Pobjoy
Yes it did, until the BAA redevelopment the Terminal Facilities were housed in a 1917 hangar. Certainly when I was learing to fly there in the early 80's there were very basic facilities. Think tea from an urn. A couple of near normal check in desks, a small Aurigny desk with scales to weigh passengers, a small shop, a grotty (as I remember) cafe. Upstairs were the airport offices and flight school offices.
In the Peter de Savary (late 1980's) days there was much talk of a redevelopment, but the terminal stayed in the old hangar (on the site of the current multi-storey short stay car park) until the existing terminal was built.
There were also at this time 2 WWII type hangers (that were part of the Supermarine works) one to the north hosting aircraft maintenance, and one to the south giving (I think) inside storage. Gone long ago.
I do remember in the days when private flying was permitted (and welcomed) at Southampton the security to move from landside flight school office in the terminal to aircraft involved an unlocked door marked 'authorised only' to the left of the Aurigny check in desk......and that was it. A small strolll then across the commercial tarmac passing Islanders and Heralds and Viscounts, sometimes waiting for them to taxi by, before crossing to the grass parking to my AA5A.
I learnt to fly there and flew from there many times. The radar operators were usually pleased to practice giving vectors to approach if it was a quiet day.
And the usual code of 'keep your speed up' on long final over the New Forest if something much bigger and faster was behind you.
Fond memories, and learning at Southampton as a simple humble PPL I was never scared to visit commercial airfields such as Bristol, Exeter or Plymouth.
C