Kingston: Birthplace of the Hawker Hurricane

Find out about Thomas Sopwith’s first factory based in Kingston Upon Thames, in Surrey, UK, and how it became the birthplace of the Hawker Hurricane, as well as the original base of GA Buyer Europe.

Kingston upon Thames, in Surrey, UK was the original base of World Aviation Communications Ltd and GA BUYER EUROPE, being published from the Cowleaze House offices from 2000. The company is now AvBuyer Limited and is based just down the river in Thames Ditton. The Kingston offices were based adjacent to the former site of Tommy Sopwith’s first factory when he moved from Brooklands to Kingston in 1912. In 2012 Kingston celebrated the Centenary and held an Aviation Exhibition in the town from June 2 – 5. This unique festival celebrated Tommy Sopwith setting up his first factory in Kingston 100 years before and the subsequent 80 years of the aviation achievements in Kingston.

The Kingston Aviation Festival

The Kingston Aviation Festival took place on the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee weekend 2-5 June, 2012 and launched Kingston’s Cultural Programme. Kingston’s aviation heritage had never truly been celebrated and the Festival

engaged with schools and the local community as a whole to raise public awareness of the thousands of people employed in Kingston’s aviation history.

45,000 Kingston-designed aircraft have been built since 1914 by the Sopwith and later the Hawker aircraft manufacturing companies. The Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force had always had Kingston aircraft in service. It is a heritage to be proud of.