Brooklands
Maps
[edit]The Brooklands site was created out of 330 acres of farm and woodland, marshy in places due to the river, from the original Brooklands estate, recently inherited by its creator,Hugh Locke King.The circuit was laid out as an oval on a SW - NE alignment, with the northern curve (Members Banking) of a tighter radius than the southern curve (Byfleet Banking), which had a 3,000 feet diameter. The northern side was placed alongside half a mile of the London to Southampton Railway (the present day track that heads NE fromByfleet and New Haw railway station). Inside the northern curve was a hill. Running roughly N to S, the river bisected the oval such that one third of the interior was on its east bank, and the rest on the west.
-
Site map, circa 1919 (SE-NW aligned)
-
Pre-war map of the circuit (N-S aligned)
-
Street map of the present day Brooklands (N-S aligned)
River Wey bridges & bridge views
[edit]The bridges over the River Wey as it passes through the Brooklands site are (from north to south):
Around the area where it enters the site, there are:
- 51°21′24″N0°28′03″W/ 51.356802°N 0.467378°W- an outer footbridge, parallel to the railway viaduct
- 51°21′24″N0°28′02″W/ 51.356715°N 0.46723°W- the Seven Arches railway viaduct
- 51°21′23″N0°28′00″W/ 51.3564°N 0.466726°W- the point where the track used to bridge the river as part of Members' Banking, the northern curve of the oval, but which was dismantled during WWII
- 51°21′23″N0°28′00″W/ 51.356266°N 0.466573°W- an inner footbridge, which parallels the inside of Members' Banking
Moving south, there are two further bridges in the northern quarter of the river:
- 51°21′17″N0°27′58″W/ 51.354815°N 0.466163°W- a road bridge linking Brooklands Drive with the museum, and formerly an aircraft taxi route linking the north end of the runway with the north end of the west aircraft hangars and factories
- 51°21′13″N0°27′56″W/ 51.353506°N 0.46561°W- a former WWIIBailey bridgenow used as the pedestrian access from the museum car park into the museum's main (west) entrance
The only other bridges across the river are all in the southern third of its course through the site:
- 51°20′58″N0°28′00″W/ 51.349398°N 0.466737°W- a road bridge which formerly carried the inner section of the Campbell Circuit
- 51°20′54″N0°28′03″W/ 51.348289°N 0.46748°W- the Wellington Way road overpass
- 51°20′47″N0°27′59″W/ 51.346463°N 0.466302°W- Aerodrome Road bridge - the road connected the motor circuit paddock with the flying village, just to the west of the southern track bridge (see next)
- 51°20′46″N0°27′57″W/ 51.346178°N 0.465771°W- the southern track bridge - it's at this point the river leaves the site, under the bridge which carries the bottom of the straight between The Fork and Byfleet Banking, with the banking of the curve starting immediately to the south
-
The view NE along the outer Members' Banking footbridge, with the railway viaduct to the right
21 April 2012 -
The view south east under the rail line, to the missing bridge section
11 October 2005 -
The view north east over the river to Members' Banking, showing the inner Members' Banking footbridge on the left
21 April 2012 -
The view north to the museum road bridge
26 February 2012 -
The view east along the museum footbridge, into the museum site
7 August 2013 -
The view NE to the Campbell Circuit bridge from the west bank
15 April 2013 -
The view north to the Wellington Way overpass, from the west bank of the river
15 April 2013 -
The view NE from the southern track bridge to the Aerodrome Road bridge
15 April 2013 -
Looking NE across the southern track bridge
15 April 2013 -
The view south along the River Way as it leaves the motor circuit at the southern end, as viewed from the southern track bridge
15 April 2013
Brooklands Motor Course
[edit]Historical motorsport images
[edit]-
Car racing on the Byfleet Banking
1907 -
A Cody Aircraft Mark III passes over the paddock?, possibly at the start of the 1911 Daily Mail Circuit of Britain Race
-
Start/Finish Straight?
