oxford's historic flight re-created
TRANSCRIPT
T he city of Oxford is renowned the world over
for its stunning architecture and fascinating
history, the university buildings a constant
source of interest to residents and visitors alike. The
Tourism Company reported that in 2013 Oxford
attracted some nine and a half million visitors.
What is less known is that Oxford was the site of a historic flight by a local aeronaut. On 4 October 1784 James Sadler, a self educated Oxford pastry chef, took off from Merton Fields, near Christchurch in a balloon - thus becoming the first Englishman to fly.
The James Sadler Oxford Balloon Experience concept
is a passenger-carrying, replica tethered balloon that
is intended to rise 120 metres over the city to offer
spectacular views to both tourists and residents.
Situated in Oxford, it would allow passengers to
appreciate a landscape and cityscape in many ways
unchanged since Sadler’s pioneering flight. As with
cities such as Vienna, Paris and Berlin, it would
provide an elevated viewing platform for an unrivalled
appreciation of Oxford’s architectural heritage. The
passenger gondola carries 25-30 people and can
accommodate 3 wheelchairs in flight.
An intrinsic part of the concept is a planned education
centre that would inform visitors about James Sadler
and his largely overlooked role in Oxford’s history.
Together with other facilities, this centre will enhance
the educational aspect of the Experience.
We believe the James Sadler Oxford Balloon
Experience will captivate the interest of thousands
of tourists and corporate event organisers and
further complement existing tourist attractions
providing a key referral link to other points of
interest across the city.
The James Sadler Balloon Experience could very easily
be included on the city sightseeing tour bus routes and
has good links to the railway and coach stations.
THIS BROCHURE PRESENTATION CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING:
• An outline proposal of the attraction
• A brief account of the life and achievements of
James Sadler
• A presentation of the proposed education centre
• Some feedback on public opinion
• Technical specifications and safety issues
1784
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‘There is not a better chemist or mechanic in the universe, yet
he can hardly speak a word of grammar.’
SIR JOHN COXE HIPPISLEY
• To bring a tethered balloon to the City of Oxford
• To enable locals and visitors to enjoy a unique view of the city’s beautiful architecture, Dreaming Spires and landscape
• To restore the reputation of James Sadler, a local innovator who became an international celebrity and hero of science
• To introduce an original and educational tourist attraction to a currently underutilised area of Oxford, balancing footfall away from the busy city centre
Aside from the balloon and the education
centre, the James Sadler Balloon Experience
will offer the following opportunities and
benefits:
• Boost to local employment
• Attracting visitors to the area
• A sustainable green project, with extremely
low emissions and virtually no noise
• Full disabled access
• Benefits of education centre, equipped to take
a full class size (30) in balloon gondola
• Additional income and associated economic
benefits to the City
Additional Amenities• Customer shop/café
• Children’s play area
• Picnic tables on site
• Waste management
• Area security: CCTV
• Welfare facilities
James Sadler: Oxford Hero
James Sadler is this country’s true pioneer of
flight. He became the first Englishman to fly; an
accomplishment rendered even more remarkable by
achieving this landmark feat in a balloon he designed,
built and piloted himself. Furthermore he attained
this historic first here in Oxford.
Indeed, Sadler is the ultimate Oxford hero - and
uniquely his achievements bring together Town and
Gown. Unlike many of the greats associated with
Oxford, who have only resided here fleetingly during
their time at the University, Sadler was Oxford born and
bred. He was christened (in 1753) in the same church
where he is buried just off the city’s High Street. He
worked in an Oxford pastry shop before becoming a
laboratory assistant in the Old Ashmolean’s basement.
And it was Oxford where he achieved greatness.
Sadler attempted to launch his balloon secretly from
Christ Church Meadows in a pre-dawn flight in
October 1784. Fortunately for posterity, witnesses
were present and history was recorded, referred to
as a ‘Fire Balloon raised by means of rarefied air’. A
month later, he returned to his launch site, this time
advertising his intention in advance by displaying
the balloon in Oxford’s Town Hall and charging
townspeople a shilling to inspect it. In November the
same year he took off in front of a crowd of tens of
thousands and drifted towards Thame. On his return,
he was paraded around the city by jubilant crowds.
