Croydon Airport
Croydon Airport | |||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||||||
Location | Croydon | ||||||||||||||||||
Opened | 1920 | ||||||||||||||||||
Closed | 1959 | ||||||||||||||||||
Hub for | British European Airways | ||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 51°21′23″N 000°07′02″W / 51.35639°N 0.11722°W | ||||||||||||||||||
Website | www | ||||||||||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
|
Croydon Airport (former
After the
In 1978, the terminal building and Gate Lodge were granted protection as Grade II
History
Origin
In December 1915,
Beddington Aerodrome became a large Reserve Aircraft and Training aerodrome for the
The following units were also here at some point:[7]
- No. 17 Reserve Aeroplane Squadron
- No. 17 Reserve Squadron
- No. 17 Training Squadron
- No. 19 Reserve Squadron
- 24th Aero Squadron
- No. 40 Training Squadron
- No. 65 Reserve Squadron
Beddington and Waddon aerodromes were combined to become Croydon Aerodrome, the gateway for all international flights to and from London. The new, single aerodrome opened on 29 March 1920, replacing the temporary civil aerodrome at a Cavalry ground on Hounslow Heath.
Penshurst Airfield was an alternative destination for airliners when Croydon was closed on account of fog. One such diversion was on 24 September 1921, when a de Havilland DH.18 aircraft was diverted to Penshurst.[10] This situation lasted until Penshurst closed on 28 July 1936.[11]
Croydon was the first airport in the world to introduce
On the formation of Britain's first national airline, Imperial Airways, on 31 March 1924, Croydon became the new airline's operating base. Imperial Airways was the British Government's chosen instrument to develop connections with the U.K.'s extensive overseas interests. It was therefore from Croydon that Britain first developed its European and longhaul routes to India, Africa, the Middle and Far East, Asia, Africa and Australia (in conjunction with Qantas).
Following the
Expansion
Under the provisions of the Croydon Aerodrome Extension Act 1925, the airport was greatly enlarged between 1926 and 1928, with a new complex of buildings being constructed alongside
Croydon was where regular international passenger services began, initially using converted wartime bombers, and the Croydon–Le Bourget route soon became the busiest in the world. Air traffic control was first developed here, as was the "Mayday" distress call.[12] Amy Johnson took off from Croydon on 5 May 1930 for her record-breaking flight to Australia. In 1927, Charles Lindbergh arrived in Spirit of St. Louis, to be greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of over 100,000 people.[12] Winston Churchill also took flying lessons.
On the morning of 11 July 1936, Major
Imperial Airways used the Handley Page HP42/HP45 four-engined biplanes from Croydon, and the Armstrong Whitworth Atalanta, which was the first monoplane airliner used by the airline, intended for use on the African routes. In March 1937 British Airways Ltd operated from Croydon, moving to Heston Aerodrome in May 1938. Imperial Airways, serving routes in the British Empire, and British Airways Ltd, serving European routes, were merged by the Chamberlain government in November 1938 to become British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). Larger four-engined monoplanes, Armstrong Whitworth Ensign series (G-ADSR) came into service that year.[citation needed]
The airport also hosted a much-publicised visit by Gertrud Scholtz-Klink, leader of the National Socialist Women's League (NS-Frauenschaft) and rumoured to be a spy; historians have speculated that she landed in Britain to cultivate German spies living here, in the run-up to WWII.[22]
Second World War
When the
The following units were here at some point:[7]
- No. 1 Squadron RAF
