West London Airfields (Heston, Hanworth, and Hounslow)
 

After lending Saab Dastard a book on the above (published by Hounslow library), on his suggestion we plan to tour the defunct airfields of Hounslow, Hanworth and Heston next Tuesday 9th November, starting at 1100 local.

Meet at the car park to Hounslow Heath on the A315, Staines Road. The car park is off the adjacent Frampton Road, OS Landranger 176, map ref 122749.

No doubt we will retire to a caff or hostelry for luncheon!!

I'll also have DOG.400 with me.

Rgds
DOC

Wot, no replies?

Well I'm still up for it!

That guarantees it will rain :rolleyes:

Twill be a grand day of aviation history and nostalgia.....

P'raps DOG.400 is putting them off? ;)

DOC

Is there really anything left to see? Coming from that area all I can remember seeing is the old Fairey hangers at Heston which were finally demolished some 10-12 years ago, nothing I can recall at the other 2 sites

That's what we're going to find out!!

DOC

Heston (TQ118781) appears to be largely Airlinks Golf Course.

Hounslow (TQ120745) is now Hounslow Heath.

Hanworth Park (also known as Feltham) (TQ105716) seesm to be an open space.

Lots of places for DOG.400 to run though - have fun!

PS - thanks for the map! It arrived today.

There are some bits left, the pub on the main drag opposite what would have been the entrance to Hounslow aerodrome -the entrance concrete road is still there and can be seen in aerial photos of the time.

The tree lined approach to Heston is still there, as is, last time I looked, one of the old hangers. The whole area has been designated Aerodrome Area, with some 2d outlines at the approaches of a racing plane from the past -somebody else probably knows what it is!!

And the house at Hanworth Park is still in the middle of the airfield, as it was in the '30's, but surrounded by more trees!

Rgds
Mel

While we are in the area, can one of the experts tell me where the Hawker factory and airfield at Langley were please ?

Try entering TQ025795 into the excellent www.streetmap.co.uk and it'll show you:

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.sr...rch.srf&dn=553

Where is the airfield TQ025795 ?

DOC.400 - Hope you have a good time on tuesday along with anyone else that joins you.

Gaz

The Hawker factory at Langley was handed over after the war to Ford and was/is now the Ford Iveco plant by the M4 (if it's still there)

TQ025795 is the Ordnance Survey National Grid Reference for the location of the old aerodrome at Langley.

I too have also assumed it was where the Ford Iveco plant was, (long gone now!!) at the west side of Sutton Lane north of the M4.

However, frm tjhe link it looks more like north side of North Park/Parluant Road -I'll have a look next time I'm passing!

Rgds
DOC

All sources I've Googled indicate Sutton Lane, Ford Iveco plant was the factory - the airfield might have been adjacent so those co-ordinates probably arent far off

http://www.merebrook.co.uk/projects/...es/langley.htm

this is a map of the old ford-iveco site - match it up to those co-ords and aerodrome looks right next door

http://www.intergeo-consulting.com/r...c01langley.png

The Ford plant at Langley is no more. Demolished and crushed.

It is now a trading estate housing amongst others, Bridgestone Tyres racing division and a massive Royal Mail sorting facility.

"north side of North Park/Parluant Road"

Above OS ref confirms this, although it's about half to 3/4 mile from the old Iveco works.

Mel

Once knew a guy who lived in Heston.......








Wait for it............






He had Fairey's at the bottom of his garden!!!!!:)

How has your visit gone?

I picked up a lovely little booklet giving details of 'The Hanworth Club', London Air Park, as part of the NFS, with membership details (five guineas entrance fee and another five guineas subscription), flying rates (£3 dual, £2 10s solo), and a couple of nice photos, one showing the house surrounded by trees and the landing circle. Telephone 'Feltham 236' or telegrams to 'Hanairpark, Feltham'.

"Members pay no landing fees at NFS air parks (Blackpool, Leeds, Hull, Stoke, Nottingham, Reading and Hanworth), and are only charged for accommodation".

Quite a charming booklet to read.

H

Arriving at the car park at Hounslow Heath we unloaded DOG.400 and the Autogyro, wheeled it into the heath, assembled it and took off - fortunately Heathrow was on Easterlies and we were able to get a SVFR from 119.9 to route Hounslow - Hanworth - Heston, not above 600 feet. First flight out of Hounslow Aerodrome for 84 years.

Then the alarm went off and I woke up.

Great day out, lots of exercise, worked up an appetite well sated by the "Rumbling Tum" in Feltham.

Fascinating to walk around the still-extant Hanworth Park House which was an "Island" in the middle of Hanworth aerodrome - you can easily imagine the Biplanes chugging around it, as Hanworth park is still very flat and grassy (Houslow Heath has become much more overgrown, but then it's had an extra 40 years to go to seed, so to speak!

We even identified the old Aston-Martin factory before heading off for lunch, followed by a quick dash into Heston. The original apprach drive is still there, as is the original "Aircraft" plan-form of the buildings radiating off that, two of which are still there, altered over time, but still very recognisable.

