The pub in 2007

The Air Balloon is a road junction and former pub Birdlip, Gloucestershire, England. The junction is on the A417 at a significant congestion point. The pub was open from the late 18th century to 2022 when it closed as part of road improvements, and subsequently demolished.

Location

The pub was situated next to a roundabout junction with the A417, a major road between Swindon and Gloucester via Cirencester.[1] The A436 meets the A417 at this point; the two roads together form a de facto bypass of Cheltenham between Oxford and Gloucester.[2]

History

View of the pub from the A417

The pub opened in 1784 and is probably named after one of the first British balloon flights: the launching of a small hydrogen balloon by Edward Jenner on 2 September 1784, which flew from Berkeley Castle to Kingscote and then on to a field near Birdlip,[3][4] the year after the pioneering flights of the Montgolfier brothers' hot air balloon and Jacques Charles's hydrogen balloon in Paris.[1] It was known as the Balloon by 1796 and renamed the Air Balloon in 1802.[5] By 1856, the landlord was brewing beer on-site.[1] The premises were part of the Cowley Manor Estate until some time early in the twentieth century. The pub was bought by Greene King in 2004.[6] In 2020 the menu included burgers, steaks, vegetarian food, "pub classics" and a lunchtime carvery.[7]

Closure

The pub was under threat of demolition as it sat alongside a short section of single-carriageway road which is otherwise a high-quality route between the M4 and M5 motorways.[8][9] Although the junction has been said to be a notorious accident blackspot; from 1999 to 2014 there were an estimated 340 casualties along the whole section of road and National Highways said was below average for the type of road.[10]

In March 2019, Highways England proposed improvements that would include demolition of the pub.[11][12] Highways England has ruled out a junction at the Air Balloon as the local geography and steep hills nearby would make it impossible to build a high-quality road meeting modern safety standards.[13] The road could not be routed anywhere else as it would cut through Barrow Wake, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.[14] Highways England stated that it would talk to landowners and assess the social impact of the pub's demolition in a further design stage.[15] As of June 2021, the pub was open, but still expected to be demolished.[16] The landlord subsequently announced in December 2022 that the pub would close on New Year's Eve, and then it will be demolished.[17][18]

Actor John Challis' widow said the couple used to visit the pub regularly, and she was sad to see it close.[19] A spokesperson for Highways England expressed surprise at the pub's closure, saying it could have stayed open longer. There are additional concerns that a now-closed prominent landmark could become a magnet for vandalism.[20]

The premises were demolished in December 2023 as part of the construction work.[21]

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 Sandles 2012, p. 14.
  2. ↑ "A40". Hansard. 18 April 1996. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  3. ↑ "Edward Jenner in Kingscote – Kingscote Online".
  4. ↑ "Air Balloon Heritage". 17 February 2019.
  5. ↑ Norris, Phil (30 March 2019). "Pub earmarked to be flattened says 'we're not going anywhere yet'". Gloucestershire Live. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  6. ↑ "The Air Balloon Pub, Birdlip". Visit Gloucestershire. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  7. ↑ "Our review of the Air Balloon pub that's due to be demolished for A417 'missing link' project". Gloucestershire Live. 25 January 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  8. ↑ Hughes, Janet (15 February 2018). "Landmark pub to be bulldozed for controversial new superhighway". Gloucestershire Live. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  9. ↑ "A417 missing link". Improvements and major road projects. Highways England. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  10. ↑ "Route chosen for accident blackspot road". BBC News. 14 March 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  11. ↑ Ross, Alex (14 March 2019). "Decided: This is the final plan to end the Air Balloon traffic nightmare in Gloucestershire". Gloucestershire Live. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  12. ↑ "Have your say on final details for the A417 Missing Link scheme". Highway England. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  13. ↑ A417 Missing Link 2019, p. 35.
  14. ↑ A417 Missing Link 2019, p. 36.
  15. ↑ A417 Missing Link 2019, p. 56.
  16. ↑ "Major milestone passed for A417 missing link road plans at Air Balloon roundabout". Gloucestershire Live. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  17. ↑ "Air Balloon pub announces closure date as it makes way for A417 Missing Link scheme". Gloucestershire Live. 17 December 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  18. ↑ "Air Balloon: Landmark pub to close forever on New Year's Eve". BBC News. 28 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  19. ↑ "Air Balloon pub closure 'saddens' widow of Only Fools and Horses star". Gloucestershire Live. 2 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  20. ↑ "Air Balloon pub's shock closure takes highways chiefs by surprise". Gloucestershire Live. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  21. ↑ Grubb, Sophie (2 December 2023). "End of an era as iconic Air Balloon pub is demolished". Gloucestershire Live.

Sources

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