RAF Hooton Park

In 1070 William the Conqueror granted the lands of Hooton to Adam de Aldithly. Eventually they passed to the Stanley family through a series of marriages. After the Battle of Bosworth, Hooton had a new hall and the first Lord Derby in Lancashire. A second half-timbered hall was built in 1488.

A third, Italianate, hall was constructed circa 1778, but this later sold to cover the Stanley family's gambling debts in 1850. The hall and adjoining land was bought by a Mr. Naylor, a wealthy Liverpool banker, for 82,000 guineas. He spent a further 50,000 guineas on the addition of a 100-foot tower, an art gallery, and a large dining hall. He also built a racecourse, polo ground, heronry, stud farm and a church in Childer Thornton in memory of his first wife. His yacht was moored on the River Mersey, but in the 1890s the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal cut off his access to the river, so he moved to another of his properties in Nottinghamshire.

To avoid paying rates the hall was emptied of contents and staff, but the estate continued to be farmed and the racecourse and polo ground remained in use.

War was declared on 4 August 1914, and Hooton Park's racecourse was used for the last time some ten days later. The British War Department then requisitioned the estate for use as an army training ground. The hall became a headquarters, hospital, and officers' mess. Lord Derby recruited the first Pals regiments and Hooton became the training ground for the 18th Battalion of the Kings Liverpool Rifles. They left for France, and fought in the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916.

The War Department built one single and three double aircraft hangars, which were completed in 1917. These hangars had a unique latticed timber roof construction – Belfast Trusses - which were originally used in the Belfast shipyards to cover large working areas, and which provided strength at low cost.

Hooton Park then became the No. 4 Training Depot Station. The Royal Flying Corps moved in to form the fighter squadrons so badly needed in France, using Sopwith Scouts, Sopwith Dolphins and Avro 504s. Some of the pilots killed in training accidents were buried in the local churchyard at nearby Eastham. Large numbers of American and Canadian pilots were also trained at Hooton Park.

On 1 April 1918, the Royal Flying Corps merged with the Royal Naval Air Service to form the Royal Air Force. By the end of the First World War, the 37 aircraft on charge were moved to RAF Sealand and RAF Hooton Park was closed. During the following years the airfield reverted to farmland. The hangars were empty and the hall was so damaged by military use that it was sold as a redevelopment opportunity. and subsequently demolished (although the racecourse and polo ground remained).

The airfield site was purchased by Mr. G.H. Dawson, an aviation enthusiast. In the summer of 1927, the Liverpool Corporation held an air pageant at Hooton as part of its civic week. This show was such a success that the Liverpool and District Aero Club was formed. Dawson allowed the new club to use his aerodrome for a fee. After only twelve months the club became one of the most successful in the country, and along with Barton and Woodford Aerodromes was one of the centres for aviation in the north of England. For three years the aerodrome served as Merseyside's Airport.

Dawson persuaded two former RAF engineering officers to set up companies at Hooton: Nicholas Comper, whose Comper Aircraft Company designed and built the Comper Swift single-engined sporting monoplane; and Douglas Pobjoy, who designed and manufactured Pobjoy radial engines. Dawson ran into financial trouble, and died in 1933. In the same year, Liverpool Corporation opened Speke airfield across the Mersey as its permanent airport. The flying club subsequently moved there for cheaper hangarage and clubhouse facilities. In March 1933, Comper moved his company to Heston Aerodrome.[3]

In 1934, William Fettis 'Frank' Davison (1899-1949), and his pilot-engineer wife Elsie Joy Muntz (1910-1940) bought[4] Hooton Aerodrome. They set up their own company at Hooton, Utility Airways, which offered joy-riding,[5] air-taxis and some short-distance scheduled flights.[6] When WW2 came, the airfield was returned to military use and all of Davison's aircraft were stored under the old Hooton racecourse grandstand where they were destroyed by an accidental fire.

Pobjoy went to work for Short Brothers at Rochester, Kent, but was killed in a mid-air collision in 1946. Despite these setbacks, Hooton was still an important aerodrome, with many private owners and several small airlines continuing to operate out of it.

In 1935, Martin Hearn, an ex-pilot and -ground engineer and who had previously worked for Alan Cobham's Flying Circus as a wing walker and aerial trapeze artist, created Martin Hearn Ltd., employing a few mechanics to service the aircraft using the aerodrome. In 1936 No. 610 (County of Chester) Squadron Auxiliary Air Force was formed at Hooton Park. Most of the pilots took private flying lessons to qualify. One person said, "Never have I seen so many Rolls-Royce cars in one spot at the same time" – an indication of the pilots' typical social status. The unit was initially a bomber squadron equipped with Hawker Hind and Hawker Hart bombers and Avro Tutor trainers.

