Queens Building LHR remembered
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Queens Building LHR remembered
I would love to drain your brains of memories of this iconic building.
Back in time it was THE place to go for the general public often enjoying a Sunday outing!
Most of my past aviation life is based in this building.
Many airlines had their offices there, as did the Police, Customs and Excise, the Met Office etc etc.
The buildings gone.........but the memories haven't.
Often wish I could have saved that plaque in the front of the building saying HRH Queen opened it .
My working time there was 1964-1997.
Thanks for any input, I feel sure it may generate some interest??!!
Back in time it was THE place to go for the general public often enjoying a Sunday outing!
Most of my past aviation life is based in this building.
Many airlines had their offices there, as did the Police, Customs and Excise, the Met Office etc etc.
The buildings gone.........but the memories haven't.
Often wish I could have saved that plaque in the front of the building saying HRH Queen opened it .
My working time there was 1964-1997.
Thanks for any input, I feel sure it may generate some interest??!!
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Somewhere ......... it could be in any one of three houses in three different countries ....... I have photos that I took there with a Box Brownie type (127 or 120 film I think) camera in the 1960s when my Grandad used to take me there. It was always a special treat to go there, my father hated it but because grandparents always spoil their grandkids I got taken. The downside was that I used to have to back to my grandparents' house afterwards and watch wrestling and Max Bygraves on TV! I am not sure which of the two I hated more.
If I can find the pictures I'll scan some and post them.
If I can find the pictures I'll scan some and post them.
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Spent many, many hours there in the 50s and 60s spotting. Remember the cinema just inside the door to the left? When I started work at LAP in the very early 70s my wife would drive in with our sons and meet me at the end of my shift and we go up on the roof gardens for a while.. I shall always remember the place.
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That was the beauty of the place in those years HD, it was an enjoyable experience. Nowadays Im afraid going into the CTA is sheer angst!
No I dont remember a cinema. My earliest memory was a wide staircase going up to take you to viewing areas etc. Later they seemed to disappear so when you walked into the building you had small stairs on the left an the rest was taken up with a troop movement office, a police office etc.
No I dont remember a cinema. My earliest memory was a wide staircase going up to take you to viewing areas etc. Later they seemed to disappear so when you walked into the building you had small stairs on the left an the rest was taken up with a troop movement office, a police office etc.
I remember the two viewing platforms, one of which collapsed when it got swamped by screaming girls who wanted to see The Osmonds when they first landed in the UK. Also a cafe that sold sausage rolls.
SHJ
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I remember the cinema, loads of B & W Cholmondly-Warner films. Spent many hours in the cafe, and the little partitioned bit off to the north end of the caff where all the LAAS spotters congregated. Also remember dining in the very salubrious BEA crew restaurant, silver service etc. Used to be some posh dos in QB. I recall a red P51 (mock-up?) on the Roof Gardens, something to do with Charles Blair ISTR. HD, remind me of the name of the woman who did the PAs fom the little lookout with the tickertape, Flo something?
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Sorry for being ignorant but what was the building that closed in the early 2000's ? Spent a lot of time spotting from here from mid 90's, was this just the top of terminal 2 ? I think queens building was just left of this and you could see when you got to the top.
Mike.
Mike.
Sorry for being ignorant but what was the building that closed in the early 2000's ? Spent a lot of time spotting from here from mid 90's, was this just the top of terminal 2 ? I think queens building was just left of this and you could see when you got to the top.
For my sins, I spent a year working in a windowless office in the bowels of QB, entered by a door in the corner of BEA Maintrol/Ops Control.
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Queens Building remembered...
It was certainly great for viewing and very popular. We used to catch the bus in (was it the 81a or b from Slough?) and spend the whole day there with a picnic. The view was fabulous. Later when I joined the Customs I found that the boarding station was on the ground floor where the Duty Officer was located and he would send us out with a handwritten list of expected arrivals off the ticker tape and their stand numbers. No in-car radios in the Customs Anglias and Prefects in those days, so we had to phone-in from the stands all over the airport from time to time. Next door was Terminal 2 (never did find Terminal 1) which was where the baggage halls were, and departures and arrivals lived, with the small domestic terminal at the far end. Did we in the Customs have fun in there when things were busy as they often were, but it was great. You felt that you were at the centre of the world. There are some good pictures on Flickr.
Many happy days spotting on QB from 1963 until 1967. Travelled by "Aldershot and District" coach from Farnham to "Traveller's Friend" (junction of A4 with A30), then 81b to Heathrow.
I remember the day in 1964 when the Beetles returned from their USA tour. Whole of QB swamped by screaming girls as the foursome disembarked from a PanAm aircraft (was it N704PA?). Not much room for us humble spotters!
Somewhere I have a very thin floppy disc recorded in the "recording booth" positioned near the sunken garden area out towards T2. A horrible rendition of "House of the Rising Sun", interspersed with lots of giggling from my sidekick....total waste of 5 bob!
A Westpoint Dak or Shell Ambassador always seemed to appear in photos of other aircraft!
Was on my way home on the 81b the day the BKS Ambassador crashed. She was just approaching the threshold of 28R as we headed east...
I worked in AIS in QB from 1967 til 1970, so continued to use the roof gardens on a daily basis.
Have lost touch with some friends from those days.
