croydon - airways beacon
Pobjoy (lovely little engine) mentions the Croydon beacon ...
There was an airways beacon light located on the west side (but maybe the east) of Grant's Lane, about half a mile north of Staffhurst Wood road. Grant's Lane runs north towards Hurst Green and Oxted on the Kent / Surrey boarder. As far as I know the concrete footing of the light assembly is still there ... it was in '50 when I lived in Edenbridge.
What a wonderful spot for aircraft spotting that was - all sorts of traffic following the railway line to and from Dover and Ashford, both military and civilian ... and the daily commercial traffic, DC3s, 4s, 6s, Connies heading off to Europe from London.
I was lucky to thumb a flight on a Rapide chartered by the BBC on the last day that Croydon was open - it needed a test flight before carrying out filming and the pilot (whom I had helped to push the aircraft out) kindly asked whether I would like to come along for the ride. Having returned to earth I then found myself being introduced to O.P. Jones who was being interviewed for the evening news ...
Ah! Youthful memories ...