Hangar

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A 'blister'-type aircraft hangar built for Eglinton Airfield which opened as an RAF base in 1941. It is aligned NE-SW and is situated on the south side of a former concrete taxiway (now a tarmaced public road) which connected it to the former airfield a short distance to its east. It is surrounded by fields, being separated from them by a concrete post-and-wire fence. Two similar hangars remain close to the south (HB01/03/024A) and north (HB01/03/024C).

The building’s roof (which extends to the ground to form the SE and NW side walls) is of corrugated galvanised steel sheets secured by J-bolts to internal frames of segmental profile. The interior is illuminated by translucent corrugated plastic sheeting along each side and to either side of the roof apex; these appear to be original features. The entire structure is mounted on a low mass concrete foundation wall.

Across the front (NE) end of the hangar are four sliding doors sheeted in corrugated metal and hung from horizontal beams across the top of the gable. The ends of these beams project beyond the building in a truss form to ensure that the doors open to their maximum extent. There is a small wicket gate to the left of the main doors to facilitate pedestrian access when the main doors are shut.

The rear (SW) end is symmetrical and sheeted in corrugated metal with four vertical translucent corrugated plastic sheets extending from roof line to half way down wall. The translucent sheets are separated from one another by one corrugated metal sheet.

Setting:
Set to the north-west of City of Derry Airport (formerly known as Eglinton Airfield) it is surrounded by fields, being separated from them by a concrete post-and-wire fence. There is a concrete apron directly in front of the hangar which extends as far as the road (formerly the taxiway).

Materials:
Roof: Corrugated metal.
RWG: None.
Walling: Corrugated metal.
Windows: Translucent corrugated plastic.

Historical information

Eglinton Airfield, with which this hangar was formerly associated, was constructed by the Royal Engineers over the winter of 1940-41. It opened as R.A.F. Eglinton in April 1941 as a satellite to Limavady airfield; there was also another satellite airfield at Maydown. Amongst the various buildings erected at this time were 'Bellman' and blister-type aircraft hangars.
The airfield was initially envisaged as a Coastal Command base, but was transferred to Fighter Command later that year, becoming a day base for the defence of Londonderry. This included the port of Lisahally, nearby on the east bank of the Foyle estuary, which was one of the main conduits of military equipment and personnel from the United States into Britain. It was also used as a base for sorties in defence of trans-Atlantic convoys and U-boat hunts. During this period, the airfield was used both by the RAF and United States Army Air Force (USAAF).
In May 1943, the base was loaned to the Royal Navy and additional hangars were erected (but none of the blister type). From August 1943 it was known as HMS Gannett.
In the post-war years, the airfield was retained by the Navy as a training base. The Navy withdrew in April 1959, but part of it reopened from 1960 to September 1966 as a helicopter base known as HMS Sea Eagle.
Following the Navy’s withdrawal in 1966, many of the military-related buildings were sold off. The airfield was used by Eglinton Flying Club for a time, and also briefly by Emerald Airways for services to Scotland.
The airfield and associated structures is shown on the 1976 OS map.
In 1978, Derry City Council acquired the airfield and commenced civil flights the following year. In 1994, its name was officially changed from Eglinton Airport to City of Derry Airport.
Blister hangars were first used during World War 2 to house aircraft. They had standardised prefabricated components and were designed to be quickly erected and dismantled on minimal foundations by relatively unskilled labour. They were manufactured by C. Miskin & Sons, and by Dorman Long; this particular example is believed to be the work of the latter.

References - Primary sources:
1. PRONI OS/11/27/8/2. Irish Grid 1:2500 maps sheet 27098.

References- Secondary sources:
1. G. Warner, Flying from Derry: Eglinton & Naval Aviation in Northern Ireland (Ulster Aviation Society, 2007).

References - Online sources:
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blister_hangar
3. http://www.controltowers.co.uk/E/Eglinton.htm

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
F. Structural System
G. Innovatory Qualities
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

T. Historic Importance
W. Northern Ireland/International Interest
Z. Rarity
R. Age
S. Authenticity

Evaluation

A 'blister'-type aircraft hangar, likely to have been manufactured by Dorman Long and built for Eglinton Airfield (now City of Derry Airport) which opened as an RAF base in 1941. The airfield was initially envisaged as a Coastal Command base, but was transferred to Fighter Command later that year, becoming a day base for the defence of Londonderry. In the post-war years, the airfield had a number of military and civil uses. The hanger is now utilised as a vehicle repair shop and is unrelated to the current activities of the neighbouring airport. Its historic fabric has survived relatively unaltered and it is a fine example of an early pre-fabricated structure which has survived well beyond its anticipated lifetime. It still retains its spaciousness, never having been subdivided by internal partitions. Much of the hangar's airfield setting still survives and it has group value with two nearby similar hangars (HB01/03/024A and HB01/03/024C). Eglinton Airfield was of national strategic importance to Britain during the second world war. Examples of blister-type hangars such as this are now relatively rare in Northern Ireland and Eglinton has the highest surviving concentration.