Oxford was the scene of Sadler’s first triumph and the
birthplace of English flight.
James Sadler: Pioneer of Flight
Always experimenting, within a month of the
historic first ascent Sadler had jettisoned hot
air balloons as redundant technology. His second
launch from Magdalen College was in a self-built gas
balloon, fuelled by primitive hydrogen he had created
at a time when the element was so new that the term
‘hydrogen’ had yet to be coined.
Unlike the Montgolfiers, who mistakenly concluded
that smoke was required for airborne propulsion,
Sadler took off from Oxford realising that the
properties of air are fundamentally altered by heat.
He covered his self-designed stove with a lid, showing
that smoke was irrelevant to the lifting process.
Perhaps the flying autodidact’s greatest achievement
was possessing the necessary scientific wisdom to
survive, in an era when most of his fellow pioneering
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aeronauts perished. Pilâtre de Rozier may have been
the first person in human history to fly - ascending in
the Montgolfier brothers’ famous balloon in France in
late 1783 - yet a few months later he had also become
the first person to die in an aviation accident.
Sadler became an undisputed polymath - unprecedented
for someone without formal education yet ironically
growing-up under the long shadows cast by the
Dreaming Spires. Fittingly, his epitaph was uttered
during his lifetime, when the scientist Sir John Coxe
Hippisley was moved to observe in 1812: ‘There is not
a better chemist or mechanic in the universe, yet he can
hardly speak a word of grammar.’
James Sadler:
Scientific Innovator
Having made seven ascents between October 1784
and September 1785, culminating in a terrifying
crash in his final flight, he temporarily retired from
aeronautics. Next Sadler worked for the Royal Navy.
Noting through empirical experiments he designed and
conducted himself that nearly half of all British rifles
and cannons missed their intended target (the French!)
by several feet, he set about designing vastly more
efficient munitions. Shipboard cannons had a disturbing
tendency to blow up on deck, often posing more danger
to their operators than to their enemies.
‘Sadler is known from the humble cabbage seller to the
mightiest of lords.’ DAILY CHRONICLE
Sadler applied himself to rectifying the accuracy and
efficiency of British guns, modifying the Royal Navy’s
firepower to such an extent that he directly affected
the outcome of the war with Napoleon. Admiral Lord
Nelson certainly thought so, and expressed such an
opinion publicly: ‘I would take on board the Victory
as many guns as Mr Sadler could send alongside.’
Sadler patented a 32-pounder gun that was far more
accurate than its predecessor and only required three
men to operate instead of twelve. He conducted
research into copper sheathing of ships, distillation
of sea water and seasoning of timber, then invented
air pumps, signal lights and several models of steam
engine. He even started a mineral water company,
with a semi-automated bottling plant run by a self-
designed steam engine. Ingeniously his bottles carried
a trademark balloon motif!
‘I would take on board the Victory as many guns as Mr Sadler
could send alongside’ ADMIRAL LORD NELSON
James Sadler:
National Celebrity
With the exception of monarchs, hardly anyone
would have received mass recognition by their
face in the late eighteenth century. Yet engravings of
Sadler were big-selling, mass-produced items. Even
rarer for a celebrity of the age were his humble origins.
An uneducated pastry cook, he consorted with nobility,
admirals and Cabinet ministers at a time when
social mobility was unknown; he was even granted
an audience with the Queen. Adored by the British
public for fully fifty years, he is perhaps best summed
up by the Daily Chronicle: ‘Sadler is known from the
humble cabbage seller to the mightiest of lords.’
Part of Sadler’s appeal as a self-taught chemist, inventor
and engineer was undoubtedly enhanced by his image
as an old-fashioned, derring-do daredevil. Frequently
taking off in force 7 gales, crashing into hills and
plopping into seas, Sadler regularly survived basket-
splintering crashes in extraordinary acts of courage.
