Bristol branch

The Bristol branch owns the heritage of the Bristol Engine Company, its predecessors Brazil Straker and Cosmos Engineering, later the Bristol Siddeley Company and, ultimately, the heritage of the site during the Rolls-Royce era. Its display reflects the leadership given to the development of the air-cooled radial piston engine by Sir Roy Fedden, the development of the gas turbine engine for V/STOL and supersonic flight – including Concorde, by Sir Stanley Hooker, and more recently, the development of the Pegasus and the RB199 by Gordon Lewis.

The Bristol branch also incorporates the Leavesden collection, since the Leavesden site in North London was closed.

The Leavesden collection centred on the de Havilland Engine Company’s products and achievements, and to a lesser extent on those of Blackburn. De Havilland, like Blackburn had made small piston engines for light aircraft between the wars but made great progress in the early days of the gas turbine, ultimately specialising in helicopter engines.

The Bristol branch now houses both these important collections in a new location on the Bristol test site.

Bristol Branch magazine

‘Sleeve Notes’, the Bristol branch magazine is published and circulated to all branch members, giving news articles and updates on branch activities.

Historical Collection and Exhibits

The Bristol collection and workshops are housed on the Gypsy Patch test area of the Bristol Facility. The collection ranges from the 390hp Bristol Jupiter to today’s Eurojet EJ200 and includes the famous names of radial engines, such as Jupiter, Pegasus, Mercury, Hercules and Centaurus as well as a comprehensive collection of gas turbines from Theseus to Olympus, Pegasus, EJ200 and JSF engine components.