'Old' names for British airports
 

The ones I can remember... Ringway (Manchester), Speke (Liverpool), 'London Airport'... wasn't Gatwick called 'Croydon Airport' ?

Any idea where the 'non city' names came from? e.g. Ringway?

Croydon was a separate airfield, located in er.. Croydon.
Most were named after the nearest village.
Aberdeen - Dyce
Edinburgh - Turnhouse
Newcastle - Woolsington
E.Midlands - Castle Donington (Derby - Burnaston before that)
Birmingham - Elmdon
Coventry - Baginton
Bristol - Lulsgate
Cardiff - Rhoose

can't remember any more

A few more

Norwich - Horsham St Faith
Teesside - Middleton St George
Gloucestershire - Staverton
Wolverhampton Business Airport (you've got to be kidding!) - Halfpenny Green

Glasgow - Hillington
Bournemouth - Hurn

Swansea - Fairwood Common

Leeds.. Yeadon
Glasgow, was.. Renfrew
Heathrow... Hounslow
Isle of Man.. Ronaldsway
we aim to please, it keeps the cleaners happy

Blackpool - Squires Gate

Glasgow - Abbotsinch

Belfast - Aldergrove

Inverness - Dalcross

Islay - Port Ellen

Oxford - Kidlington

Plymouth - Roborough

OK, thats 3 old names for Glasgow, including mine.

If the Abbot could only muster 1 inch, then no wonder they changed the name!!

I'm happy to stand corrected, if anybody else can confirm which is right. Maybe they all were/are.

Answers on a postcard to.....:confused

AFAIK, the 'old name' for the present Glasgow Airport is 'Abbotsinch'. Nearby 'Renfrew Airport' had been used for scheduled air services, but it lacked the space to cope with the increase in air travel in the 1950s. Services were therefore moved to Abbotsinch, which was renamed Glasgow Airport, and Renfrew eventually closed in 1966. I believe it is now the site of a retail park.

None of the above, of course, to be confused with Glasgow (Prestwick) Airport !!!

and not forgetting
Southampton- Eastleigh

When did Roborough get renamed? I used to live a couple of miles away when I was growing up (not that I have entirely grown up)...

R

And before the opening of Aldergrove, Belfast was Nuts Corner!

They had such fun in the old days......

Scottie Dog

Abbotsinch was the correct old name for Glasgow International. I believe it still says ABBOTSINCH in the grass to the left of rwy 23. The site of Renfrew airport's runway, is now part of a large straight portion of the M8 which passes the David Lloyd centre. Hillington was never the name of any of the 2 airports. (As far as I am aware.) ;)
Incidently, Abbotsinch was an RAF base during WWII home to 602 (Glasgow) Squadron. You can still see some of the old buildings belonging to the base. They are now largely outwith the boundry of the existing airport,m on the western edge, but if you travel along the perimiter road towards Erskine, you will see them on your left.
Eff Oh :D

Renfrew airport had a magnificent terminal building and modern (for its time) control tower. The Tesco supermarket at Renfrew now stands on the actual site of the terminal. The M8 when it was built in the late 60's cut through the old runway location, but there are hangers from Renfrew still visible in the Hillington area.

A visit to the supermarket is worth it to see the painting Tesco commisioned of the original terminal building, lovely painting and a superb building. Glasgow Airport also have scale models of both Renfrew & Abbotsinch.

From the memory banks
 

Try these

Coventry - Baginton

Leeds/Bradford - Yeadon

Teeside - Middleton St. George

Newcastle - Woolsington

Barrow - Walney Island

Chester - Hawarden

Wolverhampton International - Halfpenny Green

Bristol - Lulsgate Bottom (Yes it was!)

I could go on but my anorak is getting a bit hot......

Just to add a bit more to the history of Glasgow/Abbotsinch:-

RAF Abbotsinch 1933 - 1943

RNAS Abbotsinch (HMS Sanderling) 1943 - 1963

Glasgow Airport 1966 - to date

If memory serves me correctly, I believe Heathrow and Gatwick were named after their respective villages. Hounslow Air Park was a separate place, along with Heston Airpark, and Kenley Air Park, which later became RAF Kenley (Now the home of 615 Volunteer Gliding School). Chichester/Goodwood was previously RAF Westhampnet, and London Stansted is named for the local village, Stansted Mountfitchet.

Tailwinds

Blackbushe = RAF Hartfordbridge

(The geographical plateau on which the airfield stands is known as Hartfordbridge Flats).

Humberside = Kirmington

I can tell that this has to be the place to ask these two questions:

1) Does Sherburn-in-Elmet airfield still exist, and if so can anyone provide some form of directions? Searching a bit hard from this side of the pond.

2) Is there yet any evidence of the airship station at Howden in Yorkshire?

Thank you muchly.

llater,

llamas