Twice he had to be rescued from the freezing waters of
open seas when fortuitously spotted by passing ships.
Fanned by Sadler’s achievements, Balloonomania duly
gripped a nation increasingly hysterical about human
flight. For several decades, the country went balloon
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in the cylinder, which laid it open to claims of
infringement by Boulton and Watt. It worked at
a pressure of 19 pounds per square inch and was
self-contained and direct acting.
• 1791 Boulton and Watt threatened Sadler over his
supposed infringement of Watt’s patent
• 1791 Patent (no. 1812 of June 1791) for a
quite different type of steam engine, a rotatory
engine.
• His first wife probably died in or after 1791
• 1792-99 Several Sadler engines were built and
erected at Coalbrookdale, and in London.
• 1793 Beddoes left Oxford. He sent Sadler to
London to set up his Pneumatic Institute but
Bristol was soon chosen instead.
• 1795 Appointed barracks master at Portsmouth.
• 1796 Appointed chemist to the board of naval
works in London.
• 1796 Married a second time to Martha Hancock
in Bristol; they had a son (William) Windham
Sadler (1796–1824) in October 1796.
• Sadler also established a mineral water factory
near Golden Square in London.
• 1798 Patent for a double-cylinder engine
• 1799 Erected the Admiralty’s first steam engine at
Portsmouth. Sadler researched copper sheathing
of ships (with Humphrey Davy), distillation of
sea water, seasoning of timber, and gunpowder
combustion, and constructed air-pumps, signal
lights, and apparatus for producing oxygen.
Outside his naval work Sadler tried to improve
alum making. He was elected a life subscriber to
the Royal Institution in 1799.
• At some point was involved with his friend, Revd
Dr Henry Peter Stacy, in gun-boring experiments
in London.
• 1810 Resumed aeronautics professionally, using
his balloon trademark to sell soda water.
• By 1815 Sadler had achieved his forty-seventh
ascent.
• From 1824 Sadler lived in the London
Charterhouse from the second quarter of 1824.
His son Windham was killed in a ballooning
accident in September.
• 1827 Moved back to Oxford to live with his
family.
• 1828 Died in Oxford on 26 March, in George
Lane.
crazy - if you wanted to sell anything in this period
of British history then adding a balloon motif to your
product was mandatory: from snuff boxes to ladies’
under garments and bidets.
Yet Sadler maintained an enquiring scientific
mind throughout such celebrity status. Measuring
instruments and apparatus accompanied him on all
ascents. He was the first to measure “sky air” and
decipher its components - an unknown at a time
when some warned that he risked crashing into
heaven! Wherever he went, his balloon launches
would regularly attract an audience in excess of 30,000
people. Contemporary newspaper reports confirm that
entire towns and cities would close every shop, school
and factory for the day in Sadler’s honour.
James Sadler: Chronology• James Sadler (1753-1828), balloonist, engineer
and chemist, of Oxford
• 1753 born in Oxford and baptized there on
27 February 1753, elder son of James Sadler
(1718–1791), cook and confectioner and his wife,
Elizabeth (1718–1802).
• He and his brother Thomas (1756–1829) worked
in their father’s business.
• Married Mary. Four children born before 1785,
including John, their eldest son.
• 1784 Sadler released a 36 foot hydrogen balloon,
probably from the St Clement’s residence of John
Sibthorp, on 9 February. Constructed a 170 foot
hot-air balloon in which he made the first ascent
by an English aeronaut on 4 October; the balloon
rose to 3600 feet and landed 6 miles away after a
half-hour flight.
• 1785 Further balloon ascents were made; Sadler
then changed to other experiments.
• c.1785 was one of the first to use coal gas as an
illuminant.
• By 1786 was experimenting with driving a
wheeled-carriage using a steam engine.
• From about 1788 to 1790 Sadler was technical
operator in the chemical laboratory at Oxford
University.
• 1789-90 Gave public performances “of
philosophical fire-works” in Oxford Town Hall.
