Farnbrough

The town of Farnborough is located in northeast Hampshire in the Farnborough/Aldershot Built-up Area. The Domesday Book of 1086 mentions Farnborough as a settlement founded in Saxon times. “Ferneberga” is derived from the Latin word meaning “fern hill.”. Farnborough is home to 57,486 people, as per the 2011 Census figures taken at the UK level.

The town is perhaps best known for its association with aviation – the Farnborough Air-show, the Farnborough Aerodrome, the Royal Aircraft Establishment, and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.

History of Farnbrough

Name changes: Ferneberga (11th century); Farnburghe, Farenberg (13th century); Farnborowe, Fremborough, Farneborough (16th century).

RAF

Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) is located at Farnborough Airfield. Farnborough’s historic wind tunnels, originally part of the old RAE, have now been designated listed buildings. Two of them have been preserved, one built in 1917, the other in 1935. 

In the early 1990s, the aerodynamics of Formula 1 cars, as well as Concorde’s, were extensively studied using this facility. During the Farnborough International Airshow, the tunnels were open to the public in June and July 2014.

Research on jet fighters was conducted by Sir Frank Whittle at the Royal Aircraft Establishment. In tribute to its inventor, a replica of Gloster E.28/39 (based on his prototype) sits on a roundabout along Ively Road.