The vanished Flying Boat Factory, village and Holocaust connection revealed in Lake District exhibition

An exhibition linking three little known Lake District war time moments is showing in the heart of Wordsworth Country for most of 2009.

Flying Boats and Fellow Travellers is the title and it tells the story of the Flying Boat factory near Windermere in photographs and interviews along with its associated workers housing scheme called Calgarth Estate that was at nearby Troutbeck Bridge.  Some of the images have never been seen publicly before. A specially produced film taken from a flight simulator will show a Sunderland Flying Boat taking off from Windermere, a sight unlikely to be witnessed again.

Included in the story is the remarkable connection to the child survivors of the Holocaust who came from Eastern Europe and stayed on the housing scheme in 1945.

The exhibition will run at the Lake District National Park Visitor Centre at Brockhole near Windermere from 28 March - 1 November 2009, open seven days per week 10am - 5pm,  and is the most comprehensive look at the factory so far, and its impact on the area over sixty years ago until the present day.

The exhibition coincides with the publication of Wings Over Windermere, a book written by Cumbrian based historian Allan King that tells the story of the Windermere factory, the aeroplane and the people who built them.

Trevor Avery, Director of Another Space, states

"This is a compelling story that is still little known outside the immediate area. Allan King's research alone has taken seventeen years to produce the book. Along with the work carried out by Liz Rice in collating interviews and photographs during recent years focussing on Calgarth Estate and its twenty year lifespan, then we have a remarkable and still developing project".

Another Space is producing this exhibition in collaboration with the Lake District National Park Authority with support from Heritage Lottery Fund and South Lakes District Council.

Ongoing projects related to "Flying Boats and Fellow Travellers" include "The 'Lost' Village of Calgarth", "From Auschwitz to Ambleside" and a major new Arts Council England North West supported pan European project called "Avenue of Exile". All these projects relate to the location near Windermere. Among supporters include Big Lottery Fund "Their Past Your Future II", Arts Council England North West, Awards for All, Cumbria County Council, Heritage Lottery Fund.

Find out more about Another Space Phone: 01539 622100  or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.