• Sadler was closely involved with Thomas
Beddoes, reader at Oxford University; Beddoes
and his friend William Reynolds encouraged
Sadler to experiment further with his steam
engine. This engine did not condense steam
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James Sadler: The Legacy
This was not someone merely popularising the
scientific achievements of the age. Sadler’s lasting
legacy is that he showed how scientific progress could
be shared with the masses. He lectured to the Oxford
public on ‘Philosophical Fireworks’ in the Town Hall
while being simultaneously championed and patronised
by several dons at the University who described him
as ‘a clever, practical, experimental manipulator in
chemistry’. Bridging the age-old divide between Town
and Gown, his natural intelligence and ambition
enabled him to overcome his lack of education and low
social origins. He invented steam engines to rival James
Watts’ suspiciously similar designs and brought the first
street-lighting to Liverpool. After a 24-year absence
from aviation, Sadler the original aeronaut returned
to ballooning to mark the installation of Oxford
University’s new chancellor in 1810. He was still flying
solo balloon ascents well into his sixties where he
reached an incredible total of fifty ascents.
Sadly Sadler’s good fortune was not hereditary; his son
Windham’s balloon fatally crashed into a chimney.
After his son’s demise Sadler returned to Oxford, where
he died in George Lane (now George Street) in 1828.
All stars eventually lose their brightness. Sadler went
from being one of the biggest celebrities in Britain for
fully fifty years to almost total obscurity. However, with a
recent feature on the national BBC News, two dedicated
biographies about to be published and a planned BBC1
film, Sadler’s name is set to rise once again.
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HIGHER, FURTHER, FASTER: A hands-on exhibition about the history
and science of balloon flight
The vivid story of James Sadler, Britain’s first balloonist, gives an unparalleled opportunity to explore the exciting science of ballooning, past and present. From materials science to key topics in physics including
heat, force and speed, this exhibition offers the chance for visitors to discover and understand for themselves the science behind the story of Oxford’s pioneering inventor and aviator.
2. Gases: how to inflate a balloonBalloonists like the Montgolfier brothers thought you
had to fill a balloon with smoke. But James Sadler
knew they were wrong - you needed a gas less dense
than air. So what did Sadler know about the physics
of making a balloon fly? What gadget did he invent
to help his balloons work? And what gases do we use
today to make balloons fly, and why?
Interactive exhibits:
The power of air: use an Airzooka to send a vortex of
air blasting across the room, and see how air might
be invisible, but it has mass and substance. Fill the
Airzooka with smoke, and you can see the vortex
made by the air.
Air maze: for younger visitors, see the power of air to
push balls around our maze of tubes.
Solid to gas: before your very eyes, see a lump of
solid carbon dioxide turn straight into gas, creating
swirling, misty patterns - and learn about the different
states of matter.
The right gas for the job: in this fun interactive game,
compete against other visitors to select a suitable gas
for your balloon - avoiding those that are too heavy,
too expensive, or too explosive!
3. Forces: how to get a balloon off the ground
James Sadler was all-too-aware of the dangers getting
your balloon to fly high - he cheated death many times.
So what are the forces that a balloon must overcome to
get off the ground? How can balloonists control their
height and speed, and how can they stay safe?
Interactive exhibits:
Hot air balloon model: activate our hot-air balloon
model and see it inflate and rise into the air in the
centre of the gallery. Learn about the force of gravity
that initially holds the balloon down, and how, once
V isitors will be able to trace the story
of Sadler’s life and exploits through
a series of hands-on and colourful
graphic displays, each based around a key
scientific principle. Family visitors, school groups
and overseas visitors alike will enjoy first-hand
demonstrations and interactives, grasping how they
apply to historic hot-air and gas balloons as well
as to contemporary leisure, weather and research
balloons. Their visit, culminating in an ascent in
a tethered gas balloon, will bring both history and
scientific principles fully to life.
The hands-on exhibition will draw on knowledge
and experience from Britain’s top interactive
galleries and communicate principles from Key
Stage Two primary level science. By linking historic
and modern balloon science, the exhibition will
present fundamental scientific principles against
the backdrop of James Sadler’s unique story.
