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• 1976

  The Cornwall Aircraft Park builds its first exhibition hall

  76,000 people visit during the first Season to see the old aircraft museum

• 1978

  The Cornwall Aircraft park changes its name to Flambards with plans to expand

  The Name Flambards comes from the popular Yorkshire television serial based on a boy's passion for early flying machines

• 1979

  The Victorian Village begins

  To complement the old aircraft and to recapture scenes from the television drama, a workshop, kitchen and nursery of the period were built

• 1984

  The first rides are purchased by Flambards

• 1986

  The first rides are purchased by Flambards

• 1988

  Chemist Shop Time Capsule purchased and rebuilt

• 1995

  The Hornet Roller Coaster is built

• 1999

  Joint winner of 'Best Theme Park in Britain' award

• 2001

  The first 'upside' down ride is bought

  'The Mighty Thunderbolt'

• 2010

  The UK's 1st twisting drop tower is introduced to Flambards 'Skyraker001'

In 1976 Douglas Kingsford Hale retired from the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy and with his wife Audrey, decided to set up an aviation museum. On the 10th June 1976 the ‘Cornwall Aircraft Park’, soon to be known as just the Aeropark, opened its gates to visitors. At its heart was the main exhibition hall, packed with aviation memorabilia, engines and air-frames. Outdoors there were more aircraft, the beginnings of beautiful landscape gardens and a kiosk selling ice cream - but only in the school holiday!

Despite these modest beginnings, work was carried out to a high standard and some 76,000 people visited during the first season, after which it was announced that the Park had won a coveted British Tourist Authority ‘Come to Britain’ award.

Why the name Flambards?

The aircraft used in making the popular Yorkshire television serial ‘Flambards’ were put on display. This thirteen part drama, adapted from Kathleen Peyton’s trilogy of novels, told the story of a family living in a dilapidated Georgian mansion - the ‘Flambards’ of the title - who fell into conflict when the younger son spurned the family tradition of fox-hunting in favour of his passion for early flying machines.

To complement the old aircraft and to recapture scenes from the television drama, a workshop, kitchen and nursery of the period were built. These proved so popular that more period rooms, including a coach house and a shop - Birch, Birch and Co., Purveyors of High-Class provisions were added. Over the following winters, more shops and traders’ premises were added and the exhibition today has almost 60 shops and homes all set in genuine cobbled streets with carriages and costumes of the period.

In 1984 Britain in the Blitz was opened by Dame Vera Lynn. To cater for the growing number of visitors, family rides and amusements were added, together with many more exhibitions.

Douglas Kingsford Hale receives MBE

25 years after our Chairman welcomed the first visitors to the Helston attraction, Douglas Kingsford Hale was honoured to receive the MBE for his  services to tourism.

Today, Flambards is still proud to offer something that will interest and entertain everybody.