-1116-jobs-and-Cheshire-close-site.html |work=The Telegraph|location=London |title=BAe Systems to cut 1,116 jobs and close Cheshire site |last=Ruddick |first=Graham |date=15 September 2009}}{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8256404.stm |title=BAE Systems plans 1,116 job cuts |date=15 September 2009 |publisher=BBC News}}{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/8257274.stm |title=Resignation to BAE factory news |date=16 September 2009 |publisher=BBC News}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2009/sep/15/bae-job-cuts-woodford-closure |title=BAE to axe 1,100 jobs and close site |work=The Guardian|date=15 September 2009 |agency=Press Association|location=London}}{{cite news |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1136849_jobs_blow_as_bae_plant_to_close |title=Jobs blow as BAE plant to close |date=15 September 2009 |work=Manchester Evening News|publisher=M.E.N. Media}} However, following the cancellation of aircraft orders in the British Government's Strategic Defence and Security Review, the site closed as an active airfield on 25 August 2011.{{cite news |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1393066_bae_woodford_site_closing_a_year_early |title=BAE Woodford site closing a year early |date=15 December 2010 |publisher=M.E.N. Media |access-date=16 December 2010|work=Manchester Evening News}}

On 20 December 2011, the site was purchased for £100 million by Jo Bamford, the heir to the JCB fortune.{{cite web |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/macclesfieldexpress/news/business/s/1468479_jcb-heir-acquires-bae-woodford-for-100m |title=JCB heir acquires BAE Woodford for £100m |date=20 December 2011 |publisher=Manchester Evening News |access-date=20 December 2011}}

A new housing estate called Woodford Garden Village was constructed on the site.{{cite web |url=http://www.wilmslow.co.uk/news/article/6423/plans-for-950-houses-at-woodford-aerodrome-revealed |title=Plans for 950 houses at Woodford Aerodrome revealed |date=29 May 2012 |publisher=Focus Digital Limited |access-date=29 May 2012}}

The Avro Heritage Museum now occupies the former aerodrome fire station.

Aircraft types

Many aircraft types have been built at Woodford, apart from the BAe 146, also first flown at Woodford including:{{clarify|reason=difficult to understand sentence; was 146 built at Woodford or not|date=March 2021}}{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

References

Category:Aircraft assembly plants in England

Category:Airports in Greater Manchester

Category:BAE Systems facilities

Category:Defunct airports in England

Category:Military history of Cheshire

Category:History of transport in Greater Manchester