In outline, the content could include:
1. Materials: how to make a balloonJames Sadler chose to make his balloons out of silk -
colourful, light and strong. But do we use the same
materials today? And what properties do different
materials have that make them good for ballooning?
Interactive exhibits:
Mystery materials: feeling inside boxes, visitors try
to describe the texture of the materials within - and
whether they have any place in making a balloon as
Sadler would have known them. Visitors can then
reveal how the materials - silk, rope, wood, metal,
animal bladder etc were used by early balloonists.
Modern materials under the microscope: since the
1950s, rip-stop nylon has been a material of choice
for ballooning - see this fabric and other modern
materials under the microscope and learn what makes
them so special.
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5. Height, speed, distance: how to break records in a balloonJames Sadler travelled at up to 94 miles per hour by
balloon, when the usual travel speed was that of a horse.
On his very first balloon flight on 4 October 1784, he
rose about 3,600 ft (1097m) in the air, seeing a view no
one had seen before. How did Sadler manage to avoid
the dangers of ballooning that later claimed the life of
his son? And what are the big ballooning achievements
today, for manned or unmanned flights?
Interactive exhibits:
Help Sadler stay alive: play a game, presented on touch
screen or as a board game, to see if you can avoid the
storms, trees and other dangers of a balloon ride - and
catch the right breeze to get to your destination without
having to vent too much hot air or run out of fuel.
Record-breakers’ video wall: from Per Lindstrand to
Felix Baumgartner, explore a video database of record-
breaking balloon flights and daredevil stunts
6. Aerial science: how balloons can reveal secrets James Sadler was the first Englishman to fly, and today
you can see the view that he saw from our balloon.
Balloons are increasingly important for science,
archaeology and for gathering data. How do unmanned
weather balloons supply vital atmospheric information?
And how are they helping reveal secrets about our
landscape and our planet?
Interactive exhibits:
Balloons to the rescue: in this interactive and easily
updated touchscreen database, find out about the latest
science stories in which balloons will reveal data about
the weather (balloons launched in Malawi), promise to
bring internet access to those in remote areas (Google’s
Loon project), and are destined to lift huge cranes at
major seaports (the Tethered Air project).
the balloon is filled with hot air, it rises through
buoyancy.
Bubble tube: see how bubbles of different gases and
temperatures of air move through tubes of liquid,
observing that warmer air takes up more space than
cold air and that warm air bubbles rise more quickly
Balloon workshop: in a special hands-on workshop,
build and fly your own tissue paper balloon.
4. Heat, temperature and energy: how to make a balloon flyJames Sadler was one of the first people to fly a balloon
using coal gas, a form of energy only just being
understood. He also used his knowledge of heat energy
to invent and patent a rotary steam engine used in
London and Shropshire. But how and why does the
heat of the atmosphere change as you rise up into the
air during a balloon flight?
Interactive exhibits:
Heat camera: use a thermographic camera to see what’s
warmer and colder around you - and on you. Point
the camera at the hot air balloon exhibit to see its
temperature change.
The weather report: learn how the atmosphere changes
temperature as you rise up, and try your hand at
giving the atmospheric weather report in our very own
weather TV studio
Energy show: put your goggles on for an energetic
exploration of the energy stored away in different fuels
- gas and liquid.
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Hands-on weather: explore what we know about the
atmosphere today from satellites and balloon data, and
see it projected onto a real-time globe.
Aerial puzzles: balloons give you an amazing view of our
planet. See if you can piece together these aerial images
of familiar places (e.g. Stonehenge, the Pyramids, the
Sheldonian Theatre) - and work out what they show.
7. Future of transport: how balloon travel might returnJames Sadler had lowly beginnings as a pastry chef, and
had to overcome the scepticism of the more educated
residents of Oxford that he could do what he claimed.
Yet in his lifetime he became enormously successful and
celebrated - and now, balloons are incredibly popular
again. What are the advantages and disadvantages of
the ways we fly now? It might seem unlikely, but could
airships and balloons be a viable alternative for flight
and commercial transport today?
