Heritage for Airbus are now proud custodians of half the Broad Oak site (BAES being the other half). We have this enormous space heritage which, sadly, very few people seem to know about, and I am trying to put together a timeline with some basic facts, figures and photos of the site.
There are certain things we have been able to track down, but even my colleagues in the BAE archives (who seem to hold a considerable amount of GEC and Marconi heritage information) dont have much. In particular, I want to know what led to the site being created, how it evolved in the early years, when the clean rooms were constructed and also a bit more about the Zircon affair { https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zircon_(satellite) } and how it impacted Portsmouth. You may not know, but the cleanrooms are now the UK's biggest and the Project Zircon building now houses the UK's only space certified microprocessor factory capable of producing radiation hardened processors for Space.
I am keen to preserve the incredible industrial heritage we have in the UK and I recognise that we all, today, stand on the shoulder of past giants. I therefore want that debt of gratitude and legacy to be more widely recognised.
If you are able to help by providing information please contact:-
Jeremy Greaves
Airbus UK Head of Heritage
+44 788 750 6338