"anything built by Saunders Roe after WW2 that was meant to go more than a few inches above the surface."
A touch unfair.
They were asked to build various aircraft by the Government. They did, and they all fulfilled the specification. It's not their fault if the specification was bonkers or out of date.
You've also forgotten the Black Knight research rocket and the Black Arrow satellite launcher. Both very successful All got more than an inch off the ground.,