 | |
| Industry | Aerospace manufacturer |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1910 (as British and Colonial Aircraft Company) |
| Founder | Sir George White |
| Defunct | 1966 (holding company) 1959 (aircraft production) |
| Fate | Split and merged |
| Successor | British Aircraft Corporation Bristol Siddeley |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | |
| Subsidiaries | Bristol Aero-Engines Bristol Helicopters (1945–1959) Bristol Cars (1945–1960) Bristol Aerospace (1957–1966) |
The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aircraft engines. Notable aircraft produced by the company include the 'Boxkite', the Bristol Fighter, the Bulldog, the Blenheim, the Beaufighter, and the Britannia, and much of the preliminary work which led to Concorde was carried out by the company. In 1956 its major operations were split into Bristol Aircraft and Bristol Aero Engines. In 1959, Bristol Aircraft merged with several major British aircraft companies to form the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) and Bristol Aero Engines merged with Armstrong Siddeley to form Bristol Siddeley.
BAC went on to become a founding component of the nationalised British Aerospace, now BAE Systems. Bristol Siddeley was purchased by Rolls-Royce in 1966, who continued to develop and market Bristol-designed engines. The BAC works were in Filton, about 4 miles (6 km) north of Bristol city centre. BAE Systems, Airbus, Rolls-Royce, MBDA and GKN still have a presence at the Filton site where the Bristol Aeroplane Company was located.