Barton Aerodrome was purpose built in 1927 by Manchester Corporation, and it holds a claim that no other airfield in the country can make: it was the first municipal airport in the United Kingdom. Until then, the idea that a local authority should provide and run an airport had not been tried.
Why Manchester built an airport
In the mid-1920s civil aviation was expanding quickly, and towns and cities that wanted a share of it had to provide somewhere for aircraft to land. Manchester, then the centre of a large industrial region and already an ambitious city, chose to build its own rather than rely on a private aerodrome.
The site chosen was at Barton, on flat ground beside the Manchester Ship Canal between Eccles and Trafford Park. It was well placed: close to the city, close to industry, and on land that was cheap and level. The layout followed the pattern of the period, with a grass landing area and a small group of buildings clustered together.
The buildings that survive
Several of the original buildings are still standing, which is unusual for an airfield of this age. The most important is the control tower, which is the oldest working control tower in the country: not a preserved exhibit but the structure from which the airfield is still operated.
The clubhouse and the surrounding buildings are of the same period, and together they give Barton a coherent 1920s character that has survived precisely because the aerodrome never grew into something larger.
The Lancashire Aero Club
Barton is home to the Lancashire Aero Club, the oldest flying club in the UK, which has recently celebrated its 80th anniversary. The club has been associated with the aerodrome for most of its existence, and it is the reason Barton still operates as a centre for club flying and training rather than being redeveloped.
Barton and Ringway
Manchester’s ambitions soon outgrew Barton. A larger airport was built at Ringway, which opened in 1938 and went on to become Manchester International Airport. Once Ringway was established, Barton settled into the role it has occupied ever since: a base for light aircraft, club flying, training and private operations, close enough to the city to be useful and small enough to remain friendly.
Barton today
The aerodrome is a thriving airfield. Alongside the Lancashire Aero Club there are microlight and helicopter flying schools, club facilities and a visitors centre. Greater Manchester Police’s Air Support Unit was based at Barton — Foxtrot 12 — and operated from the site twenty-four hours a day, which meant a police helicopter shared an airfield with a 1920s clubhouse.
Military visitors also used the airfield. A Royal Navy Merlin HM Mk1 called in during a recruitment exercise, and an RAF Gazelle was photographed on the apron. Both are recorded on the military aircraft page.
Why the history is worth keeping
Most British municipal airfields of the 1920s have either closed, been built over, or expanded beyond recognition. Barton is one of very few where you can still see what the original answer to the question “what should an airport look like?” actually was. That is a more interesting piece of history than the aircraft that use it, and it is the reason this page exists.
The Barton Aerodrome page has practical information and photographs, and Around Barton covers the airfield’s surroundings. The rescue and fire fighting services page describes fire cover at the airfield.