Then it started raining so we b*****ed off home for tea and biccies.

DOC.400 has the essential reading material for these 3 old aerodromes - wot's it called again?

Cheers all, you missed a jolly good show ;)

SD

Which is:

'Coming in to Land' by Tim Sherwood.
A Short History of Hounslow, Hanworth and Heston Aeroromes 1911-1946.
Heritage Publications.
ISBN 1899144307. £11.99.
Avlble from Hounslow Library.

DOC

Nopax' crack about Faireys reminds me that the junction between Station Road and North Hyde Road that was by Fairey's main gate is still known as Fairey Corner by the older residents of Hayes.

Ironically the public conveniences that stood there had to be closed by the council as they became a rendezvous for cottagers.

By the way, Nopax, have you seen those houses in Portsmouth that have ferries at the bottom of the garden? And as for the Cairo Hilton, that has Pharoahs at the bottom of the garden.

As one who lives near all of these wonderful ex-places I can confirm that Hanworth Air Park is still used regularly for flying.

Unfortunately the aircraft are now rather small, radio-controlled and make a noise far removed from their illustrious forebears.....

Still, it is good to see Hanworth still as open space, unlike Heston which is now mostly covered by the M4 Services.

Incidentally it is interesting to see how useful the internet now is at locating places by feeding their OS co-ordinates into a site such as UKstreetmap.com. Did you know that the first OS measured baseline was established and measured by General Roy in the 1780s? It was comprised of hundreds of ten foot long glass rods and was set up from Hampton to Heathrow. The end points can still be seen, represented by upended Napoleonic cannon (although the LHR one had to be moved as I believe it would otherwise have formed a rather awkward hazard in the middle of 27R). I seem to recall that Roy's measurement over the five miles or so was about six inches out according to modern survey methods!

I'm sorry that I didn't see this thread in time to join you... having been brought up in Heston, and now living within spitting distance of Hanworth Air Park.. (close enough that my house has a covenant on it preventing me from building too high, due to aircraft)

I will have to visit Hounslow library (ahhh, my first saturday job was there) and buy the book, to accompany my little blue book about Heston Aerodrome, and my pictorial history of Feltham and Hanworth which has quite a few pictures of the airfield.

I am always keen to find out more about Heston and Hanworth, so if anyone has anything else....

Gents, on your meanderings across the Air Park, one trusts that you found the pill box and the large concrete slab (which I believe was a gun placement) I am also reliably informed that on a hot day you can see the outlines of the runways in the grass....

Chips

"Gents, on your meanderings across the Air Park, one trusts that you found the pill box and the large concrete slab (which I believe was a gun placement)"

Pillbox yes, concrete slab, maybe!! Could have been a concrete apron which is clearly shown in pix of the time.

"I am also reliably informed that on a hot day you can see the outlines of the runways in the grass...."

A nice idea, but unlikely I think. There is nothing apparent in pics of the time. Anyway, it's an airFIELD, so they just took off and landed into wind, anywhere.....luxury!!

Rgds
DOC

Heston Hanworth and Hounslow
 

Whilst searching web for stuff on Heston Aerodrome, I came across an intersting thread (2004,now closed...see http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...=151003&page=2) with DOC.400 and others visiting said sites looking for clues to the past.

I wish I had seen it earlier, I would love to have joined you, as I have spent many years researching Heston Hanworth and Hounslow Airfields/Areodromes.

At the end of the thread, "Mr Chips" mentions that he had heard that in the summer, runways could still be made out in the grass at Hanworth after 60 odd years, but others thought it unlikely.

Well he is not so far off ...... if you look carefuly at a Google Earth type site ( the one I use is http://www.flashearth.com ) & compare to ariel shots available on the web, you can make out the circles marked on the grass at both Hanworth and Hounslow!!

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=51.46....7&r=0&src=msa Should take you to Hounslow and http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=51.43...19&r=0&src=msa Should be Hanworth.... zoom in and you can even see the model planes mentioned elsewhere in the thread!!

Intersting forum BTW!!

Very interesting! Looking on flashearth for Heston I found this - http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=51.48....1&r=0&src=msa It looks like a hangar and it sits at an odd angle to all the other buildings. It also seems to match the one in this photo
http://images.francisfrith.com/c50/high/27/_AF44696.jpg taken in 1934.
If you swap from Microsoft VE to Googlearth on your Hanworth link then I fear that we have seen the last of this circle.

Hi there. Hanworth is a pet subject of mine, having lived next to it. It is certainly still big enough for a light aircraft to get into, as long as there are no goalposts up !

The house in the trees just North of the centre was the "Terminal". To the left are four blocks of flats that were built postwar. Behind them are 1930's bungalows, built single story as they were under the approach bath. Sadly, the only remaining small hangar is at the south end of Hanworth Airpark. The area to the northeast with all the buildings did have all the hangars on it but is now a "leisure complex". After the airfield fell out of use, they were the Aston Martin factory. I can remember my father teaching my mother to drive around the perimeter track.
Even the model aircraft are very restricted. Many years ago a local nimby got up a large local petition complaining about aircraft noise (not difficult within 2 mile of Heathrow). he used this to persuade the council to limit model flying hours.

