Heathrow before WWII

[Anthony Appleyard]

Heathrow (hamlet) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathrow_%28hamlet%29)

Great West Aerodrome - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_West_Aerodrome)

Fairey's airfield that was at Heathrow village until 1944 :: some pre-WWII maps label it "AIRPORT", but was it ever used as an airport, rather than merely as an aeroplane factory's private airfield?

From 1935 to 1939 inclusive, there was an airshow there in spring, and some visitors went there in their own aeroplanes (Tiger Moths and Puss Moths and suchlike), and (at least in 1939) they parked along the south edge of the airfield; but was it ever used at other times as an allowed landing field for private flyers? Or for scheduled passenger flights?

[DaveReidUK]

Fairey's business was building military aircraft, so apart from the RAeS garden parties, when anything not suitable for public view would have been safely locked in the hangar, I would expect that casual visiting civilian aircraft weren't allowed.

AFAIK there were never any airline services from there.

[The SSK]

Interesting point - places like that would have been a magnet for Nazi spies in the 30s.

[Fairdealfrank]

This corner of south west Middlesex is steeped in aviation history. First was the Hounslow Heath airfield, roughly where the golf course is now situated.

Next was Hanworth Air Park, where the airships were based, it's now a large green belt open space and retains the original name.

It was followed by Heston Aerodrome (later Airport) which was located on the site of the present M4 services.

In the 1930s, Heston was one of two main airports for London (with Croydon) while Heathrow was the test airfield for Fairey Aviation and known as the Great West Aerodrome (possibly because of the proximity of the recently built Brentford/Hounslow bypass known as Great West Road (A4)).

This later became RAF Heathrow during wartime and a civil airport from 1946. At that time because of their proximity, Heston was closed.

Heathrow was predominantly longhaul (BOAC base) with shorthaul (BEA BASE) at Northolt until 1953 when all civil aviation took place at Heathrow.