33 replies to this topic

[Charlieman]

An urban explorer paid a visit to Long Marston which is expected to be covered with new houses shortly. It's not a pretty sight for anyone who flew or raced there.

https://shrewsburyfr...-graveyard.html

 

For a brief history and photos of happier times:

http://www.longmarst...com/our-history

[Vitesse2]

Seeing that Shackleton just sitting rotting is pretty depressing.

 

And correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the first one what remains of a Douglas Boston (A20 Havoc in US service)?

[La Sarthe]

It's a Percival Pembroke

[RS2000]

Havoc (nightfighter) and Boston (bomber) were both RAF names.

[john aston]

If the Shackleton had been an Xk140 , even a  TR3 it'd be on the front page of Octane -' Amazing Time Warp Triumph  Barn Find - Exclusive ! ' and then bought by a millionaire at a Bonhams auction  .

 

There is something unutterably sad about planes which have made their last flight and will never feel the air over their wings again . Anthropomorphism I know , but deeply  felt all the same. There's a Lightning rotting away in a scrapyard next to the East Coast Main Line and I want to  weep every time I go past en route to London .

[Mallory Dan]

By the A1 near Newark, John? If so its gone now!

[AJCee]

XN728's cockpit survived and is currently being restored.

[elansprint72]

La Sarthe, on 12 Jul 2018 - 12:55, said:

It's a Percival Pembroke

I'm reasonably sure that I went to school with him.... 

[elansprint72]

Fascinating stuff and, if the dates are correct, the "explorer" was only there a few days ago.

[BRG]

elansprint72, on 13 Jul 2018 - 20:51, said:

I'm reasonably sure that I went to school with him.... 

Are you sure that wasn't Douglas Havoc?

[Rupertlt1]

Long Marston dates:

 

Sunday 7 July 1957, Evesham A.C., Long Marston Aerodrome, Sprint

 

Sunday 29 June 1958, Evesham A.C., Long Marston Aerodrome

F.T.D.: C.G. Tyrer, Jaguar D.C., Jaguar 'C' Type, 23.31 secs, record

 

Sunday 5 July 1959, Evesham A.C., Long Marston, Sprint (Restricted)

F.T.D.: D. Piper (B.A.R.C.) Lotus Climax 1750 c.c., 22.06 secs

 

Sunday 10 July 1960, Evesham Automobile Club and British Motor Cycle Racing Club, Speed Trial, Long Marston Airfield, near Stratford-on-Avon (A46)

 

Sunday 25 June 1961, Evesham Automobile Club and British Motor Cycle Racing Club, Speed Trial, Long Marston Airfield, near Stratford-on-Avon (A46)

 

17 September 1961?

 

Sunday 24 June 1962, Evesham A.C., National British:

"Evesham A.C. inform me that

they have been granted national status

for the annual sprint, which is to be

held at Long Marston on 24th June.

They hope to include a standing quarter mile class to attract entrants of the

dragster type." Autosport, 5 January 1962, Page 26

 

Sunday 23 June 1963, Racing and Sports Cars, Dragsters and Motor Cycles, SECOND NATIONAL BRITISH HIGH-SPEED TRIAL, Organised by Evesham Automobile Club & B.M.C.R.C.

 

Sunday 21 June 1964, Evesham A.C., Sprint

 

Sunday 19 June 1966, Evesham Auto Club, National British Drag Sprint, Long Marston

 

Sunday 18 June 1967, Evesham Auto Club, High-Speed Trials, Long Marston, (NAT)

 

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 26 May 2021 - 15:58.

[Red Socks]

17 September 1961?

 

Not in the RAC Blue Book Rupert

[tonyA110]

Ah Happy Days! I cycled from home in Stratford on Avon to the Evesham Club events at Long Marston. The sun always shone of course and although the memory is not what it was I'm sure I  recall seeing Patsy Burt in a Frazer Nash LM replica, Syd Allard in an Allardette, Gerry Tyack (founder of the Wellington Museum in Moreton in Marsh ?) in a Sunbeam Tiger and a chap with a Spanish sounding name in an Aston DBR.

I had the programmes until a couple of years ago but then sold them all on eBay.

Along side the Shackleton there was a Westland S55 (?) in Air Sea rescue yellow in a sorry state too. I'll try and find a photo. There was a nice little aircraft museum on the site but hopefully the exhibits were removed by someone who would do something with them rather than let them fall apart.

tonyA110

[john winfield]

Drifting OT, but just in case anyone else is confused as I used to be, there are at least two Long Marstons in the UK with a motor sport history. Charlieman's urban explorer is at the airfield near Stratford in Warwickshire where, as Rupert indicates, Evesham AC used to organise events. Perhaps other clubs did too.

 

Long Marston near Tring, on the Herts/Beds/Bucks borders was the home of British karting in the early 1960s. As far as I know this track was also on an ex-RAF airfield, RAF Cheddington, Cheddington being the neighbouring village which, I suspect, Roy James got to know well in 1963.  Tring Long Marston is mentioned in the 'Gearbox Karting' thread, by David Beard amongst others. 

