Goodbye Heathrow Tower
 

Here's a really sad piccy I just received from an old work colleague. It should bring tears to the eyes of anyone who worked there..

http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/...psa7b67538.jpg

The picture is indeed very sad.

We had a lot of fun there.

Given some of the other cr*p that gets listed, why has this iconic building been lost? Money talks?

Falling apart and riddled with asbestos?

The steep ramp just below the VCR, was that the location of the "climbing frame" entry?

And the bay window (bottom left) - GM's office?

Shame, I had the pleasure of visiting the glasshouse at the top one morning. What an eye-opener that was. The average age of those on duty must have been about 22 and they were incredibly professional. I expected nothing less of course however I was very impressed.

It was listed but only on the "local" list.

I know it's only bricks and mortar but that is a really sad sight. :*

Yes, HD, tears for many happy years. Like losing an Old Friend. We had great times there. Never again will a slice of beetroot be launched onto the Belisha Crossing...

Heartbreaking picture.
UKPLC really has lost the plot.

Visionaries built it and Philistines destroyed it.

SGC

Not a pretty sight, I only worked there for a few years, but what a fantastic few years it was.

Barry

Yes it is. I visited the tower on a number of occasions, was very taken aback the first time I went to see how steep the stairs were.

REALLY? Keeping an old ugly 1950s building in the middle of Europe's busiest airport. I can't believe it's been non-operational for 6 years.

Although it was an icon. Heathrow looks like it is finally changing slowly for the better and has the investment is needs. Get rid of the bombsite that is T3 and you have yourself a decent airport.

Whoa, whoa whoa. Let's not confuse nostalgia with progress. If this is UK PLC losing the plot we'd all still be commuting on steam trains and trading with clipper ships just like in the good old days...

Still, it is a shame, and I understand how it feels for anyone that worked there.

I've had to get used to it. Most of the places I have worked have either been demolished (Southern ATCC, Preston ATCC, Sc ATCC Redbrae, LATCC West Drayton, Heathrow CTB, Stansted 1st Tower, Gatwick GMC, Farnborough N1 Tower, Blackbushe 'temp' tower) or remain defunct or derelict (Gatwick 1st Tower, Northern Radar Lindholme, School of ATC). Says a lot...

Doubtless the same sentiments were being expressed on PPRuNe in the 1950s, by those who used to work here:

http://www.abpic.co.uk/images/images/1000789M.jpg

:O
http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1000789/

Yay. Tears of joy for me.

Great to know that the old has finally gone, including the old ways of dealing with 'clockwork mice' and setting up Class A airspace all over the place.

Excellent....that's ten pounds to me. Easy bet to win. So predictable.:ok:

Well soaringhigh650, I guess the old place is saying damned good riddance to you too.

Funny when we moved out of the old (1946) tower at Farnborough (which was it's fourth tower in MK2 form of c1957) I didn't feel any sadness even having worked there from March 1974 to Nov 2002. Mind you the tower obviously knew it was on its last legs; the heating had failed and numerous leaks had started in the weeks before the move.
I took many photos of it in the following months, unfortunately lost.
The 'demolishers' lopped off the VCR within 2 weeks to give the ILS the correct clearances then left it until spring before completing the job, taking down its predecessor of 1943 (N2 Building) at the same time.

(Image, North-side Tower, by Peter Berry)
Blimey, I remember that! I worked with Peter Berry at Scottish. Is he still around taking ATC photos? Is his collection available for viewing?

I've got some copies of his Farnborough stuff intended for his autobiography, but all early '50s until he was posted to Bedford.
Wasn't the Heathrow northside tower used by the police in latter years, or was it the Met Office?

A few more here:

Air-Britain : berry

Mostly taken at LHR in the late 40s and early 50s.

A sad picture indeed. I've never been up there (and now I never will) but commiserations to all who feel they have lost an old friend. I hope I never see the EGNM tower suffer this fate. It is nudging fifty years old however so maybe progress will to catch up with it...:{

Sorry to pee on your parade, people, but good riddance to the to the old edifice! :rolleyes:

I had the privilege and pleasure to work with some great people and total nutters in that building for quite a few years. No matter what they put in it's place will ever come close.

If you don't recognise the past you ain't got any soul!

I guess the ghosts of the Captain and the Colonel will still be there long after the building has gone.

Mooncrest - when ah wer' a lad (I'm a Yorkshireman, but if you tell anyone I will not be appy, appen) I used to live in a caravan about 100 yards away from the tower towards the old (Avro?) factory. Dad was an instructor at YFS and later joined BKS. We got all posh then and moved into a real building, wiv a roof, an' running water, and everything.

Window job
 

Hear, Hear!:D

A privilege to have worked there; couldn't have believed when my brother and I went on his spotting trips to Heathrow (used to spend the morning doing my thing- bus and train spotting!!)in the late 50s that I would one day work there and even being allowed to run my own train set ie be supervisor.

Soaringhigh650

OK, come clean! The reason you are so anti-UK ATC must be because you got chopped from a cadet course or did you fail selection. Do let us know.

The Airport Police Photographer was a customer of mine around 1970 as I was selling photgraphic materials at the time. I remember that he showed me some pics he took of a crash that ended up at the base of the Tower. At first he thought many people had died due to the carnage, but it turned out to be some racehorses that were being transported in (I think) an Elizabethan. Do I recall correctly?

More or less, except that it was the wall of Terminal One that arrested the movement of the aircraft, not the control tower.

Oh, and six people did in fact die, with many others on the ground injured.

http://www.pprune.org/aviation-histo...hr-1968-a.html

1968 BKS Air Transport Heathrow crash - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Talkdownman mentioned:

To be fair, I think that's one case where the newer one is a distinct improvement.

Well at least you don't access the new one through a trapdoor in the floor!

Rather more nautical than aeronautical. It was designed by the previous Senior FISO who was ex-RN ATC. It just lacks a helm, pelorus and engine order telegraph! 'Steady as she goes, Number One'...

I have registered today to shed a tear with those of us that worked there.
I understand those that say it was an eye sore - but it was OUR EYESORE.

This building gave me my first job after leaving school and I worked on the 5th, 3rd and 1st floors whilst I was there.

And most significantly - I met my husband over the table tennis table there some 30 years ago now.

Yes, its all about sentiment but a very very important part of my life.

Farewell Heathrow tower - sad to see you go! :{

'Number One'? To whom are you referring?

I think that the 'new' tower is absolutely vile - it looks like it was designed in a pub on the back of a beer mat without any thought at all. The cable supports look like an afterthought to stop it falling down and it looks very top heavy. And its location at the end of one of the T3 piers looks plain odd. They could have done a much better job of replacing the fine old building.. :ugh:

Well said...