- No. 1 Squadron RCAF
- No. 2 Squadron RAF
- No. 3 Squadron RAF
- No. 10 Squadron RAF
- No. 17 Squadron RAF
- No. 22 Squadron RAF
- No. 32 Squadron RAF
- No. 39 Squadron RAF
- No. 41 Squadron RAF
- No. 72 Squadron RAF
- No. 83 Squadron RAF
- No. 84 Squadron RAF
- No. 85 Squadron RAF
- No. 92 Squadron RAF
- No. 93 Squadron RAF
- No. 111 Squadron RAF
- No. 116 Squadron RAF
- No. 145 Squadron RAF
- No. 147 Squadron RAF
- No. 167 Squadron RAF
- No. 207 Squadron RAF
- No. 271 Squadron RAF
- No. 285 Squadron RAF
- No. 287 Squadron RAF
- No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron
- No. 317 Polish Fighter Squadron
- No. 414 Squadron RCAF
- No. 435 Squadron RCAF
- No. 437 Squadron RCAF
- No. 501 Squadron RAF
- No. 605 Squadron RAF
- No. 607 Squadron RAF
- No. 615 Squadron RAF
- Units
- No. 1 Aircraft Delivery Flight RAF (January 1942 - July 1944)[24]
- No. 110 (Transport) Wing RAF (July 1944 - February 1946)[25]
- No. 143 Gliding School RAF (May 1945 - December 1946)[26]
- No. 405 Aircraft Repair Flight
- No. 405 Repair & Salvage Unit
- No. 409 Repair & Salvage Unit
- No. 3202 Servicing Commando
- No. 4007 Anti-Aircraft Flight RAF Regiment
Battle of Britain
On 15 August 1940, Croydon Airport was attacked in the first major air raid on the London area. At around 6.20 pm 22
Post-war developments and final closure
Following the end of the war, it was realised that post-war airliners and cargo aircraft would be larger and that air traffic would intensify. The urban spread of south London and the growth of surrounding villages had enclosed Croydon Airport and left it little room for expansion. Heathrow was therefore designated as London's airport.[citation needed]
Croydon returned to civil control in February 1946; a diagram in the issue of Flight magazine dated 11 April shows 1,250 yards (1,140 m) ground run in the 170–350 direction, 1,150 yards (1,050 m) 060-240 and 1,100 yards (1,000 m) 120–300 (the numbers are degrees clockwise from north). Northolt opened to the airlines soon after that, cutting Croydon's traffic, but the September 1946 ABC Guide shows 218 departures a week to Belfast, Dublin, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow (Renfrew), Jersey, Guernsey, and several continental airports. A year later there were 56 departures a week, mostly BEA de Havilland Dragon Rapides that weeks later left Croydon for good.[citation needed]
It was decided in 1952 that the airport would eventually be closed, as Blackbushe Airport in Hampshire and Northolt Aerodrome in Middlesex could accommodate European flights during the 1950s. The last scheduled flight from Croydon departed at 6:15pm on 30 September 1959,[8] followed by the last aircraft (a private flight), at 7:45pm;[8] the airfield officially closed at 10:20pm.[28]
On 27 September 2009, to mark the 50th anniversary of the closing of the airport, eleven
Present day
Much of the site has been built over, but some of the terminal buildings near
A de Havilland Heron (a small propeller-driven British airliner of the 1950s) is displayed on the forecourt outside Airport House, mounted on struts. The Heron is painted to represent an example registered G-AOXL of Morton Air Services, the aircraft that flew the last passenger flight from Croydon on 30 September 1959. A memorial to those lost in the Battle of Britain stands slightly to the south.
Although Croydon has long ceased operation, the two cut ends of Plough Lane have never been reunited, but the area between has been developed instead into parkland, playing fields, and the
The church on the Roundshaw estate has a cross on its outside wall that was made from the cut down propeller of a Spitfire based at Croydon during the Second World War.
The area is still known as Croydon Airport for transport purposes and was the location for Croydon Water Palace.
