Just out of curiosity what are the 2 huge sheds that you can see off the A421 when going round Bedford? Always wondered what they were used for as theyre about 5 times the height of a “normal” industrial building. They are over to the left if travelling westbound just after the A603 junction. Cheers!
They are old airship hangars that used to house the R1O1 airships. SIMPLES! 
I understand from a friend who lives nearby that one of them is occupied by a company that still uses airships, the type used for advertising and traffic reporting. They are both listed structures.
Pete.
When I used to deliver there, one was Building Research Establishment, or similar, where they used to test materials for fire resistance. I believe Airship Industries still own, or part own, one and and a film/concert production own or hire the other. Several films have been filmed there and several bands have held concert rehearsals there.
One of the hangars, was or still is, the batman set Gotham city.
They are massive. The dsa has an office next to them.
byebyegti:
One of the hangars, was or still is, the batman set Gotham city.They are massive. The dsa has an office next to them.
The DSA test all their instructors & examiners at Cardington
news.bbc.co.uk/local/threecounti … 855934.stm
Howden built the R100 with Barnes Wallis and Neville Shute
Went up the 421 today, seems that they are starting to renovate the second one.
byebyegti:
One of the hangars, was or still is, the batman set Gotham city.They are massive. The dsa has an office next to them.
The DSA test all their instructors & examiners at Cardington
news.bbc.co.uk/local/threecounti … 855934.stm
Howden built the R100 with Barnes Wallis and Neville Shute Norway
I once did a Where am I from this road?
Wheel Nut:
byebyegti:
One of the hangars, was or still is, the batman set Gotham city.They are massive. The dsa has an office next to them.
The DSA test all their instructors & examiners at Cardington
news.bbc.co.uk/local/threecounti … 855934.stm
Howden built the R100 with Barnes Wallis and Neville Shute
They’ll never get that big Airship in that hanger. 
byebyegti:
One of the hangars, was or still is, the batman set Gotham city.They are massive. The dsa has an office next to them.
Tipped there about 8 years ago when the set for Gotham city was up. No joke you could roam about the streets & the buildings were 4 or 5 storeys high. Takes em about 30 minutes to open the hangar doors- each one has it’s own motor to move the wheels along the track
Part of Gotham City going in
dowahdiddyman:
‘… seems that they are starting to renovate the second one…’
I’ve seen the evidence from the road too - and which is well overdue.
I went inside them both when doing research (eg. on-a-swan with mates) during a previous existence in approx 2004.
The tidy one was fine, but looking up into the roof of the tatty one was akin to viewing stars at night - what with corrosion creating hundreds of holes to let-in daylight.
It has to be good news for English heritage, eh 
One is owned by Warner Brothers, its beenused for many films. There is normally at least 1 set in there waiting to be used.
The airship company is called Hybrid Air Vehicles, they rented a space in one of the hangars and also have a smaller airship in a marquee down there.
The one that is being renovated is being done as the land all around was sold for housing, one of the conditions for the planning permission was that the developers had to pay to renovate the hangar not owned by Warner Brothers. Someone did tell me what it was going to cost, I cant remember the figure now, but it made my eyes water at the time!
leehellcat:
The airship company is called Hybrid Air Vehicles, they rented a space in one of the hangars and also have a smaller airship in a marquee down there.
They are in the news today
Cranfield firm’s ‘breakthrough’ for English airships
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-19634160
In about 1972 on my way to work at E Hull ltd in Bedford early one morning i noticed the airship moored at Cardington was at a funny angle to the mast .When i came back in my lorry it had gone . I was stopped in Cotton end by the police who informed me “As you can see theres an airship stuck in that tree”. While we were discussing what to do next a very large out of breath American security guard appeared. He tried to catch the mooring rope when it broke away but it was too fast for him. I had to drive my empty Foden artic tipper on the grass the other side of the road in case i vibrated the airship down from the tree
xfmatt:
Just out of curiosity what are the 2 huge sheds that you can see off the A421 when going round Bedford? Always wondered what they were used for as theyre about 5 times the height of a “normal” industrial building. They are over to the left if travelling westbound just after the A603 junction. Cheers!
They are air ship hangers built a long time ago. I’m sure that someone more erudite will fill in the rest of the answers. More recently, I believe they shot the Batman movie in them.
Hiya .i used to deliver to Beds flooring not far from the hangers. now i,am going back 12 or so years.
so on clear mornings a small balloon (about 6ft dia) fixed to a winch on a army truck would go up to
about 3000 ft. for about 20 mins and them be winched back down .
the lads at beds flooring said it was to do with a weather station taking readings.
big old sheads for what ever th,ey for.
John