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Oldest airport control towers in the UK

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Old 2nd Jul 2014, 11:56
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Oldest airport control towers in the UK

Which British airport has the oldest control tower still in continuous use ? By airport I mean facilities which handle regular airline traffic as opposed to GA airfields like Barton and Blackbushe.

The thing is many of our regional airports have acquired new towers in the last fifteen years or so whereas others are still using towers over forty years old. The tower at Leeds Bradford was commissioned in 1967. The likes of Blackpool and Teesside are probably older still.

Thankyou.
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Old 2nd Jul 2014, 12:00
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Blackbushe has a "new" tower and the old one from the 50s has long gone. There is a web site here: UK Control Tower & airfield photographs of WW2

which you may find interesting. My wife and I visited the one on Davidstow Moor some years ago and it was a very eerie expereince.
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Old 2nd Jul 2014, 15:21
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Prestwick Tower must be getting on a bit now...
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Old 2nd Jul 2014, 17:21
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Fairoaks Tower built in 1936 & still in use for AFIS.
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Old 2nd Jul 2014, 17:35
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The North Weald (EGSX) tower is 1940's era afaik.

Also the Duxford tower is probably that old
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Old 2nd Jul 2014, 19:03
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How about Blackpool Tower? No, - not the "iron tower" mentioned in the 'Jethro Tull' song.
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Old 2nd Jul 2014, 19:06
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Lydd, Cardiff, EGPF? Some of the HIAL towers must be fairly old I would have thought. Perhaps somewhere in The Channel Islands, or the west country. EGHH must be knocking on a bit.
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Old 2nd Jul 2014, 20:49
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I think the tower and terminal at Shoreham was built in the 30's.
Beautiful Art Deco building.
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Old 2nd Jul 2014, 20:59
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Manchester Barton still has the tower opened in 1933
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Old 3rd Jul 2014, 02:53
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Aldergrove tower completed about 1944......still in use.
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Old 3rd Jul 2014, 06:23
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ZOOKER

C.I.Towers:-
EGJJ - newly built c 2011
EGJB - early '80s ?
EGJA - not sure '80s perhaps ?
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Old 3rd Jul 2014, 08:58
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Thanks kcockayne. I haven't been to EGJJ since the 1970s, on a BMA Viscount.
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Old 4th Jul 2014, 21:30
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Lydd don't use the old tower - in fact not sure it still exists.

They use a two storey portacabin
OH
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Old 5th Jul 2014, 04:29
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Hawarden was built circa 1939 and is still in use.
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Old 5th Jul 2014, 06:52
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Teeside looks quite old last time I was there.


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Old 25th Jul 2014, 19:51
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I think the tower and terminal at Shoreham was built in the 30's.
Similar ibn style to the Original in Singapore. Used to represent that in a tv series some years ago (Tenko?)

Orangefield House at Prestwick must have been the strangest. Demolished in 1966
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Old 25th Jul 2014, 23:04
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No, the now demolished tower at Wisley was the strangest; a detached house with a radar room!!
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Old 30th Jul 2014, 14:28
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The North Weald (EGSX) tower is 1940's era afaik.

Also the Duxford tower is probably that old
The Control Tower at EGSX is 1 of 7 Type 5223a/51 Cold War towers dating from 1952. It has now been awarded a Grade II Listed Building to its owners; Epping Forest District Council.

The original control tower building at Duxford was built in 1941. In the early days of Duxford Airshows, a former Horse Racing commentary box was used on the roof to provide Visual Control. In 1991, the IWM completed a new VCR on the roof which remains in operation to this day.

I think the award for the longest operational control tower that has remained in continous use goes to Barton Aerodrome just outside of Manchester which started operations around 1930.

Last edited by classicwings; 30th Jul 2014 at 14:48.
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Old 30th Jul 2014, 14:33
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Bournemouth, still the same tower as the 50s-60s, or even earlier?
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Old 30th Jul 2014, 15:05
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Bournemouth's is a 518/40 pattern building (Watch Office with Met Section), as are Hawarden, Carlisle, Teesside and one or two others. So built around 1941/42.
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