[Rupertlt1]

Red Socks, on 26 May 2021 - 11:23, said:

17 September 1961?

 

Not in the RAC Blue Book Rupert

 

"Paul Ivey (Lotus-Climax 7) won the Long Marston sprint that day..."

Autosport, 23 February 1962, Page 276.

Michael Kettlewell, 1961 Seasonal Survey, Hill-Climbs and Sprints.

So what day was it? 10th September?

 

Any other dates? 1965?

 

RGDS RLT 

Edited by Rupertlt1, 26 May 2021 - 12:25.

[john winfield]

Mallory Dan, on 13 Jul 2018 - 10:39, said:

By the A1 near Newark, John? If so its gone now!

 

If this was the Lightning that John saw then it was probably part of the Newark Air Museum collection. I think AJCee's post refers to NAM's restoration.

 

http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/

[Red Socks]

20th June 1965 Evesham AC Sprint Long Marston National British status

 

Rupertlt1, on 26 May 2021 - 12:04, said:

"Paul Ivey (Lotus-Climax 7) won the Long Marston sprint that day..."

Autosport, 23 February 1962, Page 276.

Michael Kettlewell, 1961 Seasonal Survey, Hill-Climbs and Sprints.

So what day was it? 10th September? NO

 

Any other dates? 1965?

 

RGDS RLT 

[Allan Lupton]

john winfield, on 26 May 2021 - 11:55, said:

Long Marston near Tring, on the Herts/Beds/Bucks borders was the home of British karting in the early 1960s. As far as I know this track was also on an ex-RAF airfield, RAF Cheddington, Cheddington being the neighbouring village which, I suspect, Roy James got to know well in 1963.  Tring Long Marston is mentioned in the 'Gearbox Karting' thread, by David Beard amongst others. 

Before the Karts I'm sure there were sprints at that Long Marston - can't remember who ran them but SODC would be a reasonable guess.

In the 1950s Herts Constabulary had their skid pan at Long Marston and I was a member of a Motor Club which was invited to use it with Instructors but in our own cars. Took ages to clean the car afterwards - it would have to be a white one!
 

[tonyA110]

Further to my previous post here, when searching for the photographs of the Westland helicopter, I have found the programmes that I was certain I sold a couple of years ago.

The date of the 1966 Evesham AC meeting at Long Marston near Stratford on Avon was Sunday 20th June.

To correct my previous post, Miss P Burt is listed as driving a 1966cc Cooper in the same class as 3 x 2 litre dragsters, the fellow with the Spanish (to me) sounding name was C. Sgonina and his Aston was a DBR1 but was listed as having a 5980cc engine which sounds a lot to me. In earlier years it was listed as being 2983cc, which sounds more like it. The next entry on the list is the 'Farrallac' with the same 5980cc engine size so a typo perhaps?  Also listed is the Jaguar 'Egal', an E-Type with a 7 litre Ford Galaxie engine I believe (I wonder what happened to that) and local driver John McCartney-Filgate drove a Cooper Chevrolet entered by Ansty Garage. Wasn't that Chris Summers place?

On the front cover of the programme is a photograph a car no 90, which if it was taken at the 1962 meeting was Tony Marsh in the Marsh Special, 2500cc. Positioned next to the start line as if it might be a course car is an Austin Devon! 

 

tonyA110

[Rupertlt1]

tonyA110, on 26 May 2021 - 16:45, said:

 

The date of the 1966 Evesham AC meeting at Long Marston near Stratford on Avon was Sunday 20th June.

 

tonyA110

 

Sorry to be picky, but 20th June 1966 was a Monday?

Are we in the right year?

 

18 June 1967: F.T.D. Patsy Burt, McLaren Oldsmobile

"Driving her McLaren Olds-

mobile racing car which she

uses on the hill climb circuits,

Miss Patsy Burt set up a new

record at the spring meeting

organised by the Evesham and

District Automobile Club at

Long Marston yesterday.

Her time for the 880-yard

course was 17.62sec. which clips

over a second off the previous

best."

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 26 May 2021 - 17:23.

[Mallory Dan]

There are also huge numbers of withdrawn/stored Rolling Stock in the massive sidings complex at Long Marston these days.

[Bloggsworth]

Gloster Meteor in the grass. As soon as I saw it I thought Percival Pembroke, too small for a warplane, more of a personel transport.

[tonyA110]

Sorry to be picky, but 20th June 1966 was a Monday?

Are we in the right year?

 

Sorry RLT - you are quite right, Sunday 19th. The points that I 'corrected' apply to the '65 meeting.

 

Re the Percival, I was under the impression that it came from Coventry Airport at Baginton many years ago and is a Pembroke. Someone I know is involved in the restoration of a Shackleton at Coventry Airport and a couple of years ago I found a flying model of a Shack, but with it's engines removed in a junk shop. I though my friend might like it - it had a wing span of about a metre and looked quite impressive. I asked the youth behind the counter how much it was and he said he would have to go and find out. After an age he came back and said that it wasn't for sale, but while I was waiting I saw a Monte Carlo Rally plate in a cabinet and asked the price of that. He had to go and find out again and after another age reported that the plate was not for sale either.