1930
Surviving sections
[edit]SeeBrooklands Motor Circuit surviving sections
Surviving motor course buildings
[edit]Test Hill
[edit]Aerodrome & aircraft factories
[edit]Historical aviation images
[edit]-
A Cody Aircraft Mark III passes over the paddock?, possibly at the start of the 1911 Daily Mail Circuit of Britain Race
-
The Vickers factory c1930, next to the circuit
-
A Wellington bomber back at Vickers in 1941 for a role conversion
-
A light aircraft landing on the runway in April 1993
-
The Brooklands Memorial (bottom right) inside the ta xing loop at the north end of the runway, the museum (left) and The Heights office blocks (distant), as seen from the air from a Vickers Viscount on a retirement flight, on 29 July 1996
Surviving aviation buildings
[edit]Surviving World War II defences
[edit]Brooklands Museum
[edit]London Bus Museum
[edit]Mercedes-Benz World
[edit]Concordes G-BBDG/G-CONC
[edit]SeeG-BBDG (aircraft)andG-CONC (gate guardian)
Brooklands Spa/Hotel
[edit]The Brooklands Spa/Hotel is in the north western edge of the site, bordered by the Railway Straight to the north west, the industrial park to the south west, and Mercedes-Benz World to the east and south. It comprises two wings arranged in a V off a central entrance column51°21′11″N0°28′15″W/ 51.353171°N 0.470738°W,with the interior angle facing east, onto Brooklands Drive.
-
Looking NW across Brooklands Drive
27 September 2013 -
The eastern face of the southern wing & central block
27 September 2013 -
The tip of the northern wing, from Brooklands Drive path
27 September 2013
Brooklands Industrial Park & Brooklands Aero Clubhouse
[edit]The industrial park occupies most of the western half of the site, extending partially over Railway Straight to the west and Byfleet Banking to the south west and south, and bordered by the Spa/Hotel at its northern tip, and Mercedes-Benz World/Sopwith Drive to the east. Brooklands Aero Clubhouse51°20′47″N0°28′26″W/ 51.346383°N 0.473925°Wis also within this area, facing Sopwith Drive.
-
A warehouse at the north end of Brooklands Industrial Park in the distance, viewed from the NE from Clubhouse turn and the Wet Skid Circle in Mercedes-Benz World
26 February 2012 -
The view north east across the carp park to the southern facade of the retail units in the south west corner
26 September 2010 -
The southern facade of Marks & Spencer, one of the retail units in the south west corner
22 July 2012
Brooklands Community Park
[edit]The community park occupies the SE corner of the site, bordered by Sopwith Drive to the west, Wellington Way to the north west, the River Wey to the north east, and extending across the Byfleet Banking to the south east. Inside the park, the bottom half of the hard runway and associated taxi-way survives.
-
An ice-cream van on the runway, with large play park to the left
15 April 2013 -
The view north east along the Brooklands Drive footpath as it curves away to the left, to go under Wellington Way. The housing is what lies beyond the River Wey.
15 April 2013 -
The view north along the Brooklands Drive footpath as it passes under Wellington Way, with the River Wey on right right
15 April 2013
The Heights business park
[edit]The Heights business park now occupies the north eastern portions of the site, bordered by the museum to the north, the River Wey to the west, Wellington Way to the south, and extending east beyond the alignment of the former track - the access roundabout marks the approximate location of the Fork/Vickers, where the eastern straight forked, with the Start/Finish Straight heading NNE (along the alignment of the largest car park), and the outer oval heading NE before curving back west as Members Banking.
- 51°20′57″N0°27′54″W/ 51.349187°N 0.464886°W- access roundabout
- 51°21′00″N0°27′57″W/ 51.349948°N 0.465825°W- Building 1
- 51°21′03″N0°27′56″W/ 51.350866°N 0.465503°W- Building 2
- 51°21′06″N0°27′55″W/ 51.351757°N 0.465245°W- Building 3
- 51°21′10″N0°27′53″W/ 51.352822°N 0.464848°W- Building 4
- 51°21′12″N0°27′45″W/ 51.353258°N 0.462456°W- Building 5
- 51°21′07″N0°27′42″W/ 51.351938°N 0.461705°W- Proctor & Gamble building
- 51°21′00″N0°27′46″W/ 51.350102°N 0.462713°W- Sony UK HQ building
-
The view south down Test Hill to the bottom, and on to the The Heights business park car park can be seen in the distance
30 September 2007 -
The west facade of the Proctor & Gamble building
22 July 2012 -
The entrance (SW corner) of Building 5
22 July 2012 -
The view NE toward Building 1 from the west bank of the river, looking over the Campbell Circuit bridge
15 April 2013
Housing
[edit]The small amount of housing is on the eastern edge. The three cul-de-sacs Davis Road, Dixon Drive and Mays Close are all inside the course. The alignment of Staniland Drive / Connaught Drive follows the line of the former course.
-
The housing as viewed from inside Brooklands Community Park, looking NE along the Brooklands Drive footpath as it curves away to the left, to go under Wellington Way
15 April 2013
Footpaths
[edit]-
The view north up the west bank of the river. Behind the fence is the Mercedes-Benz Handling Circuit. In the distance is the tail fin of the sultan of Oman's VC10 inside the museum
15 April 2013