Early Aeronauts - Ballooning
Pre 1900s
News of the first untethered manned hot air balloon on 3rd April 1783 by the Montgolfier Brothers sparked a great deal of interest worldwide. The first Balloon ascent in the UK was on 25th August 1784 in Edinburgh by James Tytler. His balloon rose a few feet from the ground but two days later he managed to reach a height of about 300 feet. Later that year on 4th October the second person to achieve a successful ascent was the Oxfordian James Sadler.
The following year in May 1785 Sadler ascended from a field behind a gentleman's garden on the site of what is now Balloon Street in Manchester. This made him the first person to achieve flight in the Manchester area. Watched by 5000 people and accompanied by a cat, the flight took him northward to Radcliffe (7 miles NW of Manchester near Bury). He made a total of 5 ascents before moving on to further experiments. On premises at the corner of Corporation Street and Balloon Street a Blue Plaque erected by the City Council commemorates his balloon ascent.
(Colour Photograph showing the Blue Plaque with the the below inscription)
FROM A GARDEN ON THIS SITE
JAMES SADLER
PIONEER ENGLISH AERONAUT
MADE THE FIRST MANNED
BALLOON ASCENT
IN MANCHESTER
12TH MAY 1785
Some years later an American dare-devil naming himself Professor Baldwin made a balloon ascent from Cale Green Park near Davenport Railway Station in Stockport on the 26th September 1892. It was notable because Baldwin is now known as "The Father of the Modern Parachute".
The balloon was filled with approximately 16,000 cu.ft of gas from the local main and ascended to a height of 8,000 feet. He was observed to be sitting on a sling with his parachute attached to the side of the balloon. He parachuted and came down at Hall Street (Offerton) with a dislocated arm. This event was part of several balloon and parachute exhibitions that took place between 1890 and 1895 and was probably the first use of a parachute in the area.
(Monochrome Photograph showing) - Baldwin's Balloon at Cale Green Courtesy of Stockport Image Archive