I must go and find out if the place is still in 'business'.

 

Regards tonyA110

Edited by tonyA110, 27 May 2021 - 04:29.

[BRG]

Mallory Dan, on 26 May 2021 - 18:45, said:

There are also huge numbers of withdrawn/stored Rolling Stock in the massive sidings complex at Long Marston these days.

No, that is a separate site a little to the south of the airfield.  I think it was a MOD ordnance depot, as it had a rail connection. It is now in the hands of rolling stock lease company Porterbrook and is the home of several rail companies

[RS2000]

Kineton Depot? (not to be confused with Kineton Ford). Both featured on road rally routes back in the day. The earlier 7th series OS maps had big blank white spaces where military installations were and I recall grid references that plotted in nowhere but if you kept going in the general direction you found yourself on a new road built to avoid the depot.

Long Marston itself was a special stage on some multi-venue stage rallies.

[BRG]

RS2000, on 27 May 2021 - 16:08, said:

Kineton Depot?

 

No, Kineton Depot is further east, not far from Banbury, and still is use by the MOD, I believe.  The Long Marston site was the Central Engineer Park, a store facility for Army engineering kit.

 

I remember the big white spaces on OS maps only too well.  We did the Tour of Lincs rally one year, and one stage was denoted only by an entry map reference and an exit reference.  Otherwise, there was absolute nothing at all on the map.  We got there to find a whole army camp with tarmac roads and buildings.  Why the military mind thought that leaving them off the map would fool any enemies of the realm is a mystery.  I suppose in the end it was satellite imagery that persuaded them that their secrets were already out!  

[Rupertlt1]

New Records at

Motor Sprint

New record times were estab-

lished in both car and motor-

cycle sections of Evesham Auto-

mobile Club's annual sprint at

Long Marston aerodrome yester-

day.

The Preece Trophy for the

best performance in the car

classes was won by A. Owen,

Jersey (B.A.R.C.) in a Formula

I Cooper with 20.50secs. for the

1,000-yard course. Best perfor-

mance in the motor-cycle classes

won the Rex Judd trophy for

C W. Rous (B.M.C.R.C.) on a

998c.c. Moto Vincent.

Birmingham Daily Post, Monday 11 July 1960

 

RGDS RLT

[Odseybod]

I may well have dreamt it but didn't one of the Avon Tours have a special stage at Long Marston?

[Rupertlt1]

Odseybod, on 28 May 2021 - 22:27, said:

I may well have dreamt it but didn't one of the Avon Tours have a special stage at Long Marston?

 

Yes, in 1973: 6, 7, 8 July. Organised by the B.R.S.C.C. 

 

"..visits the Llandow racing circuit, Dodington Park* and Long Marston near Stratford-upon-Avon before arriving for the night halt in Birmingham."

 

*Near Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire.

 

See: https://forums.autos...nd-graham-hill/

 

1974: Oulton Park > Long Marston > Castle Combe

 

Also used in 1976 on the Texaco Tour.

 

How many 'Tours' were there?

 

Also televised Rallycross, marketed as Rallypoint.

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 29 May 2021 - 05:10.

[arttidesco]

 

How many Avon Tours were there?

 

RGDS RLT

 

'73 won by James Hunt / Robert Fearnall, Chevrolet Camaro

 

'74 won by Roger Clark / Jim Porter, Escort RS2000

 

'75 won by Tony Pond / Dave Richards, Escort RS2000

 

Often thought it was a shame it had such a short life span, there have been several Britania Tours of Britain for Historic / Classic vehicles since.

[Rupertlt1]

1976: Texaco Tour won by Ari Vatanen/Peter Bryant, Ford Escort RS2000 Mk II

 

https://www.ewrc-res...f-britain-1976/

 

Was Long Marston included in 1975? Any stage results?

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 29 May 2021 - 05:46.

[BRG]

arttidesco, on 29 May 2021 - 04:37, said:

Often thought it was a shame it had such a short life span

 

If you have such a stellar roster of winners as that - Hunt, Clark, Pond, Vatanen - maybe it is best to quit while you're ahead? 

 

Although there was another running in 1989, won by Jimmy McRae.  By then, it was entirely rally people and the racers had been scared off!

 

Those events seemed to throw up some unusual stages such as West Woods near Marlborough where I spectated one year.

[tonyA110]

If I remember correctly, one of the early classic tours had a stage at Long Marston and also another at Blenheim Palace the same year. I couldn't say which year, but the start was in nearby Stratford on Avon, where the young actress who  was supposed to flag the first cars away, failed to turn up. Because he was local and I knew him quite well, I clearly remember Roly Simmons putting on a spirited display in an Alvis TC21. If anyone has an entry list that may help identify the year.

 

tonyA110

[RS2000]

Didn't McRae eventually get excluded from the later 89 event? It was for GpN then, earlier events having been Gp1. Something like rubber suspension bushes turning out to be of an altogether harder material ?

Hearing about John Sprinzel reminded me Long Marston must have been a stage on the 72 Banbury Cross Stages Rally. On an earlier stage around farm fields the start was being run by one marshal alone with a silver 911. Only later did I realise it had been JS..