LHR/EGLL

[Agusta]

I have been looking at the live stream of Heathrow on YouTube, when the camera pans around I can't the old Air Traffic Tower (ATC) and I can't see it on Google Earth; has it been taken down? I see the radar has been removed from it's town, is that coming down too?

It was my understanding the old ATC tower had a preservation order on it?

[treadigraph]

It was demolished to make way for T2 - think the car park stands atop its site.

[Agusta]

I thought the tower had a preservation order on it, oh well, nothing last for ever.

[chevvron]

Originally Posted by Agusta

I see the radar has been removed from it's town, is that coming down too?

Only remaining radar on the airport is the 10cm ASR10 next to T4,; the HSA 23cm in the central area was removed over 10 years ago and replaced with a new radar near Bovingdon.

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by Agusta

I have been looking at the live stream of Heathrow on YouTube, when the camera pans around I can't the old Air Traffic Tower (ATC) and I can't see it on Google Earth; has it been taken down?

January 2013.

Old control tower demolition

[SpringHeeledJack]

What was the radar that was situated at ground level between the A4 and the Northern Perimeter rd approximately where the Renaissance Hotel now stands ? It disappeared many years ago, but just popped into my mind reading this thread.

[chevvron]

Originally Posted by SpringHeeledJack

What was the radar that was situated at ground level between the A4 and the Northern Perimeter rd approximately where the Renaissance Hotel now stands ? It disappeared many years ago, but just popped into my mind reading this thread.

Don't recall that one; there was a radar (several in fact) further west where Compass Centre now stands opposite what is now the Hyatt Place; the last one of these was a Type 14 I think (originally used as an Air Defence radar not ATC) and it was replaced by the pair of Marconi 264s at Perry Oaks sh1t works in about 1966.

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by SpringHeeledJack

What was the radar that was situated at ground level between the A4 and the Northern Perimeter rd approximately where the Renaissance Hotel now stands ? It disappeared many years ago, but just popped into my mind reading this thread.

From an old PPRuNe thread:



I remember it well (the radar, not the thread ...)

[chevvron]

That's one of the Marconi 264s which were between the runways at Perry Oaks.

[SpringHeeledJack]

Well as best I can remember, that's what the radar I was referring to looked like, with the little picket fence around it and grass.

[eglnyt]

Originally Posted by SpringHeeledJack

What was the radar that was situated at ground level between the A4 and the Northern Perimeter rd approximately where the Renaissance Hotel now stands ? It disappeared many years ago, but just popped into my mind reading this thread.

Over the years Heathrow had a number of 264s in a variety of places. One, probably the one in that picture, was on the North Side not far from the old "Southern Centre" which was roughly where Compass Centre is now. It was definitely there in the early 80s.

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by chevvron

That's one of the Marconi 264s which were between the runways at Perry Oaks.

Not according to the original thread, nor my memory - the photo was captioned "Marconi 264H, north side Heathrow, 1960s", which is where I remember it (not that far from the old SATCC, which I recall having a tour of in the late 1960s).

[chevvron]

Originally Posted by eglnyt

Over the years Heathrow had a number of 264s in a variety of places. One, probably the one in that picture, was on the North Side not far from the old "Southern Centre" which was roughly where Compass Centre is now. It was definitely there in the early 80s.

The present 'Compass Centre' was originally (from the early '40s) the site of a large air defence radar unit with a large number of different radar types sited there intended for detecting attacking aircraft, thus there were surveillance type radars with IFF and height finders. In the early '50s, my parents would occasionally take us to 'London Airport' for day trips and we would return along the Bath Road running adjacent to the radar unit where I remember seeing the radars, especially the 'nodding' ones (height finders).
In about 1954, the role of this unit changed with the the Air Defence unit moving to Chenies and the site was then taken over by Southern Air Traffic Control Centre which moved in from Uxbridge. Subsequently long range ATC radars replaced the old air defence ones over the next few years; I can vaguely remember a couple being sited adjacent to the original air defence building during a visit in about 1965, one being on a platform about 10 ft high and the other may have been at ground level.
In 1969 when joined up as an Air Traffic Control Assistant, the site was called London Air Traffic Control Centre Radar Unit (the new main site at West Drayton having opened the previous year), the main long range radars were two Marconi S264s sited between the runways at Perry Oaks (along with at least one 10cm radar used by Heathrow Approach), the S264, along with its predecessor the S232 being specifically designed to be sited at ground level.
As far as I'm aware (and I may be wrong) there were never any radars sited east of the main tunnel. The original air defence building was closed on 1 Feb 1971 with the move of Lodon Air Traffic Control Centre to West Drayton and demolished in the mid '70s.

[SpringHeeledJack]

Would anyone be able to pinpoint exactly where the north side 264 was ? I'm not up on locations of older buildings since demolished. I also remember a much smaller radar just inside the perimeter fence at a gate on the northern side somewhere in the middle third of the runway length, (although this might have been a Wx/ops mini tower, possibly red/orange and white checkerboard patterned) or my memory is playing tricks ;-)

[chevvron]

Originally Posted by SpringHeeledJack

Would anyone be able to pinpoint exactly where the north side 264 was ? I'm not up on locations of older buildings since demolished. I also remember a much smaller radar just inside the perimeter fence at a gate on the northern side somewhere in the middle third of the runway length, (although this might have been a Wx/ops mini tower, possibly red/orange and white checkerboard patterned) or my memory is playing tricks ;-)

The LATCC radar unit was where Compass Centre now stands; as far as I recall the radar head adjacent to it (possibly a Type 14) was on a platform just to the east of it; there may have been another radar at ground level to the west of the building so this could have been an S264; these had both gone when I started work there in '69. My visit in '65 was after dark so although I saw the radar on the platform I didn't see another radar on that occasion.
Try this link http://www.atchistory.wordpress.com/...ow-north-side/
Photo SC1 is where Compass Centre now stands.

[dixi188]

On an OS map comparison site there is a large circle to the west of where the Compass centre now is. I looks like it maybe where the radar was in the 1950s.
51 deg 28' 50" N, 0 deg 28' 15" W
Sorry, I can't get the link to work

[Dunregulatin]

I joined the Southern ATCC in 1966, becoming Latcc shortly there after, as a shiny new ATCA3. I can confirm the presence of radar head just to the west of the site. My, now, faulty memory seems to recall mention of a M232 (later of fond memory at Bedford).

However, when I was sent back in 1967 from WD to do my radar data board training (temporary ATCA2 post !) there was certainly a 264 head turning in that spot. It was by then LATCRU.
I was taken off the Boards to do the first Assistant A Side training and went back to W Drayton so I've no idea what happened next.
Late '67 or early '68 I escaped to Northern Radar: - anybody interested in T82 etc?

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by dixi188

On an OS map comparison site there is a large circle to the west of where the Compass centre now is. I looks like it maybe where the radar was in the 1950s.
51 deg 28' 50" N, 0 deg 28' 15" W
Sorry, I can't get the link to work

[chevvron]

Originally Posted by Dunregulatin

-anybody interested in the T82 etc'

We had a 232 at Farnborough as backup to the AR1.
'- anybody interested in T82 etc' Did my Area Radar training at Northern in 1973 so I got to know the T82 well. Occasionally Eastern Radar (Watton) would be closed and I enjoyed watching and identifying departures from Amsterdam climbing out and calling us before they even crossed the London/Amsterdam FIR boundary; it was after all a radar originally designed to spot 'incoming' from the USSR so that UK based missiles could be fired at them (but not by ATC of course!).