Bloxham Road
BLOXHAM ROAD: Temporary aerodrome
Operated by: Captain Pudney
Location: Just E of the A361 Bloxham Road, and just SSW of Banbury town centre, (Banbury Cross)
Period of operation: 10th to 15th September 1920
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
Another fine example of a little known venue that Mike Holder, a great friend of this 'Guide', has discovered by researching newspaper archives. He has also provided most of the items to illustrate this listing.
The advert was placed in the Banbury Advertiser on the 9th September 1920.
The Google Street View picture was taken looking southerly from the TA Centre.
The local area and area views are from my Google Earth© derived database.
NOTES: This is I think, possibly the only example I have found in producing this 'Guide', of two competing joy-riding concerns operating in close proximity to each other at the same time. Today we can only wonder why Captain Pudney decided to set up here on the 10th September when the Berkshire Aviation Company was already set up at BODICOTE GROUNDS FARM, (see seperate listing), for a long stay from the 7th to the 23rd September 1920.
As the 1961 map above shows, even by that time Banbury was still quite a small town, and there are not any others, even today, of any size within many miles. So, the catchment area for potential customers in 1920 was quite limited. I imagine that Capt. Pudney arriving in Banbury and snatching up a venue much closer to the town centre must have been as welcome as a fart in a spacesuit to the Berkshire Aviation crew.
This said, on a more serious note, it is very difficult for us today to even try to imagine how very different life for most people was. Few had cars or a telephone, no radio let alone TV and so on. Therefore it is quite possible that when Captain Pudney was planning this visit, that he had no dea about Berkshire Aviation already being there?
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