Series
Anglo-French Steamship Company Limited
Catalogue reference: RAIL 802
Date: 1855-1865
Minutes, miscellaneous books and records of the Anglo-French Steamship Company.
Series
Hovercraft: Reports
Catalogue reference: BT 268
What's it about?
BT 268
This series contains reports, from a variety of sources, on hovercraft.These reports come from a number of sources and include some publicity and promotional reports. The material is probably all unpublished and, although some may be available...
Full description and record details
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Reference (The unique identifier to the record described, used to order and refer to it)
- BT 268
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Title (The name of the record)
- Hovercraft: Reports
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Date (When the record was created)
- 1957-1980
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Description (What the record is about)
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This series contains reports, from a variety of sources, on hovercraft.
These reports come from a number of sources and include some publicity and promotional reports. The material is probably all unpublished and, although some may be available elsewhere, it forms a unique collection. Its exact provenance is not certain.
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Related material (A cross-reference to other related records)
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Held by (Who holds the record)
- The National Archives, Kew
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Legal status (A note as to whether the record being described is a Public Record or not)
- Public Record(s)
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Language (The language of the record)
- English
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Creator(s) (The creator of the record)
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- Board of Trade, Marine Division, 1965-1970
- Department of Trade and Industry, Marine Division, 1970-1974
- Department of Trade, Marine Division, 1974-1983
- Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, Marine Department, 1953-1959
- Ministry of Transport, Marine Group, 1959-1965
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Physical description (The amount and form of the record)
- 1008 volume(s)
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Access conditions (Information on conditions that restrict or affect access to the record)
- Open unless otherwise stated
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Immediate source of acquisition (When and where the record was acquired from)
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From 1989 Department of Trade and Industry
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Subjects (Categories and themes found in our collection (our subject list is under development, and some records may have no subjects or fewer than expected))
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- Topics
- Shipping
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Administrative / biographical background (Historical or biographical information about the creator of the record and the context of its creation)
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Mr C Cockerell patented the hovercraft principle in 1955 and formed a company, called Hovercraft Ltd, to exploit its potential. The Ministry of Supply showed a fleeting interest in 1956-1957 but this was not developed. Cockerell then got the backing of the National Research and Development Corporation (NRDC) and in 1958 a joint company, Hovercraft Development Ltd, was formed to continue research and development.
The SRN1, built by Saunders Roe for Hovercraft Development Ltd, crossed the Channel successfully in 1959.
Responsibility for the NRDC passed to the Ministry of Technology (Mintech) in 1964-1965 and then back to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in 1971. In 1974 the responsibility for hovercraft development passed briefly to the Ministry of Defence DG Ships before expiring. During this time Hovercraft Development Ltd became a wholly owned subsidiary of the NRDC and up to 1978 the company was still trading, getting its income from licensing fees. At some time the research area of the company passed to the National Physical Laboratory.
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Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C3304/
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Hovercraft: Reports
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