So, Dick Johnson, Les Hitchings....if you read this, send me a PM....!
Phil.
I remember the day in 1964 when the Beetles returned from their USA tour. Whole of QB swamped by screaming girls as the foursome disembarked from a PanAm aircraft (was it N704PA?). Not much room for us humble spotters!
Somewhere I have a very thin floppy disc recorded in the "recording booth" positioned near the sunken garden area out towards T2. A horrible rendition of "House of the Rising Sun", interspersed with lots of giggling from my sidekick....total waste of 5 bob!
A Westpoint Dak or Shell Ambassador always seemed to appear in photos of other aircraft!
Was on my way home on the 81b the day the BKS Ambassador crashed. She was just approaching the threshold of 28R as we headed east...
I worked in AIS in QB from 1967 til 1970, so continued to use the roof gardens on a daily basis.
Have lost touch with some friends from those days.
So, Dick Johnson, Les Hitchings....if you read this, send me a PM....!
Phil.
Last edited by folkyphil; 28th Oct 2014 at 01:00.
Several of us teenagers used to cycle there from Eastcote/Pinner area, through the tunnel and "plane spot", then play at the bowl, and go airside for coffee. You'd get shot trying that now.
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This blog features a lot of splendid photos of QB/T2 circa 1960 especially of the various Forte operated catering outlets....
http://www.buzzfeed.com/kellyoakes/4...how-air-travel
And this was the handy little (free!) spotters balcony on the SW end of T2 which quietly remained open (most of the time) until the 2nd Gulf war in Iraq ,2003
http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1006684/
http://www.buzzfeed.com/kellyoakes/4...how-air-travel
And this was the handy little (free!) spotters balcony on the SW end of T2 which quietly remained open (most of the time) until the 2nd Gulf war in Iraq ,2003
http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1006684/
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TDM Flo Kingdon. She later became a PR lady for BAA and was in Approach when i was working but had gone when I got a break. I used to phone her for reg numbers when I was still at school! She may no longer be with us I fear. Her colleague was Stan Little in the "box".
What may not be so well known about the QB is that there was a dormitory on the ground floor which could be used by crew either prior to reporting for a early service or doing the early morning airport standby. Not the most salubrious of accommodation. Unfortunately the lampson tubes to and from Met and AIS were located in the ceiling so you new when to get up when the offices started to get busy.
On another topic I must have gone in and out of the north door of QB for over 25 years and in all that time I don't remember the ceiling tiles all being complete in that corridor.
On another topic I must have gone in and out of the north door of QB for over 25 years and in all that time I don't remember the ceiling tiles all being complete in that corridor.
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Wrecker
I had forgotten about the Lampson tube network. Was it just between QB and
T3 or did it go to other terminals?
Regarding the ceiling tiles.........when it rained heavily the corridors were littered with small tin rubbish bins to collect the drips....happy days.
Later they put a lot of portakabins on the roof, didnt do anything for leaks into the building though!
I had forgotten about the Lampson tube network. Was it just between QB and
T3 or did it go to other terminals?
Regarding the ceiling tiles.........when it rained heavily the corridors were littered with small tin rubbish bins to collect the drips....happy days.
Later they put a lot of portakabins on the roof, didnt do anything for leaks into the building though!
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My first airline flight was with my father (divorced) from Heathrow, Queens Building, to Dublin, in an Aer Lingus Viscount in 1954. He was an ex-RAF Lanc pilot, who spent 18 months in Belaria, outside Stalag Luft III at Zagan, and he was almost as thrilled as I was by the Dart engines' sound, speed and smoothness.
A few years later it was our stop of choice for breakfast on the way back from a night out in London to be on morning parade at Sandhurst at 0730, polished, immaculate and alert!
Many happy memories of that wonderful building,
A few years later it was our stop of choice for breakfast on the way back from a night out in London to be on morning parade at Sandhurst at 0730, polished, immaculate and alert!
Many happy memories of that wonderful building,
The Queens building was bit of my childhood growing up in Stanwell village and being fascinated with aircraft. In fact all of LHR Central area kind of looked the part back then. Sad to say that now it looks like a giant B&Q albeit a lot nicer inside.
Sad to see the once familiar skyline silhouette of LHR disappear into modern mediocrity
PB
Sad to see the once familiar skyline silhouette of LHR disappear into modern mediocrity
PB
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As well as FK there was Robin Baxindale who sadly was involved in a fatal accident many years ago. As a PC we had a little office at the side of the main stair case in which many phone calls were made, cigs smoked, sleep and the odd occasion someone was brought in for questioning.
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victor tango
There were a couple of tube networks...one was a narrow bore addressable system linking the Queens Building with the Control Tower Building. Always going wrong, a couple of full time staff were always tweaking it. There was a much bigger bore direct system, I think just between flight clearance and BA.
There was quite a nice BEA canteen on the first floor IIRC...but most of my memories concern Flight Clearance and AIS (1970-1973)
There were a couple of tube networks...one was a narrow bore addressable system linking the Queens Building with the Control Tower Building. Always going wrong, a couple of full time staff were always tweaking it. There was a much bigger bore direct system, I think just between flight clearance and BA.
There was quite a nice BEA canteen on the first floor IIRC...but most of my memories concern Flight Clearance and AIS (1970-1973)
Last edited by Loki; 30th Oct 2014 at 16:23.