In November 1953, Laing was awarded a contract for two aircraft hangars at Gaydon Airfield; construction started at the beginning of 1954. The hangars were to be 240 feet long, with a span of 160 feet and a maximum height at the crown of 45 feet. Each hangar was constructed using 14 reinforced concrete columns and 7 tubular steel trusses. The trusses were delivered to the site in sections and were welded to form two half-units: each was swung into position using a derrick and a trunion plate on top of the columns, and joined in the centre of the crown. The erection of both units of a single truss took just over one and a half hours. In total, the steel of the roof framework weighed just over 100 tons. This photograph was published in the August 1954 edition of 'Team Spirit', the Laing employee newsletter.
This image was catalogued as part of the Breaking New Ground Project in partnership with the John Laing Charitable Trust in 2019-20.
This is part of the Volume: JLP01/01/013 Aircraft hangers at RAF Gaydon and RAF Alconbury; within the Series: JLP01/01 John Laing Photographic Collection Project Albums; within the Collection: JLP01 John Laing Photographic Collection
Source: Historic England Archive
Mid 20th Century Royal Air Force Base, Mid 20th Century Aircraft Hangar, Air Transport, Construction
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