Before Manchester gained the UK's third largest airport it was home to several smaller airfields, as the age of aviation went from experimental to exciting! Many of them were just that: fields - with little more than a grassy landing strip and a few buildings. But as the years went by, and a couple of World Wars entered the story, sites became more complicated.

Military aerodromes like those at Alexandra Park and Woodford saw the evolution of Avro assembly lines and testing facilities, and famous aircraft like the Lancaster bomber and the Vulcan. RAF Stretton and USAF Burtonwood were long standing features of the Warrington story from WW2 onwards.

Meanwhile, authorities began looking to find a proper permanent home for civilian aviation, from the posh grounds of Trafford Park, the spare farmers fields in Wythenshawe, the soft bogland at Barton and finally to the Cheshire plains at Ringway.

Special thanks to Lewis from Ringway Manchester for photographs and additional drone footage. Check out his channel if you haven't already: ‪@RingwayManchester‬

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