Yorkshire is a magnificent county. I’m sure all those born in Yorkshire will agree! But Yorkshire isn’t just famous for its beautiful countryside, successful Olympians, rich history, World Heritage sites or literary prowess. It can also boast the many significant inventions that have derived from Yorkshire over the last few centuries. To celebrate Yorkshire, during the month of August, we are going to look at different aspects of life which have been affected positively by inventors hailing from the county during HLK’s 175 years in existence. Today we concentrate on travel and transport. Look out for more posts highlighting what is Great about Yorkshire!
Sir George Cayley (1773 – 1857)
Sir George Cayley was born in Scarborough and has been described as the “father of aviation” and yet, in spite of this, he is not the household name that he arguably should be. He was, however, recognised by Wilbur Wright who in 1909 stated that Sir George Cayley had “carried the science of flying to a point which had never been reached before”.
Cayley developed the glider. He had studied the principles and forces of flight, identifying four forces which act on a heavier-than-air flying vehicle: weight, lift, drag and thrust. These discoveries, coupled with his realisation of the importance of cambered wings, allowed modern aeroplane design to take off (pardon the pun!). It is reported that his glider was the first to carry a human in flight and this precarious journey of some 200 metres, was “piloted” by his coachman, who was understandably unhappy to be the guinea pig for this feat of engineering. The coachman promptly resigned his position once the glider crashed to the ground resulting in a broken leg for the poor man! Undoubtedly, this experience must have assisted Cayley to conclude that for sustained flight to be achieved, a lightweight engine would be needed to provide adequate thrust and lift.
A reproduction of Sir George Cawley’s glider can be seen at the Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington.
Joseph Hansom (1803 – 1882)
Joseph Hansom was an architect born in York who designed numerous buildings, frequently churches in the Gothic Revival style, in the UK, Australia and South America. Nearer to his Yorkshire home is St Wilfrid’s Catholic Church in Ripon which is considered to be one of the finest parish Catholic Churches in the country and worth a viewing if you are in the vicinity.
