Hot air ballooning has been part of British skies for more than 240 years. It started with one very public flight in London in 1784.
The French start
The Montgolfier brothers flew their hot air balloons in France in 1783. News reached Britain quickly, and the idea of people floating in the air caught on, though some people remained doubtful.
Early attempts
Several people tried early flights in Britain. The Edinburgh pioneer James Tytler attempted a hot air ascent in August 1784 but did not achieve a recognised voyage. Count Francesco Zambeccari launched a hydrogen balloon in London in November 1783, though sources differ on exactly where.
Lunardi’s flight
The first recognised balloon flight in Britain was by Vincent Lunardi, an Italian who worked at the Neapolitan embassy in London. He launched on 15 September 1784 from the Honourable Artillery Company ground at Moorfields. The Prince of Wales was among the crowd, which sources put at well over a hundred thousand people.
Lunardi had planned to fly with a friend but the balloon could not lift both men, so he flew with a pigeon, a dog and a cat. He landed briefly at North Mimms, where the cat got out, and came down near Ware in Hertfordshire. The flight covered about 24 miles. Sources give the length of the flight as a little over two hours or longer, depending on the account.
The balloon itself
Lunardi’s balloon used hydrogen rather than hot air, a step forward from the Montgolfier design. A stone marks the landing field near Ware, recording him as the first aerial traveller in Britain.
Ballooning today
Modern hot air balloons use propane burners rather than hydrogen, and operators run flights from fields across the country. See our hot air ballooning page for providers, and our weather and cancellation guide, because wind decides everything.
Sources
- The first aerial voyage in Britain, 1784, Bedford Museum
- Vincenzo Lunardi, Grub Street Project
- The pioneer ascents of James Tytler and Vincent Lunardi
Crowd numbers, flight times and early launch places vary between sources, so we have kept them approximate.