Festo interactive flying penguin: see how the helium-
filled Festo penguin flies, and investigate how to make
agile and manoeuvrable flying objects by learning
from nature.
Fly the airship: try our simulator of an airship and
compare its cost, capacity and environmental impact to
that of an aircraft.
8. Science myths, science fact: how we can follow in Sadler’s footstepsAlthough it’s hard to believe now, James Sadler had
been warned that sky dragons might come and attack
him on his balloon flight. Some people also thought
you could row through the air with a paddle. So how
do inventors like him help us go from myth to fact?
What does it take to be an inventor, an explorer, a
risk-taker, and overcome sceptics like he did? Do you
think you can take up the challenge and help build
the future?
Interactive exhibits:
Your big science questions: what scientific problem or
daily challenge would you like to solve in your lifetime?
What invention or discovery would make your life
better? Leave your video on our special exhibit.
GENDER
Male 255 51.00%
Female 245 49.00%
500 100.00%
AGE
21 - 40 199 39.80%
41 - 60 117 23.40%
16 - 20 100 20.00%
61+ 84 16.80%
500 100.00%
TYPE OF RESPONDENT
Resident of Oxfordshire 228 45.60%
Tourist/Visitor 142 28.40%
Professional 72 14.40%
Student 58 11.60%
500 100.00%
Survey ResultsThese are the results from a survey conducted in
Oxford City Centre during July and August 2013.
Of the 500 responses, the sample was broken down
as follows:
1. A tethered balloon ride would be a good way to
experience views of Oxford?
2. Other historic cities have tethered balloons. How
would you feel about one being situated in Oxford?
3. Do you think a tethered balloon would be in keeping
with the regeneration of the Oxpens Meadow
Agree 264 52.80%
Strongly Agree 198 39.60%
Neutralal 25 5.00%
Disagree 12 2.40%
Strongly Disagree 1 0.20%
500 100.00%
Support 254 50.80%
Strongly Support 176 35.20%
Neutral 47 9.40%
Object 20 4.00%
Strongly Object 3 0.60%
500 100.00%
Yes 472 94.40%
No 22 4.40%
Maybe 6 1.20%
500 100.00%
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The Lindstrand HiFlyer Tethered Balloon• Passenger carrying captive helium balloon
• 72-foot (22-metre) diameter balloon
• High tensile wire tether
• Reaches a maximum height of 500 feet (150 metres)
• Operates in wind speed of up to 25 knots
• Gondola can carry up to 30 passengers including up
to 3 disabled passengers
• Standard 15-minute ride cycle can be increased or
reduced as preferred
• 50-metre diameter mooring platform
The Balloon Net• Carries entire structural load from the envelope to
the winch cable
• Manufactured by Aircraft Engineers from high
tenacity polyester yarn
• Load shared by 192 elements
• The net has the same life expectancy as the envelope
The Gondola• Aircraft quality stainless steel
• Non-slip marine plywood floor
• Enclosed by mesh to prevent ejection of objects
• Single inwards opening entry and exit doors secured
with a twin-locking mechanism
• Circular walkway accommodates a standard
wheelchair
• Gondola designed to remain firmly on the ground
between flights - even in high wind conditions
Training, Safety and ControlHiFlyer Training
• We engage and train all staff in HiFlyer balloon
operations, mandatory for all pilots
• Staff will understand full emergency recovery and
receive Training Certificate levels 1 and 2
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Redundancy and Safety• PLC disabled: key switch recovery
• Main motor disabled: auxiliary motor recovery
• Main power lost: generator recovery
• In an emergency the HiFlyer can be recovered by:
Ground station
Venting helium
Hand crank: handle fitted to the auxiliary motor
Pulley system
Generator back-up system fitted as standard
Auxiliary motor back-up system
Approval and CertificationFounded by legendary aeronautical engineer,
Per Lindstrand, the Lindstrand factory has been based
at the same site in Oswestry for over 30 years. The
company produces some of the most advanced lighter-
than-air vehicles and inflatable structures globally.
There are presently forty Hiflyers in operation in
eighteen countries.
