The Blackburn Aeroplane Company was a Yorkshire based aircraft manufacturer founded in 1911 by Robert Blackburn, who had built his first aircraft in 1908. Initially the company was based in a factory located in Roundhay, Leeds, where they gave regular demonstrations and Britain’s first scheduled flight, which operated from Leeds to Bradford. The company would be renamed The Blackburn Aeroplane and Motor Company in 1914.

During the First World War the company was mostly employed producing seaplanes for the Admiralty. Partly due to this and partly due to the need to produced and test larger aircraft the company opened a new production facility near Hull. This was located at Brough on the north bank of the Humber and would become the focus of the manufacturing side of the company, gradually replacing the Leeds factory.

Following the war, Blackburn suffered from a lack of orders and began to produce a limited number of luxury cars to diversify. It was also involved in the first commercial flight to Leeds when one of their aircraft was used to fly materials from Portsmouth to Leeds for the company. The year also saw a Blackburn Kangeroo being entered in the England to Australia air race and, although it left on 21st November, it would only make it as far as Crete before it had to be abandoned.

From 1920 the company would also produce body work for buses and would propose a weekly commercial flight between Yorkshire and the Netherlands. It would also produce the Swift and Dart torpedo bombers which would be manufactured in large numbers for users in Britain, Japan, Spain and other countries.

During the mid-1920s the company was involved in a number of activities that would see it appearing in the national press at the time. In 1923 they would produce the Blackburn Pellet, a flying boat they hoped to enter in the Schneider Trophy, but this would crash during trails. During 1924 their works at Brough would play host to Douglas World Cruiser aircraft that were involved in the first aerial circumnavigation of the world. After arriving in London these aircraft were transferred to Yorkshire for an overhaul in preparation for their crossing of the Atlantic. The same year would also see the production of the Cubaroo, one of the largest single engine aircraft at the time.

During the late 1920s the Roundhay site would be closed, although the factory, but not the airfield, would reopen in 1934. During 1926 the company would be involved in the establishment of the State Aircraft Factory in Greece. This would initially be operated under Blackburn management and the first design it produced would be the Blackburn Velos. A further foreign project would also be undertaken in 1929 when the Blackburn Aircraft Corporation was established in the United States of America. This was only 10% owned by Blackburn with the rest being owned by the Detroit Aircraft Corporation and was established to acquire design and patent rights for Blackburn aircraft in the US.

During the 1930s the company would undergo a number of changes the first of which occurred in 1934 when it acquired the Cirrus-Hermes Engineering Company. This allowed Blackburn to begin manufacturing aircraft engines in its own right but initially the company would be operated as a separate entity. During 1936 the company would change its name to the Blackburn Aircraft Limited. Not only did this operate the assets of the Blackburn Aeroplane and Motor Company it also incorporated North Sea Aerial and General Transport, which supplied training to the Air Ministry for auxiliary and reserve officers. The same year would also see a partnership with Maurice Denny that resulted in a new factory being established at Barge Park, Dumbarton. This was initially used to produced Blackburn Bothas but would later be used to construct Short Sunderland flying boats.

In 1937 the Cirrus-Hermes Engineering Company was merged with into the rest of the Blackburn company, becoming an operating division which produced engines under the Blackburn Cirrus name. The following year it acquired the remaining shares in the London Air Syndicate, which gave it complete ownership of the operation.

During the Second World War Blackburn would produce the Skua and Roc aircraft for the Fleet Air Arm as well as the Botha for the Royal Air Force. The company’s facilities would also be contracted to produce Sunderland, Swordfish and Barracuda aircraft as well as being used to convert American designs for use in Britain. At the end of the conflict the Dumbarton site would be repurposed to produce aluminium housing, at the request of the Ministry of Aircraft production. The company would also produce the Firebrand strike fighter, which was only produced in limited numbers due to its poor performance.

In 1949 Blackburn would merge with General Aircraft Limited to form Blackburn and General Aircraft Limited. As part of this they took over Universal Flying Services, an air training company that had been established by General Aircraft in 1946, as well as the GAL.60 Universal design. The same year would also see the Humberside Agricultural Products Company produce their first tractor. This was a subsidiary of the Blackburn company that produced the Bean Row-Crop tractor.

During 1950 a disagreement on the company board led to it being left without a managing director for some time. The following year it would acquire Thomas Green and Son, which produced lawn mowers, garden rollers, steam rollers and general agricultural equipment. It would also see the construction of the HP.88, which was based on the fuselage of a Supermarine Type 510 and was built to test the crescent wing design for the Handley Page Victor bomber. Sadly, this broke up in mid-air over Stanstead after only 14 hours flight over 36 days.

1953 would see production of the Beverly transport aircraft begin. This was a military heavy lift version of the GAL.60 Universal, which had been developed by General Aircraft prior to its merger with Blackburn. In 1956 Blackburn and General Aircraft Limited acquired Jowett, who had previously provided components for the company, and this became known as Jowett Engineering. In 1958 the company’s name reverted to Blackburn Aircraft Limited and it would establish a separate electronic equipment unit. Finally, the same year would see the first flight of the NA.39 aircraft. This would later enter service with both the Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm under the name Buccaneer, remaining in service until 1994.

In 1959 the company was restructured as a holding company, known as the Blackburn Group, which controlled three operating subsidiaries, Blackburn Aircraft, Blackburn Engines and Blackburn Electronics, as well as owned other companies including Blackburn (Dumbarton), Thomas Green and Son, Jowett Engineering, London Air Syndicate and Universal Flying Services.

In 1960 the group would be merged into other companies as part of the consolidation of the British aircraft manufacturing sector. The aircraft manufacturing division would become part of Hawker Siddeley while engine production would become part of Bristol Siddeley. From 1963 the Blackburn name would cease to be used due to a restructuring of the Hawker Siddeley Group.