The Gazette and ThisIsBristol.com have both ran stories on the restoration of Pegasus House, the Grade II listed art deco building in Filton which once housed the Bristol Aeroplane Company. That restoration is now complete with the Duke of Gloucester taking part in the official ceremony yesterday to mark the completion.
Designed by Austen Hall and inaugurated in 1936 as headquarters of the Bristol Aeroplane Company, Pegasus House once housed hundreds of aircraft personnel (mostly draughtsmen), but only founder Sir George, the directors and their guests (including various royals along with Winston Churchill and Hollywood star Cary Grant) could use the imposing A38 front entrance and the ornate, specially commissioned, black and gold iron gates.
According to a local historian, the basement housed the wages and accounts offices, the ground floor contained the directors’ rooms, the first floor held the conference room (with a high ceiling and five tall window bays containing 10 plaster of Paris murals depicting the natural history of flight), the second floor had a projector and cinema room and the third floor was used as an exclusive director’s dining room.
However, the building had been left derelict for nearly two decades when it was damaged by two fires, the damp and repeatedly vandalized by squatters, but then Airbus decided to restore it to its former glory. Renovation work began 18 months ago and now the restored building forms part of the manufacturer’s £70 million Airbus Aerospace Park.
A total of 300 employees will be based at Pegasus House and they are scheduled to move in over the weekend with another 2,500 engineers are set to work from Barnwell House on the site when it officially reopens in December.
Most of the property’s stunning art deco features were preserved, including the 1930s reliefs, marble flooring, columns and most special of all – the three story art deco stained glass window covering one of the large façades. The window was designed to illuminate the building with natural light and depicts the depicts the history of the company. It was specially commissioned and designed by Jan Juta who was famous for his work with stained glass.
In addition, the floor mosaic in the main lobby representing the signs of the zodiac was also restored. Apparently, the Zodiac was the company’s very first aircraft, but it was “no good and never actually went into production” according to Sir George White, whose great-grandfather had started the company.
I had the pleasure and honour of working in Pegasus House in the late 40’s in the BAC Development Engineers department headed by Harry Pollard. We were involved in many breakthrough developments in aircraft construction including on composites, stainless steel fabrication and metal bonding. My office was on the second floor overlooking the main gate – from my window I could see the Brabazon on the landing approach
It is good to see that the building has been restored to its former glory
Norman Gardner
Starting in July 1989 I was employed as a mainframe computer programmer, writing COBOL programs to manage aircraft parts, and manufacturing processes, working in the basement of this building which was then referred to as Filton House. The basement as you may imagine was not the most glamourous part of the building being somewhat dark and dingy compared to other parts of the building. The art deco fittings quite spectacular and were then in reasonably good condition if my memory serves me correctly, how it could get into such a dilapidated condition as a Grade II listed building is odd.
We were moved out after only a year or so to a new purpose built IT building down by the runway, from where a good view of aircraft taking off and landing was to be had. In those days mostly US airforce F-111 fighter bombers that were being refurbished or two or three VC-10 aircraft being converted to refuelling tankers, and also manufacture of wings for airbus commercial aircraft which were collected in a Super Guppy Boeing Stratocruiser aircraft and flown to Toulouse to be added to the aircraft body.. I am glad they have refurbished the building.