Today, Rochester Cathedral is announcing a £36,414 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to explore the pivotal role Medway played in aviation history and the lasting impact of the Short Brothers in an exhibition this August.

The history of the Short Brothers is a largely untold story given the huge global significance of the Short Factory which was located just a short walk from Rochester Cathedral. At its peak it employed 12,000 people. The Short Brothers were among the first to establish an aircraft manufacturing company and aerospace engineering. The funding from the Heritage Fund is vital for retelling and preserving this overlooked part of Rochester’s heritage. Rochester Cathedral hopes it will inspire local families to discover more about the importance of Medway’s aviation past.

Pioneers of Flight: Made in Medway will feature a rich collection of artefacts and archival materials allowing visitors to gain insight into the factory workers, engineers and visionaries who helped shape the future of flight. It will accompany the Short Scion Floatplane display in the Nave of Rochester Cathedral which has been developed by Rochester Bridge Trust.

Dean of Rochester, Philip Hesketh said:

“This is a fantastic opportunity to tell people of the importance of Rochester in aviation history and celebrate the thousands of lives of who made it happen.”

Stuart McLeod, Director of England - London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:

“We’re delighted to support Pioneers of Flight: Made in Medway, a project that shines a light on the region’s remarkable contributions to aviation history. Medway has a proud legacy of innovation and engineering, and this initiative will help local people connect with that heritage in meaningful and inspiring ways. Thanks to National Lottery players, we’re able to invest in projects like this that celebrate local pride and bring communities together through shared stories.”

The exhibition will be curated by Allison Young and created with the assistance of local partners including Short Brothers Aviation Heritage, Medway Aircraft Preservation Society Limited (MAPSL), the City of Rochester Society and Mess Rooms. Alongside the displayed artefacts will be Billy Childish’s painting “Canopus Over Borstal.” Oral histories of those connected with the factory will be collected and meticulously archived by Oral History Medway CIC culminating in a stand-alone podcast, allowing these crucial stories to be preserved for future generations.

Pioneers of Flight: Made in Medway opens on the 1st August until the 31st August. It will be located in the Rochester Cathedral Crypt and admission is free. Discover more about the exhibition and the wider Floatplane programme on the Rochester Cathedral website.

Find out more

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.

Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.

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