Three simple pitched-roof aircraft sheds are internationally rare survivors from the moment military aviation first acquired permanent purpose-built bases.
Quick facts
- Date
- Built 1913–1914; later alterations and protective cladding; listing revised and combined in 2018
- Architect / designer
- Royal Flying Corps and Army Engineers using the “Major Burke’s shed” standard design
- Type
- Group of three first-generation military aircraft hangars
- Designation
- Listed building, Category A (LB38228)
- OS grid reference
- NO 71795 59399
Architecture and continuing use
The three rectangular timber-framed hangars face east in a shallow crescent. Their gabled ends, repetitive bays and broad former aircraft openings express a direct, prefabricated response to an entirely new building type.
Its story
The sheds were erected in 1913–1914 when No. 2 Squadron moved to Broomfield. Montrose trained British, Commonwealth and American aircrew through two world wars before the station closed in 1952.
Why it is included
They are among the earliest surviving military aircraft hangars in Britain, central to Scotland’s oldest military air station and to the formative history of aerial warfare.
What to notice
- The crescent arrangement of three near-identical sheds facing the former airfield.
- Large gabled aircraft openings and the utilitarian prefabricated form.
- The relationship with later air-station buildings, runways and the museum landscape.
Reading the surroundings
Visit through Montrose Air Station Museum and follow staff directions. The site contains large industrial structures and operational restrictions; not every building or area is necessarily open.
Timeline
- Built 1913–1914 The sheds were erected in 1913–1914 when No.
- Present Surviving historic hangars within the former air-station landscape and museum campus; access to individual buildings follows Montrose Air Station Museum arrangements.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The merged designation covers three sheds and excludes a later timber extension. Museum use across the wider site is confirmed, but access and the precise use of each individual hangar can change.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Montrose Air Station, Major Burke’s sheds, LB38228 — Designation category, exact grid reference, construction phases, fabric, authorship and significance.
- Montrose Air Station Museum: visit — Current accredited-museum operation, opening, admission, weather cautions, address and visitor planning.
Location
OS grid reference NO 71795 59399 · Location confidence: High: the statutory designation supplies an exact National Grid Reference and a current official or operator source confirms the place relationship. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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