In recognition of the historical significance of the aerodrome, two local schools (Waddon Infants School and Duppas Junior School) merged in September 2010 and became The Aerodrome School.[30][31]
The buildings
The Aerodrome Hotel and the terminal building including its grand booking hall were built in the neo-classical geometrical design typical of the early 20th century. A further item that would have caught the eye of visitor and traveller alike was the
The Airport Hotel survives as the independent Hallmark Hotel.[32]
Events and celebrities
Date/year | Aviator | Comments |
---|---|---|
1919 | Winston Churchill | Took extensive flying lessons at Croydon and was nearly killed during a crash at take-off[33] |
1925 | Alan Cobham | Flew from Croydon to Cape Town and back in 1925-6[34] |
1927 | Charles Lindbergh | Flew into Croydon shortly after completing the first solo trans-Atlantic flight[35] |
1928 | Mary Bailey | Flew solo from Croydon to Cape Town[36] |
1928 | Mary, Lady Heath | The first pilot to fly a small open-cockpit aircraft from Cape Town to London, 18 May[37] |
1928 | Bert Hinkler | Made the first flight from Croydon to Darwin, Australia[38] |
1928 | Charles Kingsford Smith | Beat Hinkler's record[39] |
1929 | Armstrong Whitworth Argosy flew from Croydon to Paris, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford met Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma[40] | |
1930 | Aspy Engineer and R. N. Chawla | First Indians to fly from Karachi to Croydon and shortly after, Engineer flew from Croydon to Karachi solo and within the specified one month time frame to win the Aga Khan competition[41] |
1930 | Man Mohan Singh | The first Indian to fly Croydon to Karachi as a contestant in the Aga Khan competition[42] |
1930 | Amy Johnson | The first woman to fly from Croydon to Australia, leaving 5 May with a few people to see her off; welcomed back by a jubilant crowd of thousands[43][44] |
1934 | Tom Campbell Black | With C. W. A. Scott won the MacRobertson London to Melbourne Air Race[45] |
1936 | Juan de la Cierva | The Spanish inventor of the autogyro died in an aviation accident, 9 December[46] |
Accidents and incidents
- On 15 March 1923, Farman F.60 Goliath F-AEIE of Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes overran the runway on landing and collided with a building. The aircraft was later repaired and returned to service.[47]
- On 22 January 1924, Goliath F-GEAO of Air Union was destroyed by fire following an accident when landing.[47]
- On 24 December 1924 (1924 Imperial Airways de Havilland DH.34 crash), Imperial Airways de Havilland DH.34 G-EBBX crashed and caught fire shortly after takeoff from Croydon, killing the pilot and all seven passengers.[17][48]
- On 6 November 1929, the
- On 19 May 1934, a Wibault 280 of Air France crash-landed on a cricket pitch adjacent to Croydon Airport as a result of running out of fuel. Only one of the ten people on board was injured.[50]
- On 31 May 1934 an Air France aircraft carrying newspapers to Paris crashed after hitting the mast of an aircraft radio navigation beacon that had been erected off the end of the white-line takeoff path, killing the two crew.
- On 6 March 1935, in the Croydon Airport robbery, £21,000 worth of gold bullion was stolen. Three men were charged, only one was sentenced. The gold was never found.[51]
- On 9 December 1936 (1936 KLM Croydon accident), a KLM Douglas DC-2 crashed on takeoff at Croydon Airport on a flight to Amsterdam. The accident killed 15 out of 17 on the DC-2,[52] including Juan de la Cierva and Arvid Lindman.
- On 25 January 1947 (1947 Croydon Dakota accident), a Spencer Airways Douglas Dakota failed to get airborne on a flight to Rhodesia. The aircraft struck another parked and empty aircraft, killing 11 passengers and the pilot.[53]
Immigration and customs
The Chief Immigration Officer of the shipping port of Port of Dover, P. L.Hartley, took over in 1936.[54]
Medical provision
A medical officer, Dr
Literary references
Croydon Airport features heavily in two detective novels, Freeman Wills Crofts' The 12.30 from Croydon (1934) and Agatha Christie's Death in the Clouds (1935).[56] It is also mentioned in Evelyn Waugh's Labels: A Mediterranean Journey (1930), Elizabeth Bowen's To the North (1932) and Winston Churchill's Thoughts and Adventures (1932).
