Jhieminga
31st Jan 2022, 14:08
I'm just sharing it, I'm not involved with the project, but I do think it is a worthy one.
This unique Art Deco building is one of the few remaining parts of the once-famous Phillip & Powis - later Miles Aircraft - factory on the former Reading Aerodrome at Woodley. It was originally designed by the respected modernist architect Guy Morgan (1903-1987), constructed in 1938 and formally opened by Air Minister Sir Kingsley Wood on 27th January 1939.
This innovative headquarters building had offices for the directors and heads of all technical departments on the first floor, with machine and fitting shops below and behind. The factory built nearly 6,000 aircraft in the 1930s and ’40s, and also made the earliest Biro ballpoint pens.
The site is now subject to a Planning application to Wokingham Borough Council for the demolition of all remaining buildings for redevelopment. The Council’s public consultation last year generated more comments objecting to the loss of these 'non-designated heritage assets' than about any other related issues. The developer’s late-submitted 'Built Heritage Statement' is inaccurate and gives poor recognition of this site's role in Woodley or wider aviation history.
An application to Historic England for Listing this historic building is currently being assessed, but we need public support to back this up. Too many of Britain's former aircraft factories have already been lost to modern development when they could have been saved through intelligent conservation and re-purposing.
Please sign this petition now and show your support for retaining this historic landmark building so that future generations will remember Woodley's outstanding contribution to this country's aviation history. Factories like this helped save Britain – we need your help to save them.
More details and a photo are on the Change.org petition page, see here: https://www.change.org/SaveHistoricMilesAircraftHeadquartersInWoodley
This unique Art Deco building is one of the few remaining parts of the once-famous Phillip & Powis - later Miles Aircraft - factory on the former Reading Aerodrome at Woodley. It was originally designed by the respected modernist architect Guy Morgan (1903-1987), constructed in 1938 and formally opened by Air Minister Sir Kingsley Wood on 27th January 1939.
This innovative headquarters building had offices for the directors and heads of all technical departments on the first floor, with machine and fitting shops below and behind. The factory built nearly 6,000 aircraft in the 1930s and ’40s, and also made the earliest Biro ballpoint pens.
The site is now subject to a Planning application to Wokingham Borough Council for the demolition of all remaining buildings for redevelopment. The Council’s public consultation last year generated more comments objecting to the loss of these 'non-designated heritage assets' than about any other related issues. The developer’s late-submitted 'Built Heritage Statement' is inaccurate and gives poor recognition of this site's role in Woodley or wider aviation history.
An application to Historic England for Listing this historic building is currently being assessed, but we need public support to back this up. Too many of Britain's former aircraft factories have already been lost to modern development when they could have been saved through intelligent conservation and re-purposing.
Please sign this petition now and show your support for retaining this historic landmark building so that future generations will remember Woodley's outstanding contribution to this country's aviation history. Factories like this helped save Britain – we need your help to save them.
More details and a photo are on the Change.org petition page, see here: https://www.change.org/SaveHistoricMilesAircraftHeadquartersInWoodley