It was notably the only land-based transport aeroplane built by Blackburn, a company that otherwise specialised in producing naval fighter aircraft.

The Beverley was originally designed by General Aircraft as the GAL.60 Universal Freighter, reflecting its intended use by both military and civil operators.

The Ministry of Supply mandated specification changes during the flight test programme, which necessitated a second prototype be constructed to a modified design.

The origins of the Beverley can be traced back to the British aviation company General Aircraft; their chief designer F. F. Crocombe worked on the concept as early as 1939.

[1] It had been envisaged that, in light of the intense demands of the Second World War, large aircraft designed specifically for transporting bulky payloads would be immediately attractive to military planners.

[1] An early configuration for the transporter was of a twin-finned, four-engined, fixed undercarriage, pod-and-boom aircraft that had a detachable compartment.

[1] This compartment, which heavily resembled the fuselage of the Hamilcar, was intended to be dropped while the aircraft was flown at a very low altitude (ten foot above ground level) to land on its own tracked undercarriage.

In 1945, it was proposed for the aircraft to be powered by four Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, capable of carrying a payload of 20,000lb, and having an all-up weight of 75,000lb.

[1] During the late 1940s, the Air Ministry issued Specification C.3/46, which sought a medium-range tactical transport aircraft that would, amongst other criteria, have a payload capacity of 25,000lb, a service ceiling of 18,000ft, and be suitable for missions such as air-dropping paratroops, casualty evacuation, glider towing, and the air-dropping of heavy payloads.

[2] The project was boosted by Bristol Aeroplane Company's agreement to develop a version of the Centaurus engine with a two-speed supercharger, capable of producing up to 1,950lb.

General Aircraft were issued with a prototype order from the Air Ministry, the company came to refer to the project as the GAL.60 Universal Freighter to reflect its intended use by both military and civil operators.

[4] Within four weeks of first flying, the first prototype had flown 21 flights and completed all preliminary handling, performance, and load tests.

Thereafter, it was flown to RAF Boscombe Down for evaluation by the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment; handling trials were successfully completed within a relatively short period of three weeks.

These changes were largely necessary due to specification revisions by the Ministry of Supply, which sought an increased all-up weight of 127,000lb, and the ability to carry up to 50,000lb payloads over short distances.

[4] Amongst the design changes were the substitution of the door-and-ramp combination present at the rear of the aircraft in favour of clamshell doors, while the tailplane boom received seating for 36 passengers.

To accelerate production, Blackburn had several of the aircraft's subassemblies, including the accessory bays, undercarriage systems, and the clamshell doors, manufactured at the works in Dumbarton.

[7] Other initiatives focused on civil freighter operators, with particular efforts being made in the Middle East, including demonstrations involving the air-delivery of materials for the oil extraction industry.

Simplicity and maintainability were key focus points of its design, thus the Beverley deliberately lacked both pneumatics or cabin pressurisation.

[2] Relatively large low-pressure Dunlop tyres were fitted to the single-wheel undercarriage, which reportedly gave a similar wheel loading to the much smaller Douglas DC-3.

A device called an Elephant's Foot could be fitted under the centre of the fuselage just forward of the clamshell doors when loading heavy items to prevent the aircraft from tipping back.

It became commonly regarded as being "ungainly but highly effective" and was described by Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Freer as "like something out of the Ark, but it was a superb supply dropper.

30 Squadron started performing its most distant assignment to use the type, delivering humanitarian aid and other supplies to Da Nang, Vietnam.

Initially, the aircraft were silver overall, but later, those operated by the squadrons based in the Middle East were given an overall sand camouflage finish.

By July 1963, the squadron's Beverleys had reportedly flown almost two million miles while conveying over 20,000 tons of freight and 60,000 passengers.

Only a single Beverley has survived: the first production aircraft, XB259 was on display at Fort Paull, just east of Hull, in England, but was sold at auction in September 2020 and then partly dismantled for a proposed move to the nearby former RAF Riccall.