New aviation exhibition to open at Windermere

The first permanent exhibition recording the role played by Windermere in the history of the development of aeroplanes will be officially opened this month.

It explains how the first flights taking off from water in the UK happened on the Cumbrian lake and how this later led to the building of a flying boat factory on its shores during the Second World War.

The exhibition has been organised by the Waterbird Project, which has also announced dates of new flights of the unique replica of the first UK seaplane early next month.

In September 2022 the exact copy of the 35ft-long aircraft made its inaugural public flight and marked 28 years since any seaplane had flown at Windermere and 111 years since the original’s first flight.

The exhibition displays will be adjacent to the From Auschwitz to Ambleside exhibition at Windermere Library which highlights how 300 children who survived the Nazi death camps were flown to Carlisle at the end of the war and settled in the Calgarth Estate on the shores of the lake.

The two events are linked as the children occupied the temporary accommodation just vacated by workers at the Short Brothers factory which built the Sunderland flying boats during the Second World War.

Lake District Holocaust Project director Trevor Avery said: ““The Lake District has a remarkably selective memory when it comes to commemorating its heroes.

“The most revered are those who celebrate its undoubted beauty, for example William Wordsworth, John Ruskin, with Beatrix Potter sitting close by.

“However, the Lake District has a proud history of industry and enterprise that demands recognition – none more so than the exploits of Captain E W Wakefield in the early years of the 20th century.

“It was Captain Wakefield who initiated the development in the UK of aeroplanes able to take off from water and copyrighted the stepped float which made it possible.”

Ian Gee, chairman of Lakes Flying Club, which is behind the Waterbird Project, said: “We are delighted to finally get a permanent display paying tribute to the people behind Waterbird and the crucial part it played in the development of aviation in the UK.”

The exhibition will be officially opened on Tuesday, August 27. Entry is free.

Mr Gee also announced a new opportunity to see the award-winning replica seaplane take to the air.

He said: “Our third round of flying displays will take place on Windermere on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th September from 7.00pm.

“Spectators will also enjoy a flying display by a second, more modern seaplane, the Aviat Husky, showing the long legacy that Waterbird inspired.

“This demonstration will take place further up the lake than the first flights, with viewing points at Brockhole on Windermere, framing the Waterbird against the magnificent Langdale Pikes.”

The details of the status of flights can be checked at: https://www.waterbird.org.uk