A New Local, Social Hub In A Historic Aircraft Hangar
This historic hangar was a hive of activity, assembling and maintaining aircraft in the Airfield’s aviation heyday. Once restored, it will once again become a vibrant local hub for Bristol.
This historic hangar was a hive of activity, assembling and maintaining aircraft in the Airfield’s aviation heyday. Once restored, it will once again become a vibrant local hub for Bristol.
Built around 1915, Hangar 16U is an essential part of Brabazon’s heritage. Originally built for the Royal Flying Corps, this impressive Grade II listed building connected Bristol to the world. Beneath its Belfast trusses, a community of engineers and designers were driven by a common purpose, creating new technologies that shaped the future of flight.
Now this beautiful brick-built structure will have a new lease of life as a local, sociable community hub at Brabazon.
Hangar 16U's flexible multi-use spaces will bring the community together
Downstairs there will be a bustling open-plan café to catch up with friends for coffee or enjoy a family lunch. A new modern library will cater for adults and children alike, with casual seating on which to linger and learn. There will be quiet pods for studying and arched nooks for private meetings. Activity rooms will host a busy social calendar of events, offering anything from antenatal classes to Zumba, while a community-focused fitness centre will have both cardio machines and weight-training facilities for those wanting to work out.
Upstairs will feature dedicated youth spaces and more activity rooms, creating a place for after-school clubs, informal study groups, workshops and recreation. A large hall will be a social space for multi-faith groups, a backdrop to the children's creche or the perfect venue for public meetings and family events.
Visitors will spill out onto the 15-acre Brabazon Park to the West, with its exercise area, children’s playgrounds and public lawns that will be perfect for picnicking. Then to the East, Hangar 16U will open onto a vibrant new public square, planned as a home for regular pop-up markets and street food stalls.
Work to restore the building is expected to commence in 2023.
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All dates are estimates and may be subject to planning approval.
All computer-generated images (CGIs) are indicative only and are not drawn to scale.