Heathrow before the Europa terminal and Queens building
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: London UK
Posts: 6,671

Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: London
Posts: 4
I think the Three Magpies is still there? I wonder what else survives that is visible. I notice on Google maps that a bit of Cains Lane can still be seen inside the airport. I think it used to go right across to the Bath Rd prior to 1946.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Reading, UK
Posts: 12,794
Methinks reports of the Three Magpies demise are greatly exaggerated.
Three Magpies pub in Heathrow | Greene King Local Pubs (greeneking-pubs.co.uk)
Three Magpies pub in Heathrow | Greene King Local Pubs (greeneking-pubs.co.uk)
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Posts: 1,876
Here's a good site, with some links to old LHR photos and charts (and indeed, many other UK and foreign airports and air bases):
https://atchistory.wordpress.com/202.../heathrow-atc/
https://atchistory.wordpress.com/202...ow-atc-part-2/
Here's some more old charts - not all LHR, but a good few, further down: https://atchistory.wordpress.com/202...proach-charts/
I've been a visitor to LHR since the early 1990s and for all its faults (and a far, far better today than it was then), I've always loved the place. Was born in late 1960s, so missed the "golden" jet age.
My first flight as a pax through LHR was in March 1981, 40 years ago last week, flying to KWI on a KAC 747.
https://atchistory.wordpress.com/202.../heathrow-atc/
https://atchistory.wordpress.com/202...ow-atc-part-2/
Here's some more old charts - not all LHR, but a good few, further down: https://atchistory.wordpress.com/202...proach-charts/
I've been a visitor to LHR since the early 1990s and for all its faults (and a far, far better today than it was then), I've always loved the place. Was born in late 1960s, so missed the "golden" jet age.
My first flight as a pax through LHR was in March 1981, 40 years ago last week, flying to KWI on a KAC 747.
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: se england
Posts: 1,271
The West Drayton to Staines line terminated at Staines West station. The Station building in Staines is still there but was converted to a house many years ago, The line ran across the remote Stanwell Moor area with a station at Colnebrook and a wooden 'halt ' at Poyle which was basically a wooden platform and hut in the middle of the moor and which to my horror at the time was claimed to have been burned down by a friend of mine. Considering the number of rail lines around LHR it is incredible they took so long to build the Heathrow express line and even then failed to connect it to the Westward part of the GWR line whereby it could have gone on to Reading which must have the best connectivity to anywhere in UK . Basically the entire country except for East Anglia.
Cains Lane is still there as junction off the A30 , the turning after the now famous Myrtle Ave, I didn't know it origibnal went right across the airfield I just thought it was little residential road in Bedfont . I also dont know why back then, 1965 , no one spotted from Myrtle Ave .
To all intents and purposes LHR was my home town , I grew up and got married in Stanwell to a girl from Cranford who I met in Longford who worked for both BA short haul and long haul (back then moving from one to the other was basically seen as treachery) . My rather was BEA Ops my father in law BA Ground Ops , my wife BEA engineering secretary later Speedbird London HF-SSB operator . My best man BA cargo and I played footbal for two airprot teams ever though I never worked there. itwas different living there comapred to most places because certainly in Stanwell back then most people worked at LHR/LAP . When the Airways Housing trust or whatever it was called developed a large new estate based around Clare Road virtually evryone worked at LHR mostly of course for BEA/BOAC although there were some ministry people too. Of course all those shiny planes ,especially the early jets were a complete fascination with destinations that were far more exotic back then than in todays shrunken global world
Having moved to the west country i miss it for all sorts of reasons, down here an airliner is the silver dot at the end of a contrail
Sorry for the thread drift but like several this has been a real nostalgia thread for me
Cains Lane is still there as junction off the A30 , the turning after the now famous Myrtle Ave, I didn't know it origibnal went right across the airfield I just thought it was little residential road in Bedfont . I also dont know why back then, 1965 , no one spotted from Myrtle Ave .
To all intents and purposes LHR was my home town , I grew up and got married in Stanwell to a girl from Cranford who I met in Longford who worked for both BA short haul and long haul (back then moving from one to the other was basically seen as treachery) . My rather was BEA Ops my father in law BA Ground Ops , my wife BEA engineering secretary later Speedbird London HF-SSB operator . My best man BA cargo and I played footbal for two airprot teams ever though I never worked there. itwas different living there comapred to most places because certainly in Stanwell back then most people worked at LHR/LAP . When the Airways Housing trust or whatever it was called developed a large new estate based around Clare Road virtually evryone worked at LHR mostly of course for BEA/BOAC although there were some ministry people too. Of course all those shiny planes ,especially the early jets were a complete fascination with destinations that were far more exotic back then than in todays shrunken global world
Having moved to the west country i miss it for all sorts of reasons, down here an airliner is the silver dot at the end of a contrail
Sorry for the thread drift but like several this has been a real nostalgia thread for me
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Canada
Posts: 52
Great thread!
I used to be taken to LAP/LHR as a pre teen in the late 1950s before we left London in 1959.
Remember getting a bus tour of the "airside" the from newly opened Queens Building. I was really impressed when the bus came around a corner in the BOAC maintenance area and met a Brittannia, which promptly backed up to give the bus right of way.
Incidentally I just viewed LHR on Google Earth and was amazed to see that the latest photo has only one aircraft on the whole airport and that is the Concorde beside 27L, amazing and difficult to believe, as this includes the cargo and maintenance areas.
I used to be taken to LAP/LHR as a pre teen in the late 1950s before we left London in 1959.
Remember getting a bus tour of the "airside" the from newly opened Queens Building. I was really impressed when the bus came around a corner in the BOAC maintenance area and met a Brittannia, which promptly backed up to give the bus right of way.
Incidentally I just viewed LHR on Google Earth and was amazed to see that the latest photo has only one aircraft on the whole airport and that is the Concorde beside 27L, amazing and difficult to believe, as this includes the cargo and maintenance areas.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Reading, UK
Posts: 12,794
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Surrey
Age: 63
Posts: 176
Have only just looked at this thread,and haven't read it all,but thought I'd post these pic's of two items I recently found in a late friends effects,as they seem relevant.The first two are from a booklet ,1959,last four, 1962.












Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Ferrara
Posts: 2,817
"Considering the number of rail lines around LHR it is incredible they took so long to build the Heathrow express line and even then failed to connect it to the Westward part of the GWR line whereby it could have gone on to Reading which must have the best connectivity to anywhere in UK"
But remember by the time LHR started to really expand we were into Beeching era - railways were doomed........... everyone would go by car - hence the M4 right next to the airport. The idea of traveling by Tube to Heathrow was considered to be bizarre - no glamour at all .
Not building the link to Reading & the West was criminal - and selling the land off even more so - but it was probably to protect the vast profits being made by the Heathrow Express. Remember that the GWR stopping service wasn't even allowed to put "Heathrow" on the destination boards at Paddington to start with - they were officially only to W Drayton and then ran into the central area as a sort of hidden service to protect the revenue stream
But remember by the time LHR started to really expand we were into Beeching era - railways were doomed........... everyone would go by car - hence the M4 right next to the airport. The idea of traveling by Tube to Heathrow was considered to be bizarre - no glamour at all .
Not building the link to Reading & the West was criminal - and selling the land off even more so - but it was probably to protect the vast profits being made by the Heathrow Express. Remember that the GWR stopping service wasn't even allowed to put "Heathrow" on the destination boards at Paddington to start with - they were officially only to W Drayton and then ran into the central area as a sort of hidden service to protect the revenue stream