ENGLISH PUBS 3
The Air Balloon, Birdlip, Gloucestershire.
Owned by Greene King Brewery the pub sign depicts a modern air balloon with passengers in the gondola.
I have been unable to satisfy myself about the origin of this name.
It is located at a road junction of great antiquity; the precise historic course of the roads is difficult to trace today. However, a source dating from 1675 describes the Gloucester - London road and the ancient drove road from South Wales joining the Roman “Ermin Street” here. (Not to be confused with the Roman Ermine Street, the London to York road).
To the north of Gloucester is the village of Maisemore (from the Welsh maes mawr meaning “great field”) where it is likely drovers would stop with their huge herds of cattle and sheep. The drovers would ascend the Cotswolds at Birdlip Hill and continue east or turn south to the Ridgeway or on to Sussex.
Historically there were two “ale houses” located at or near the junction and doubtless these provided food, drink and accommodation for the drovers and other travellers. In 1782 the then single inn was called “The New Inn” and this name was changed to “The Balloon” in 1786 and by 1802 it was known as “The Air Balloon”. Local archives and topographical accounts record several balloon ascents in the region from about 1784.
"The Air Balloon" - eastern elevation.
"The Air Balloon" viewed from the south, the main A417 road having now reached the top of Crickley Hill, is just visible to the right behind the building.
So, that sets the scene. It is almost certain that balloons descended in this area - Birdlip is on the western edge of the Cotswold Hills, some 300m above the populated coastal plain to the west; the prevailing south-west wind would blow balloons to this first high ground. Birdlime Hill has an altitude of 299m. Whether length of flight, altitude are local weather conditions prevailed, it seems several of these un-manned balloon flights ended along this ridge. This note is concerned with one flight in particular.
It has often been quoted that “The Air Balloon” was named to commemorate “the famous balloon flight of 2nd September 1784 by Edward Jenner which ended close to the pub”. This implies Jenner actually flew in a balloon. He lived about 22.3 miles (36km) to the south west at Berkeley. Jenner’s friend and fellow physician Caleb Parry is thought to be the pioneer of balloon flight in south-west England. His first flight - a hydrogen balloon - made from varnished silk, 17ft (5.18m) high and 8ft 6in (2.59m) diameter was launched 10th January 1784 from Bath and flew 19 miles (30km) to Wells, Somerset. Jenner is recorded as building a balloon to Parry’s specification and launching it 2nd September 1784; it flew 10 miles (16km) north-east, landing at Kingscote.
No some doubt creeps in. It is reported the balloon was re-launched and continued for 14 miles (22.5km) to Birdlip. Was it possible to just “re-launch” such a balloon? Presumably Jenner and friends followed the flight on horse back. Was special equipment required to re-launch? Hydrogen kept the balloon aloft, did it land at Kingscote because sufficient hydrogen had escaped? How, in 1784 could more hydrogen be supplied to re-launch?
These questions seen to remain unanswered, but nonetheless, an interesting story doubtless based on a real event. Certainly Jenner, better known for his pioneering work with smallpox vaccine, did fly a balloon from Berkeley castle but it was an unmanned flight. The story has become embellished with the passage of time.
[It is worth adding the Gloucester Journal 2nd August 1784 has an article recording a balloon flight to be made by Sharpnell and dyer from Stinchcombe Hill, Gloucestershire on 3rd August 1784. Alas, this came to nothing, it appears there was no balloon at the proposed launch site, and the crowd that had gathered to witness the event caused a minor riot. It is likely the “Sharpnell” referred to in the newspaper was Jenner’s surgeon friend William Shrapnell].
Owned by Greene King Brewery the pub sign depicts a modern air balloon with passengers in the gondola.
I have been unable to satisfy myself about the origin of this name.
It is located at a road junction of great antiquity; the precise historic course of the roads is difficult to trace today. However, a source dating from 1675 describes the Gloucester - London road and the ancient drove road from South Wales joining the Roman “Ermin Street” here. (Not to be confused with the Roman Ermine Street, the London to York road).
To the north of Gloucester is the village of Maisemore (from the Welsh maes mawr meaning “great field”) where it is likely drovers would stop with their huge herds of cattle and sheep. The drovers would ascend the Cotswolds at Birdlip Hill and continue east or turn south to the Ridgeway or on to Sussex.
Historically there were two “ale houses” located at or near the junction and doubtless these provided food, drink and accommodation for the drovers and other travellers. In 1782 the then single inn was called “The New Inn” and this name was changed to “The Balloon” in 1786 and by 1802 it was known as “The Air Balloon”. Local archives and topographical accounts record several balloon ascents in the region from about 1784.
"The Air Balloon" - eastern elevation.
"The Air Balloon" viewed from the south, the main A417 road having now reached the top of Crickley Hill, is just visible to the right behind the building.
So, that sets the scene. It is almost certain that balloons descended in this area - Birdlip is on the western edge of the Cotswold Hills, some 300m above the populated coastal plain to the west; the prevailing south-west wind would blow balloons to this first high ground. Birdlime Hill has an altitude of 299m. Whether length of flight, altitude are local weather conditions prevailed, it seems several of these un-manned balloon flights ended along this ridge. This note is concerned with one flight in particular.
It has often been quoted that “The Air Balloon” was named to commemorate “the famous balloon flight of 2nd September 1784 by Edward Jenner which ended close to the pub”. This implies Jenner actually flew in a balloon. He lived about 22.3 miles (36km) to the south west at Berkeley. Jenner’s friend and fellow physician Caleb Parry is thought to be the pioneer of balloon flight in south-west England. His first flight - a hydrogen balloon - made from varnished silk, 17ft (5.18m) high and 8ft 6in (2.59m) diameter was launched 10th January 1784 from Bath and flew 19 miles (30km) to Wells, Somerset. Jenner is recorded as building a balloon to Parry’s specification and launching it 2nd September 1784; it flew 10 miles (16km) north-east, landing at Kingscote.
No some doubt creeps in. It is reported the balloon was re-launched and continued for 14 miles (22.5km) to Birdlip. Was it possible to just “re-launch” such a balloon? Presumably Jenner and friends followed the flight on horse back. Was special equipment required to re-launch? Hydrogen kept the balloon aloft, did it land at Kingscote because sufficient hydrogen had escaped? How, in 1784 could more hydrogen be supplied to re-launch?
These questions seen to remain unanswered, but nonetheless, an interesting story doubtless based on a real event. Certainly Jenner, better known for his pioneering work with smallpox vaccine, did fly a balloon from Berkeley castle but it was an unmanned flight. The story has become embellished with the passage of time.
[It is worth adding the Gloucester Journal 2nd August 1784 has an article recording a balloon flight to be made by Sharpnell and dyer from Stinchcombe Hill, Gloucestershire on 3rd August 1784. Alas, this came to nothing, it appears there was no balloon at the proposed launch site, and the crowd that had gathered to witness the event caused a minor riot. It is likely the “Sharpnell” referred to in the newspaper was Jenner’s surgeon friend William Shrapnell].