Hesketh Park History

In 1910 Southport Corporation sited a hanger and airfield on what is today the Municipal Golf Links before moving onto land adjacent to the Hesketh Golf Club before finally being re sited on the beach. Hesketh Park Aerodrome, as it was called, was to remain in existence for over 40 years.

During World War aircraft produced under sub contract by nearby the Vulcan Motors were test flown and delivered from Hesketh Park, a canvas hanger was erected near the site in May 1917 with No 11 Aircraft Acceptance Park being established there in 1918, the site was later taken over by the Royal Naval Air Service who subsequently demolished the original hanger replacing it with two Bowstrung hangers, it is believed that coastal blimps were housed in them during the war.

During World War Two Hesketh Park was used by Martin Hearn Ltd at Hooton Park for Anson and Mosquito maintenance and Spitfire repair. A side opening hanger was built to assist in this work. Aircraft that had been repaired at Hearn’s Liverpool factory were brought to Hesketh Park for reassembly. No 1 Packed Aircraft Transit Pool was also established at Hesketh Park were aircraft flown in or brought in by road were dismantled and packed in cases which were then taken to the docks at Liverpool to be delivered all over the world, many of these packing cases could be seen along the roads in the Southport area awaiting collection.

After the war one of the WW1 hangers was demolished and the WW2 hanger was used by Southport Corporation as a bus depot. Pleasure flying resumed in 1946 until 1965 when the site closed and following the demolition of the remaining hangers in 1966 a row of bungalows was built on the site. Today it is possible to see remains of the apron running along what is Hesketh Road which its self is the line of the taxi way down to the beach landing area

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