What is the British Balloon Museum & Library (BBM&L)?

Updated

The British Balloon Museum & Library (BBM&L) is a registered charity founded in 1979 by a small group of balloonists, and it serves as the official museum of the British Balloon and Airship Club. Its purpose is to preserve items associated with hot air and gas ballooning and other forms of lighter-than-air flight. It has no physical museum building — instead, its collection is being catalogued, photographed and published online, a process supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

What the organisation is

  • Status: a registered charity.
  • Founded: 1979, by a group of balloonists.
  • Affiliation: the official museum of the British Balloon and Airship Club.
  • Objective: preserving the many different items associated with, and used in, hot air and gas ballooning, and other forms of lighter-than-air flight.

What is in the collection

The BBM&L holds a large collection of artefacts from the sport of ballooning — both hot air and gas — plus a good number of items from the world of airships. The website organises the collection into browsable categories, each with images and descriptions:

Category What it covers
Hardware Balloons, baskets, burners etc.
Books Non-fiction, fiction, non-English
Oral history Audio interviews with key people
Advertising Posters and handbills
Clothing T-shirts, sweatshirts, flying suits etc.
Photographs Single photos, bundles and albums
Post/Postal items Flown mail, stamps, envelopes
Art Paintings, prints
Moving films Documentaries, fiction, events
Memorabilia China, glass, wood, metal etc.
Trophies & plaques Awards, trophies and plaques
Records Logbooks, certificates, stationery etc.
Publications Articles, magazines, newspapers etc.
3D models Models of balloons etc.

One example of a featured object is an open weave wicker basket made by Thunder Balloons — an early design from around 1973, with no burner supports and cow hide around the top. The open weave design is described as a throw-back to the gas balloon, which dominated balloon activity from the late 18th century until the modern hot air balloon was invented in the 1960s.

How to use the site

  1. Explore the Collection — click a category link to view images of items along with their descriptions.
  2. Search the Collection — use the search box to find a particular item, person or event.
  3. Check Latest News and Events — the site posts news items concerning people, balloons and airships, plus event details as they become available.

Because there is no physical museum, the website is the main way to access the collection. The process of adding items is gradual, as more objects are catalogued and photographed, so not everything held by the BBM&L is necessarily online yet.

If you want to support it

The site provides JOIN NOW and MAKE A DONATION options, framed around the idea of helping "save the past for the future." The available page information does not state membership prices, donation amounts or any login requirements, so check the site directly for current terms.