In 1939, the squadron took charge of a number of Fairey Battles, then a flight of Hawker Hurricanes that were quickly replaced by Supermarine Spitfire I's. At the outbreak of the Second World War on 3 September 1939 the Squadron was mobilised and sent to RAF Wittering. 610 later moved to RAF Biggin Hill, where it took part in the Battle of Britain, becoming one of the most successful fighter squadrons to take part in that action. By the end of the war 610 Squadron had destroyed 132 enemy aircraft and 50 flying bombs. One of its pilots (Sgt. Ray Hamlyn) accounted for five enemy aircraft in one day. In February 1945, another 610 pilot (F/Lt Tony Gaze) flying a Spitfire XIV destroyed a Messerschmitt 262 jet fighter-bomber over Germany.

At this time, Martin Hearn obtained a contract from the Ministry of Aircraft Production to repair large numbers of Avro Ansons, and later de Havilland Mosquito fighter-bombers. As No. 7 Aircraft Assembly Unit, the company's work also included the assembly of various types of US-built aircraft that arrived by ship at the Mersey docks. Aircraft included the North American Mustang, Lockheed P-38 Lightning and Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters, plus Douglas Boston and Canadian-built Handley Page Hampden bombers, and North American Harvard trainers.

The first Sikorsky helicopters used by the RAF were also assembled and tested at Hooton towards the end of the war. During the war years, Hooton assembled and repaired thousands of aircraft. The RAF operated a flight of Coastal Command Avro Ansons, de Havilland Tiger Moths and de Havilland Hornet Moths on anti-submarine patrols during 1939 and 1940. No. 11 Radio School and No. 3 General Reconnaissance School flew from the airfield.

In 1941 the grass airfield was transformed to include a 6,000-foot concrete runway – one of the longest in Europe at that time. As aircraft became redundant, they were sent from all over the country to No. 100 Sub Storage Site at Hooton to be scrapped. The end of the Second World War brought a decline in work to Martin Hearn. The company then had to seek peacetime work. To this end, buses were repaired, armoured cars overhauled and Slingsby gliders manufactured.

In 1947 Martin Hearn's company was renamed Aero-Engineering and Marine (Merseyside), and Martin Hearn was no longer connected to it. Martin Hearn went into partnership with Lily Belcher, and ran the Glider Club, adjacent to the airfield at its north western corner, as a successful and popular hotel for 25 years. The engineering company survived until 1955, latterly servicing Canadair Sabre jet fighters for the RAF and RCAF. Wing Commander 'Wilbur' Wright opened a flying school at Hooton, and later a gliding club was operated from the northern end of the airfield. The gliding club survived as a local wining and dining venue until 1986.

In 1946 No. 610 Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force returned to Hooton Park after valiant war service, flying Spitfires in the European theatre. No. 663 (AOP) Squadron was reformed at Hooton Park in 1949, using Auster spotting aircraft. In 1951 No. 610 Squadron received Meteor twin jet fighters, and No. 611 Squadron (West Lancashire) relocated from Woodvale to use the longer Hooton runway required for this type of aircraft. The three squadrons operated as R.Aux.AF units from the airfield until all Auxiliary flying squadrons were disbanded in March 1957. At this point, the station was closed and all flying ceased at RAF Hooton Park.

In January 2007, the Hooton Park kart circuit opened after 12 months of construction. The circuit is officially licensed by the Motor Sports Association and race meetings are held on the second Sunday of each month. The races are organised by the Cheshire Kart Racing Club.

Since its opening, the circuit has proven to be popular to karters in the North West Region and has played host to several major meetings including the last round of the Motors TV UK Karting Challenge in October 2007. The Circuit is due to host the NKRA Grande Finals in August 2009.

• Halley, James J. 1988. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth 1918-1988. Air-Britain ISBN 0-85130-164-9
• Smith, Ron. 2002. British Built Aircraft Vol.1: Greater London. Tempus ISBN 0-7524-2770-9
• Smith, Ron. 2005. British Built Aircraft Vol.5: Northern England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Tempus ISBN 0-7524-3487-X
• Smith, David J. 1981. Action Stations No 3. Patrick Stephens ISBN 0-85059-485-5

Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAF Hooton Park.

• Lost Heritage - history of Hooton Hall
• Hooton Park Trust official website
• Cheshire Kart Racing Club (ChKRC)