W. H. Auden, in his Letter to Lord Byron (1937), lists "Croydon Aerodrome" as one of the locations visited by a modern-day Don Juan.[57]
Notes
References
- ^ Council, Sutton. "Croydon Airport". www.sutton.gov.uk. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Basing, Tavis. "Historic Airport | Historic Croydon Airport". Croydonairport.org.uk. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
- ^ "Airport House (Croydon)". historicengland.
- ^ Historic England. "Former Lodge To Croydon Airport Terminal (1079299)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
- ^ England, Historic. "Heritage at Risk 2017 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ^ "prince | prince albert | rome | 1919 | 0473 | Flight Archive". Flightglobal.com. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- ^ a b "Croydon (Beddington) (London) (Waddon)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Millard, Neil (3 September 2009). "Fly past to mark 50th anniversary of Croydon Airport". The Croydon Post (online and in print). Northcliffe Media. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2009.
- ^ "Online communities". 22 January 2016. Archived from the original on 31 January 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2007.
- ^ "London Terminal Aerodrome". Flight. No. 29 September 1921. p. 649.
- ^ "Penshurst Closed". Flight. No. 30 July 1936. p. 141.
- ^ a b c Basing, Tavis. "Historic Croydon Airport". Croydonairport.org.uk. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ "Air conference at Waddon: the Vickers "Viking III" Amphibian". Flightglobal.com. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ "Wireless position-finding for aircraft". Flightglobal.com. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ Kaminski-Morrow, David (25 February 2020). "Colourised images mark centenary of world's first control tower". Flight Global.
- ISBN 978-1-52677-559-7.
- ^ a b "Croydon Air Accident. Court of Enquiry's Report". The Times. No. 43883. London. 11 February 1925. col A, B, C, D, p. 17.
- ^ "The Royal Aero Club and Christmas". Flightglobal.com. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ "Croydon Airport & RAF Croydon Airfield". controltowers.co.uk.
- ^ "RandomPottins". randompottins.blogspot.com.
- ^ "When Hitler's perfect woman came to call". History Extra. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ "MK1 Supermarine Spitfire to be sold to benefit RAF Veterans and Wildlife Charity". Cambridge Military History. 13 May 2015.
- ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 47.
- ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 321.
- ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 166.
- ^ Ramsey, "After the Battle"[clarification needed]
- ^ a b c d e Austen, Ian (7 October 2009). "Airport milestone marked by flypast". The Croydon Post. Croydon, UK: Northcliffe Media.
- ^ "Thursday 15th August 1940 – Battle of Britain". War and peace and the price of cat-fish. 22 August 2010. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
- ^ Charlton, Jo (7 August 2009). "Work begins on new primary school in Waddon". The Croydon Advertiser. Croydon, UK: Northcliffe Media. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
- ^ "Schools amalgamation means lift off for Aerodrome School". London Borough of Croydon. 6 August 2009. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
- ^ "Hallmark Hotel Croydon, Croydon, Near Gatwick". londonnethotels.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
- ^ Gilbert, Martin; Churchill, Randolph (1975). Winston S. Churchill: Volume IV 1917–1922. London: Heinemann. p. 208.
- ^ "Sir Alan Cobham ; A Life of a Pioneering Aviator". www.rafmuseum.org.uk. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
- ISBN 978-1-905087-87-7.
- ^ "Lady Mary Bailey (1890-1960), Pioneer Aviatrix". www.ctie.monash.edu.au. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
- ^ "Lady Mary Heath/Aviator and Athlete". www.herstory.ie. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
- ^ "On this day: Hinkler's solo flight from England to Australia". Australian Geographic. 7 November 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
- ISBN 978-0-7336-2998-3.
- ISBN 978-0907335146.
