1939

Dr. Francis Alexander Barton

Co-pilot of the first British public airmail flight. He was a G.P. in Beckenham and had been obsessed with anything aeronautical from an early age. He was awarded a grant of £500 by the Alexandra Palace trustees to build a shed, where he created an airship which flew in 1905.

2020: A London Inheritance reports on Barton's airship flight on 29 July 1905 from Alexandra Palace to Havering, 14 miles to the west.

Died Worcestershire. The picture shows him with his wife in 1903. Grace's Guide has more information about him.

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Dr. Francis Alexander Barton

Commemorated ati

First British public airmail flight

{Around an illustration of a hot air balloon:} Croydon Road Recreation Ground...

See other memorials in this area

Other Subjects

Thomas Auton

Thomas Auton was born on 14 February 1864 in Uffculme, Cullompton, Devon, probably the fifth of the six children of John and Mary Ann Auton. His birth was registered in the 1st quarter of 1864 in t...

Person, Transport

1 memorial

Malcolm Campbell

Holder of land and water speed records. Born Chislehurst, Kent. He broke the land speed record for the first time in 1924 and went on to break it a further nine times (five at Daytona Beach, Florid...

Person, Sport / Games, Transport, USA

2 memorials

Kilburn Bridge

The ever-useful Underground Map gives "Kilburn Bridge once marked the spot where the Edgware Road crossed the River Westbourne. Kilburn Bridge, which was recorded in 1398 and thought to have been b...

Building, Transport

1 memorial

West Brompton Station

A station was first opened here as part of the West London Extension Joint Railway (WLER). In 1869 the Metropolitan District Railway (MDR) opened its own station (pictured, still in use and now Lis...

Building, Transport

1 memorial

Battersea Bridge

In 1771 a ferry was replaced with a wooden toll bridge designed (badly, apparently) by Henry Holland - shown in our image. The replacement bridge was begun in 1887 and opened in 1890.

Building, Transport

1 memorial

Previously viewed

David Kirkaldy

Born near Dundee. In 1857 Kirkaldy helped form the Institution of Engineers in Scotland and was the first person to set up a load testing machine for construction materials powerful enough to deal ...

Person, Science, Scotland

2 memorials

William Blake - SE1

SE1, Hercules Road

The shield with the red crosses is from the Coat of arms of the City of London and suggests that the Corporation was responsible for its ...

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator

View on map

Léon Goossens

Oboist. Born Léon Jean Goossens in Liverpool. Son of Eugene Goossens. At the age of 15, he became a member of the Queen's Hall Orchestra under the baton of Sir Henry Wood. In 1932, he joined Sir T...

Person, Music / songs

1 memorial

Dr. Grantly Dick-Read

He was born as Grantly Dick Read (with no hyphen) on 26 January 1890, the sixth of the seven children of Robert John Samuel Read (1851-1920) and Frances Maria Read née Sayer (1855-1942) in Beccles,...

Person, Medicine, South Africa

1 memorial

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Born at the villa 'Mon Repos', the summer retreat of the Greek royal family, on the island of Corfu. Married Princess Elizabeth in 1947 and was her dutiful consort from 1952 until his death. 2017:...

Person, Royalty, Seriously Famous

31 memorials