Queen's Building Viewing Terrace
 

Has this/will this be demolished as part of the Heathrow East development? I'd be interested to know what condition the viewing terrace got into, as usually nature seems to do a very good job of taking over if no maintenance is undertaken.

Cue the posting of excellent photo close-ups of DC9's, Caravelles, Boeing 727's etc. (with any luck!)

Takes me back (a LONG way) to my youth! Used to cycle to HR from Eastcote for a day's viewing from there.

The QB has gone and the terraces, which were on the roof, were not in use for many, many years prior to demolition due to security problems. It is just not safe nowadays to have people milling about near aeroplanes, as I'm sure you appreciate.

I spent many, many hours on the QB and T2 when I was a kid but in those days there weren't lunatics trying to blow us up!

HD,

Is it really that significant a security risk?

Anything you could do from the roof of the QB, you could also surely do from the top floor of some of the car parks, or from the car park of The Renaissance, or from Myrtle Avenue. All of which would be much more difficult to secure than a formal viewing area.

I suspect that the lack of such a facility is more to do with the headaches BAA don't have as a result of its absence...corporate management tends to have little in the way of sentiment or soul these days. A public viewing area just doesn't generate the income!

Saying that, I wonder what it would take to open up the old control tower to the paying public. No better view, and could be secured fairly easily...I would certainly pay a tenner for an hour or two there...

I agree with NWSRG. Basically, BAA view spectators as a nuisance and distraction from making ever greater profits and as far as I know, there are now no viewing facilities at any of their airports. As you say, the QB terrace was closed many years ago as part of a drive by BAA to get rid of spectators at LHR. I spent a few days there in my planespotting time in the first half of the 1970s-happy memories.

OK, BAA have a business to run, but is it really asking too much for them to provide a facility say half as good as the excellent viewing park at M/C (bar the exorbitant parking prices there now)?

Takes me back a very long time too.

Anyone remember the 'Tavern in the Sky' at LHR?
I can't remember now exactly where it was situated, and don't know when it closed, but I remember enjoying the view years ago.

FL

FL - Tavern in the Sky
 

Was'nt that the one in the centre of T2 at the back of the restaurant, which you went through to get to it, then through some glass doors and onto the terrace area, which was a level lower than the Queens Building rooftop garden.

But from fading memory, I believe that it had a limited angle of view to the tarmac stands.

Does anyone remember Stan the commentator on the QB roof gardens and his assistant Elizabeth, gave out details of each movement on the tarmac and runways and, in between times played light classical style music from LP's. Two very nice people. Wonderful times for spotting & photography, in a world that had not turned sour. There goes nostalgia, is'nt it luvverly. ;)

Entaxei. The two original commentators were Stan Little and Flo Kingdon. Flo died not too long ago in her 80s but Stan died way back. I last saw Flo in the Approach Room on the 6th floor of Heathrow Tower back in the 80s. Unfortunately I was busy and she was with visitors so I never had time to speak to her. Elizabeth (if that was her name), came on the scene a little later. She is still about and an ex-colleague of mine from Heathrow ATC sees her occasionally. A few years ago I found Flo's home phone number and had a chat with her. She remembered me from those far off days. Later I sent Flo a copy of the book Heathrow ATC - the first 50 years but received no reply so maybe she was ill.

Great music too - gave a me a life long love of Mantovani and Glenn Miller! On rare occasions I used to telephone them for the reg of something rare. Stan was a keen spotter but Flo wasn't, although she was always very helpful.

Happy times, never to be forgotten.

Wander00

I used to do the same from Yeading. Great fun cycling through the tunnel too.

Have a look at this between 4:00 and 5:00:

It is a preview for a dvd available from Video125 (google is your friend) that includes a 10 minute section about LHR in the 60's. I'll have to look at it again to see if the commentators at the QB are included, I seem to recall that they were, but the preview doesn't show it.

ZFT - drove through the tunnel a few weeks back and commented to my wife that I used to cycle through it and she would not believe me - not sure if it was going through the tunnel or me cycling!

Did cyclists go through the two side/subsidiary tunnels or the main tunnels? I think they were there, originally, from old photos-before my time.

A good Heathrow book?
 

Folks,

Can anyone recommend a really good book charting the history of Heathrow? There seems to be precious little out there that charts the development of the airport, and I would love to find something that would show the terminals as they grew, with all their add-ons and amendments...

Any recommendation?

IIRC, bikes through side tunnels, but it was a LONG time ago - now what did I just have for dinner?!

"Can anyone recommend a really good book charting the history of Heathrow? There seems to be precious little out there that charts the development of the airport, and I would love to find something that would show the terminals as they grew, with all their add-ons and amendments..."

"Heathrow at 60." Can't remember name of author and can't put my hands on my copy right now. Obviously published in 2006 and a very good read. I'm pretty sure it's available thru Ian Allan/Midland Counties, or, in all probability, Amazon.

LAP Nostalgia
 

London Air Port

for some images from early 1960's

Great viewpoint..happy days. I cycled too, from Scotland!

Neil

Thanks Propliner!

Copy now on order.:ok:

Proplinerman

Cyclists & pedestrians both went through the side tunnels. What I'm now trying to recall is what on earth I did with my bike all day whilst in the Queens Building?

I recall when arriving early (before the Queens opened around 10.00am) standing at the security gate entrance near T2 watching the arrivals and chatting to the guards).

Then move up to the restaurant for breakfast to watch the European stands. Then after a full day on the Queen's, off to the top level of the T2 carpark to watch the evening arrivals.

great days:{

<<What I'm now trying to recall is what on earth I did with my bike all day whilst in the Queens Building?>>

You probably left it up against the wall outside. Recall that in those days this was not a place of thieves and hooligans...