The existing Star of David runways were embarrassingly under-used right through the 50s...the original triangular RAF set would probably have been adequate,lack of a decent terminal was a puzzle .... the date for the official abandonment of #7,8,9 scheme (or 8,9,10 if you're a cynic) is to be found in Philip Sherwood's Heathrow 2000 book, p77...on Dec 10 1952 the Minister of Civil Aviation announced that 'the additional amount of traffic which could be accepted by extending the Airport north of the Bath Road would not justify the expenditure and disturbance incurred.'
Having built 6 (actually 7
) runways they closed the most used one, 28R ,(now 27R) from about 1951 to 1953 to dig the road tunnel to the centre....must have seemed a long taxi to the Southside runway....28R/10L was closed briefly again in the Summer of 1962 when a Lufthansa 720B landed dramatically with its nosewheel up halting above the Central tunnel (see jamd link )(all OK ,plane was repaired)
Jamd