Lindstrand Technologies Ltd. is certified by the pan-
European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the
British CAA as a Design, Production and Maintenance
Organization under Part 21.
About the James Sadler Oxford Balloon ExperienceWe have chosen Per Lindstrand’s company Lindstrand
Technologies as our partners for their wealth of
experience in setting up similar projects around the
globe-making them the world leaders in balloon
technology.
“James Sadler has been a hero of mine
for some time and I have had a picture
of his Oxford ascent on my wall since the
mid 70’s. His amazing career from that
of a pastry chef to an acclaimed scientist
is nothing less than remarkable and it
is high time that his achievements were
remembered. To have a tethered aerostat
dedicated to his name in Oxford would
be the perfect recognition and something
which he richly deserves.”
PER LINDSTRAND Leading balloon specialist and world record holder
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CONTRIBUTORS:
DAVE DAVIES & DAVE DUNPHY - DIRECTORS
With a background is in the construction and
renewable energy sectors, both company directors,
Dave Davies and Dave Dunphy, have achieved
significant success with design and build construction
projects that include architectural concept through to
implementation.
RICHARD O. SMITH - AUTHOR • SCREENWRITER
Richard is an author, screenwriter and an Oxford
Times columnist who has lived in Oxford for over
twenty years. He has written regularly for BBC2’s Dara
O’Briain’s Science Club, BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show
and The News Quiz, and was the principal screenwriter
for Rupert Grint and Rob Brydon’s latest movie The
Unbeatables. His books include Oxford Student Pranks
(“A jam-packed jamboree of jollity” - Dr Lucy Worsley),
Britain’s Most Eccentric Sports and last year’s Amazon no.
1 bestseller in humour As Thick As Thieves. His book The
Man with His Head in the Clouds is the first biography of
the first Englishman to fly - Oxford’s own James Sadler.
JAMES FERGUSON - PUBLISHER • WRITER
James is a publisher and writer who has lived in Oxford
for forty years. He has published several books on
Oxford, including The Man with His Head in the Clouds.
MARK J. DAVIES - LOCAL HISTORIAN
Mark is an Oxford local historian and guide, with a
special interest in the history and literature of the
non-University aspects of the city. He has written and
published several local interest books with a focus
on the city’s waterways, its castle, and the influence
of the River Thames on Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’. His
biography of James Sadler - “King of all Balloons”: the
Adventurous Life of James Sadler, First English Aeronaut
- was published in November 2015. Fully illustrated, the
book is also a tribute to Sadler’s tragically short-lived
balloonist son, Windham, who himself made more than
thirty ascents, including in Ireland and Scotland.
PHIL PIKE - MARKETING EXECUTIVE
Phil is an entertainment guru who has conceived and
created visitor experiences around the world.
Pike says: ‘It is a great pleasure for me to be involved with
the James Sadler Experience. It will without doubt be a
world class visitor attraction for Oxford.’
Phil Pike started his career at The London Palladium
before becoming the Production Show Producer for
The Hippodrome London and then spending 15 years
opening Tussauds Group experiences including Madame
Tussauds visitor attractions, theme Parks such as Porta
Ventura in Spain and Alton Towers the UK and “in
capsule” entertainment for The London Eye.
REBECCA MILEHAM - MUSEUM CONSULTANT
With over fifteen years’ experience in the museums
sector, and a background in physics, Rebecca specialises
in developing exhibition concepts and interpretation.
She spent ten years at the Science Museum in London,
firstly as an Explainer in the hands-on galleries and
then in exhibition development. Now Rebecca has a
wide portfolio of museum interpretation and writing
projects, working on award-winning touring exhibitions
(1001 Inventions, about the scientific heritage of
Muslim civilisation; Universe of Sound, created by the
Philharmonia Orchestra) and with many UK museums.
Rebecca also delivers popular training courses in text-
writing and interpretation, and is a science journalist
and author.
ANDREW LOVE - GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Andrew is a designer based in Oxford with more than
twenty years experience in predominately marketing
and corporate identity.
for more information please email:[email protected]