Oldest airport control towers in the UK

[Mooncrest]

Which British airport has the oldest control tower still in continuous use ? By airport I mean facilities which handle regular airline traffic as opposed to GA airfields like Barton and Blackbushe.

The thing is many of our regional airports have acquired new towers in the last fifteen years or so whereas others are still using towers over forty years old. The tower at Leeds Bradford was commissioned in 1967. The likes of Blackpool and Teesside are probably older still.

Thankyou.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Blackbushe has a "new" tower and the old one from the 50s has long gone. There is a web site here: UK Control Tower & airfield photographs of WW2 (http://www.controltowers.co.uk/)

which you may find interesting. My wife and I visited the one on Davidstow Moor some years ago and it was a very eerie expereince.

[Talkdownman]

Prestwick Tower must be getting on a bit now...

[chevvron]

Fairoaks Tower built in 1936 & still in use for AFIS.

[whitelighter]

The North Weald (EGSX) tower is 1940's era afaik.

Also the Duxford tower is probably that old

[ZOOKER]

How about Blackpool Tower? No, - not the "iron tower" mentioned in the 'Jethro Tull' song. :ok:

[ZOOKER]

Lydd, Cardiff, EGPF? Some of the HIAL towers must be fairly old I would have thought. Perhaps somewhere in The Channel Islands, or the west country. EGHH must be knocking on a bit.

[Fenders]

I think the tower and terminal at Shoreham was built in the 30's.
Beautiful Art Deco building.

[Captain Capstan]

Manchester Barton still has the tower opened in 1933

[eastern wiseguy]

Aldergrove tower completed about 1944......still in use.

[kcockayne]

ZOOKER

C.I.Towers:-
EGJJ - newly built c 2011
EGJB - early '80s ?
EGJA - not sure '80s perhaps ?

[ZOOKER]

Thanks kcockayne. I haven't been to EGJJ since the 1970s, on a BMA Viscount.

[OvertHawk]

Lydd don't use the old tower - in fact not sure it still exists.

They use a two storey portacabin
OH

[Tower Ranger]

Hawarden was built circa 1939 and is still in use.

[Mr Mac]

Teeside looks quite old last time I was there.


Mr Mac

[Lon More]

I think the tower and terminal at Shoreham was built in the 30's.Similar ibn style to the Original in Singapore. Used to represent that in a tv series some years ago (Tenko?)

Orangefield House (http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/record/rcahms/212481/prestwick-orangefield-house/rcahms?item=691776#carousel) at Prestwick must have been the strangest. Demolished in 1966

[chevvron]

No, the now demolished tower at Wisley was the strangest; a detached house with a radar room!!

[classicwings]

The North Weald (EGSX) tower is 1940's era afaik.

Also the Duxford tower is probably that old


The Control Tower at EGSX is 1 of 7 Type 5223a/51 Cold War towers dating from 1952. It has now been awarded a Grade II Listed Building to its owners; Epping Forest District Council.

The original control tower building at Duxford was built in 1941. In the early days of Duxford Airshows, a former Horse Racing commentary box was used on the roof to provide Visual Control. In 1991, the IWM completed a new VCR on the roof which remains in operation to this day.

I think the award for the longest operational control tower that has remained in continous use goes to Barton Aerodrome just outside of Manchester which started operations around 1930.

[TCAS FAN]

Bournemouth, still the same tower as the 50s-60s, or even earlier?

[Atcham Tower]

Bournemouth's is a 518/40 pattern building (Watch Office with Met Section), as are Hawarden, Carlisle, Teesside and one or two others. So built around 1941/42.