- ISBN 978-1-4456-5724-0.
- ^ "The Aga Khan Prize" (PDF). Flight: 559. 23 May 1930.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
- ISBN 978-0907335146.
- ^ "Tom Campbell Black". 24 July 2008. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008.
- ISBN 978-0-19-965658-5.
- ^ a b "French pre-war register version 120211" (PDF). Air Britain. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
- ^ "Air Disaster at Croydon". Flight. No. 1 January 1925. p. 4.
- ^ Harro Ranter (6 November 1929). "ASN Aircraft accident Junkers G.24bi D-903 Godstone, Surrey". aviation-safety.net.
- ^ "Mishap to French Air Liner". The Times. No. 46759. London. 21 May 1934. col F, p. 7.
- ^ Whalley, Kirsty (26 January 2009). "Secrets of gold bullion heist revealed". Your Local Guardian. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
- ^ "Informasi Teknologi Terbaru 2018". Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
- Aviation Safety Network
- ^ "Dover Express". 25 December 1936.
- S2CID 219995166.
- ISBN 978-1845130152.
- ISBN 978-0571106059.
"I see his face in every magazine.
'Don Juan at lunch with one of Cochran's ladies.'
'Don Juan with hisred setterMay MacQueen.'
'Don Juan, who's just been wintering inCadiz,
Caught at the wheel of his maroon Mercedes.'
'Don Juan at Croydon Aerodrome.' 'Don Juan
Snapped in the paddock with the Aga Khan.'"
Bibliography
- Bluffield, Robert (2009). Imperial Airways: The Birth of the British Airline Industry 1914–1940. Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-906537-07-4.
- Cluett, Douglas; Nash, Joanna; Learmonth, Bob (1980). Croydon Airport: The Great Days 1928–1939. Sutton: London Borough of Sutton Libraries and Arts Services. ISBN 978-0-9503224-8-3.
- Cluett, Douglas; Bogle (Nash), Joanna; Learmonth, Bob (1984). Croydon Airport and The Battle for Britain 1939–1940. Sutton: London Borough of Sutton Libraries and Arts Services. ISBN 978-0-907335-11-5.
- Dickson, Charles C. (1983). Croydon Airport Remembered. Sutton: London Borough of Sutton Libraries and Arts Services. ISBN 978-0-907335-12-2.
- Gillies, Midge (2003). Amy Johnson: Queen of the Air. Weidenfeld and Nicolson. ISBN 978-0-75381-770-4.
- Gordon, Alistair (2004). Naked Airport: A Cultural History of the World's Most Revolutionary Structure. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-30456-4.
- Learmonth, Bob; Nash, Joanna; Cluett, Douglas (1977). The First Croydon Airport 1915–1928. Sutton: London Borough of Sutton Libraries and Arts Services. ISBN 978-0-9503224-3-8.
- Stroud, John (1987). Railway Air Services. Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-7110-1743-6.
- Sturtivant, R.; Hamlin, J.; Halley, J. (1997). Royal Air Force flying training and support units. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 0-85130-252-1.
External links
- Historic Croydon Airport Trust website
- Old Ordnance Survey map of the area as in the 1920s: see the word "Aerodrome" between the two roads going north-northwest from Purley; the westerly of those two roads is Plough Lane.
- History of Croydon Airport web page from Croydon Online
- Various photos from Control Towers website
- Chart of Croydon Airport Archived 17 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine from The Air Pilot, published by Air Ministry, London, 1934.
- Croydon control tower
- Flypast over Croydon Airport – Sunday 27 September 2009 on YouTube
- Demotix – Croydon Airport 50th Anniversary Flypast photos
- Google Earth ground view of Croydon Airport from the A23 road (Purley Way)
- Article about MK1 Spitfires from No. 92 Squadron which flew from RAF Croydon at cambridgemilitaryhistory.com weblog
- Croydon Airport reconstruction