Thanks for the additions/corrections to my recollections and indeed ut was the Travellers Friend at the A4 A30 split-it was, of course, the A4 not the A3 as well.
My first date with my wife was in the very old White Horse in Longford village 45 years ago, of course being locals the fact that the lovely old pub was so very close to the airport and noisy as hell-this is 1976 -was just unnoticed.
As has been pointed out being an old coaching era road there were several pubs along the Bath road and indeed if one headed a little further west to Colnbrooke there were several coaching inn types including the famous/infamous Ostrich .
Perhaps they have all gone too.
As for the poster who cycled from Ashford to Beacon road via Stanwell village (,wouldnt Clare Road through the 'Airways Estate' have been quicker of perhaps it was not built by then. The road access at Beacon road was open to all and I remember the Skyways Yorks parked down that end of the airfield at 'Field Aviation' or thereabouts. Fields was the main handling company for various biz jets light aircraft and other oddities back then and a spotters target even though for those days it was fairly secure.