‘Balloonatics’: ascents from Leeds by history’s most celebrated aeronauts
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Leeds Inspired

‘Balloonatics’: ascents from Leeds by history’s most celebrated aeronauts

12th May 2027
Leeds City Library

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries Leeds was treated to hot-air balloon ascents by some of the most celebrated aeronauts of the period: Vincent Lunardi, the first man ever to fly in Britain; Windham Sadler, son of the first Englishman to fly; and Charles Green, the most famous and active British balloonist of the 19th century, all attracted huge crowds. And not forgetting Green’s passenger on a second ascent: Jane Stocks, ‘the most enterprising heroine of her day’. The story of these extraordinarily intrepid, inventive, and courageous individuals is little told but sure to intrigue, inspire, and inform.

Mark Davies is an Oxford local historian, guide, and author, with a particular interest in the history and literature of the non-University aspects of the city. The exploits of the earliest balloonists, especially James Sadler, the Oxford pastry cook who was the unlikely first Englishman to fly, is consistent with topics associated with Oxford ‘Town’ rather than ‘Gown’. Among Mark’s many books is ‘King of all Balloons’, the biography of James Sadler and his balloonist son, Windham, copies of which will be available.