please empty your brain below
Is RAF Fairlop outside greater London?

Ian | 23.01.24 - 7:12 a.m. | #

I know it doesn't fit all your criteria, but de Havilland had a factory by the Thames near Kew which had a runway. It's now a retail park and housing.

Michael Bull | 23.01.24 - 7:44 a.m. | #

I live on the site of Acton aerodrome, which is near Hanger Hill.

There’s some information on a board in North Acton playing fields (which, despite its name, is quite a nice park).

dg writes: Splendid, thanks. More photos/maps here. Princes Gardens and Tudor Gardens are on the site of the former airfield (0.03 sq miles).

Mike on a bike | 23.01.24 - 7:49 a.m. | #

I think Croydon Airport only ever had a grass runway and that has either been built on or was subsumed into the heath with nothing, as far as I am aware, remaining visible.

You may have been referring to a small concrete area within the heath which I believe was either part of the concrete apron used to park the planes or the floor area of some the demolished buildings.

This 1940 picture may illustrate this. Note the planes on the grass at the bottom of the picture.

Pedantic of Purley | 23.01.24 - 8:03 a.m. | #

Thanks for that post, it brought back memories of cycling down from Romford to watch the glider training and the parachuting from a barrage balloon. I went to the two final traditional flying displays before closure, with planes performing tricks such as ‘daisy cutting’ with a wingtip, all suitably close to the spectators.

Herbof | 23.01.24 - 8:47 a.m. | #

I had my first flight as an air cadet from Hornchurch airfield in 1953. We flew in a Chipmunk over the Canvey Island floods and further up the Essex coast. I also saw a number of excellent airshows there.

herbofs bruvver | 23.01.24 - 8:53 a.m. | #

Hounslow Heath Aerodrome, which apparently hosted the UK's first scheduled international flights in 1919, has mostly reverted to an open public green space. However there is a largish modern development of apartments and houses in the southeast corner of the site, bordered by the Waterloo to Reading railway and the Hanworth Road.

Richard | 23.01.24 - 9:01 a.m. | #

There used to be an airfield in Stanmore, on Uxbridge Road - and I recall seeing planes stationed there as recently as the 1990s, but has now been transformed into masses of housing.

BP | 23.01.24 - 9:01 a.m. | #

Ian - The site of RAF Fairlop is within Greater London, but it's not been developed for housing. After WW2 it was used for gravel extraction and it is now the location of Fairlop Waters Country Park.

Alan S | 23.01.24 - 9:24 a.m. | #

Stag Lane is associated with the early career of Nevil Shute (real name Nevil Norway). A flavour of what it was like can be gleaned from the early Shute novels Stephen Morris and Pilotage, written 1923-4. He lived at 69 Stag Lane while working there.

JohnA | 23.01.24 - 10:27 a.m. | #

The Rosewood Medical Practice in Astra Close is housed in the former RAF Hornchurch officers' mess.

Hornchurch Country Park hosts London's only 24 hour trail race - the Spitfire Scramble. There's usually a solo spitfire flypast.

The nearby Good Intent pub has RAF memorabilia.

Running_Correspondent | 23.01.24 - 10:38 a.m. | #

Off topic, but the airfields just outside London have proved useful spaces. Leavesden is where the Warner Bros Harry Potter studio and tour is based, while Bovingdon is where ITV have built their studio for shows like Dancing on Ice and The Masked Singer.

Mikey C | 23.01.24 - 10:42 a.m. | #

There were lots of Emergency Landing Strip's built in WW1, this one in Grove Park. It was still used by civilian aircraft in the 1920. RAF fighter planes were needed to combat Zeppelin raids but had limited air time then. So they needed places to land when running short of fuel - hence this one in Grove Park. There were more across London. The blog Running Past also did something on this airstrip.

Le Ver | 23.01.24 - 10:58 a.m. | #

Not an airfield, but during WW1 the back streets of Richmond played host to the Whitehead Aircraft Factory where Sopwith Pups were manufactured. It's now all housing.

dncn | 23.01.24 - 11:14 a.m. | #

RAF Kidbrooke is on the airfields list only as a "winch-launched gliding site", but was also a big RAF depot. It has been developed for housing twice, once as the demolished Ferrier Estate and now as the rather less concretey Kidbrooke Village.

HTFB | 23.01.24 - 11:18 a.m. | #

Splendid post! I used to live in a hours that was originally owned by one the draftsmen for de Haviland, bought around the time they moved/expanded in Hatfield (and was the last house they lived in per probate records in the early 1990's as part of the deed pack).