The local pub is called The Airman. It is the only pub of that name in the UK. During WW11 the landlord's daughter married a test pilot called Seth-Smith, who sadly was killed. She then married another pilot who became Chief Pilot of The Queen's Flight. They are both still alive and well. Their son is a friend of mine, and he tells me that as a child he was given exhilarating rides around the track by the likes of Stirling, Moss, Mike Hawthorn and Denys Jenkinson. Lucky Man

In the picture of Heston, the 'control tower' complex was used by CAA Southern Division until they moved to Aviation House at Gatwick (sometime in the '80s). I think it's been demolised now, if not fer christ's sake someone put a preservation order on it.

The Heston Control Tower complex was demolished in 1978, and was recorded by a photographer form the City of London Museum, I have copies of the contact sheets, very sad.

The large hanger mentioned in Flap40's post was known as the Jackaman Hanger and does in deed still stand, protected by a preservation order. There are some other hagers next to it, although they have been altered over the years.

The "odd angle" meant that the buildings, when viewed from the air, looked like an aeroplane in plan form, or an arrow, pointing North. This can still be seen in google earth pictures as the new buildings retain the profile. At the tip of the "arrow", sunken into the ground was the famous clock, 16ft in diameter... you can just see it in photo in Flap40's post.

I think that this may be wishful thinking - yes, you can see circles on the grass, but these are more likely to be fungal rings than vestiges of the original airfield circles.

In the case of Hanworth, have a look at the photo of the Graf Zeppelin over the aerodrome in 1932 http://www.cdrake.co.uk/Images/Felth...ark%201932.jpg.

You can orientate the flash aerial view to the photo using the shape of the house in the centre of the airfield, and confirm by checking the point on the perimeter where the Longford river goes underground (visible in the photo).

It is apparent that the white Airfield ring is in a very different place to the currently visible rings.

In the case of Hounslow, it would have been most peculiar to have put the ring so close to a corner of the field - the ring was normally located to mark the center of the landing area.

SD

If you want to see a modern image of one of these circles, look at Halton airfield on a satellite photo. (www.flashearth.com is a good source)

I thought the aeroplane in Flap 40's photo looked a little familiar!

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i1...18Sywell6a.jpg


I can also testifiy to the presence of an airfield ID disc (BC), still in the grass at Bicester. I blame it for all my bounced takeoffs and arrivals!

I note that the original reason for this thread was to organise a walk around the airfield locations. Does anyone fancy a repeat visit? I'd love to visit these locatiions with someone who knows what they are looking for!!

Very happy to do so again - not much to see at Hounslow, but walking on the heath is pleasant enough.

Even less at Heston - only the entrance road and a hangar remain.

But Hanworth is very recognisable - lots still visible.

SD

I meant to add that I think that there is more than just one hangar still extant at Heston. I believe that the entire "right wing" (looking North) - 5 or 6 hangars - are still largely as they were in 1939.

SD

I grew up on a British Airways housing estate that was built on the north side of Heston airfield (North Hyde Lane).
The remains of the airfield were my playground, and indeed there was still an isolated hanger right on the corner of my street that we occasionally used to play in. It was being used as some kind of HGV depot as I recall.
I also remember getting a metal detector for christmas one year, and scouting round an old pill box lookig for bullets or the remains of a Spitfire!
I used to attend a scout group that was in a wooden hut in the corner of what was then the Speedbird club, but was later called the Concorde club; social club of BOAC/British airways staff.
There used to be the remains of an old tail dragger outside the scout hut, probably an Auster or something similar. I wonder what happened to that?
I've place-marked these places on Google Earth but I've no idea how to post the link here.....

There was a blister hanger still in existence up to the late 60s early 70s that stood in the corner of the junction of Convent Way and North Hyde Lane, see

The Airfields Of Greater London Heston

and zoom in to the center of the northern boundary.

The odd 5 sided shape of tarmac is on the spot, but you can just make out the original dispersal as the top of a "hexagonal scar" on the grass partly obscured by the tarmac. Would this have been the hanger?

Where was the scout hut? A semi derelict Cierva Autogiro, G-AHMJ used to be seen in a yard owned by Aeradio Ltd to the North side of HAP and was owned by the local Scouts (or Air Cadets?) and was restored and is viewable at Airliners.net

see Aviation Photos: G-AHMJ

I too was in 16th Hounslow (Heathrow) Air Scouts in the mid 70's. The scout hut was in the north west corner. Outside was an ex-army?/air force? auster which apparently had been flown in. Always wondered what happened to it.

The Auster was likely to have been AOP9 XN435 which, according to my records, was with the Hestton CCF at the Speedbird Club from around August 1973. It was allocated the registration G-BGBU 8.11.78. The registration was cancelled in 1990 by the CAA but the frame may still be stored somewhere.