And Hatfield has an older pub called the Comet referencing the unfortunate jet aircraft of that name which I think was built in Hatfield.

MilesT | 23.01.24 - 12:26 p.m. | #

Today's post brought a smile to my face.
On almost the 1st anniversary of his death, my dad would have loved this post.
A boy during WW2, he lived his entire life in Cricklewood, Hendon & Stag Lane and lived and breathed its aviation history.

Cornish Cockney | 23.01.24 - 2:12 p.m. | #

Not an aerodrome, but this has reminded me of the tangle of land near Battersea gas works that was an early manufacturing and testing site for balloons, where the Short Brothers got in to flying (and which is now blue-plaqued).

David | 23.01.24 - 2:30 p.m. | #

Tommy Sopwith had his first aircraft factory during WWI in Kingston. As their was no airfield near by he had his planes transported in sections to Brookland for testing and flying. I have heard though that he did test a seaplane on the River Thames in Kingston at about this time.

Tones | 23.01.24 - 2:38 p.m. | #

Your post today and the links given in the comments have given me hours of fun. Thank you.

mikeH | 23.01.24 - 2:49 p.m. | #

Huh, well I never... My parent, their siblings and parents are buried in the former Chigwell airfield/aerodrome. I think said parent would have liked that post very much. Thank you.

Cornish Cockney - that first year is so tough. My condolences.

anon | 23.01.24 - 3:03 p.m. | #

A lot of aerodrome sites across what is now Greater London - there were four in and around Chigwell. Fairlop almost became a satellite London airport with handy Central Line (then Great Eastern) rail links for London, but the Green Belt killed that off.

A V Roe (company name AVRO) had his first 'factory' under the railway viaduct crossing Walthamstow Marshes, and his first planes flew from and landed on grass paths.

Several sites in and around Heston too, including a little further away the Fairey factory, where the doomed Rotodyne emerged from.

A fascinating topic - many many thanks for brightening a very dull day!

Joel | 23.01.24 - 3:47 p.m. | #

I believe RAF Kenley is within Greater London, or certainly partly within its boundaries. English Heritage (in 2000) identified Kenley as "The most complete fighter airfield associated with the Battle of Britain to have survived".

dg writes: it is, but it's not housing.

Robert | 23.01.24 - 4:51 p.m. | #

Stanmore Park was a large RAF station but not an airfield.

For a while it was part of No 11 Group (Fighter Command), which was originally at RAF Uxbridge and then transferred to nearby RAF Bentley Priory.

All three sites are now housing.

Stanmore Park: 0.05 square miles
Uxbridge: 0.15 square miles
Bentley Priory: - a few luxury pads

diamond geezer | Homepage | 23.01.24 - 5:25 p.m. | #

I visited the RAF Hornchurch Heritage center earlier this year. Very interesting small museum, densely packed. Highly recommended!

Paul | 23.01.24 - 8:32 p.m. | #

This came from my brother in response to your post.  I know it's a bit late but.....


Here are some more obscure ones. 1. Acton, Opened in 1910, was known as London Aviation Ground. Just south of Park Royal. During WWI a training school took up residence. It closed in 1920. During WWII the site was used to construct a few Avro Anson fuselages, then later used for manufacture of Mosquito wings for De Havilland. After war returned to civil use.

2. Barking Creek, Handley Page works constructed in 1909. By 1912 HP looked for a more suitable site and moved to Cricklewood.

3. Chigwell, opened in 1938 for Barrage Balloon group, also Central Test Board. After WWII HQ of 253 Signals unit. Closed 1958.

4. Chingford, opened 1915, used by 44sqn on Home Defence duties. Closed 1919. 

5. Feltham, used in WWI as aircraft acceptance park. In 1929 National Flying Services built proper aerodrome. General Aircraft Ltd used the site repairing aircraft. Closed 1948.

6. Hainault Farm, Opened in 1916 housed one flight of 39sqn on Home Defence duties. Closed in 1919. Taken over in 1941, enlarged and used by Fighter Command until 1944. Became a Balloon centre, closed 1946.

7. Hounslow, opened 1914, a number of squadrons based there on Home Defence duties. Closed 1920.

8. Joyce Green, opened 1914, on Dartford salt marshes, used for Home Defence of London closed December 1919. 

9. Wimbledon, During WWI, used as a 3rd class landing ground. Used by 141sqn for Home defence of London. After WWI dismantled but landing ground used for a few more years.

 Well I hope you're still awake.

Johnny | 26.01.24 - 9:59 a.m. | #











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