Editing Croydon Airport

{{Short description|Former airport in South London, England (1920–1959)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2012}}
{{Infobox airport
| name                = Croydon Airport
| image               = Croydon Airport former terminal building - geograph 3044446.jpg
| image-width         = 250
| caption             =
| ICAO                = EGCR{{efn|name="n1"|ICAO code has been reassigned}}
| type                = Public
| opened              = {{start date|1920|03|29|df=yes}}
| closed              = {{end date|1959|09|30|df=yes}}
| owner-oper          =
| owner               =
| operator            =
| city-served         = [[Greater London Urban Area]]
| location            = [[Croydon]]
| hub                 = [[British European Airways]]
| built               = <!-- military airports -->
| used                = <!-- military airports -->
| commander           = <!-- military airports -->
| occupants           = <!-- military airports -->
| elevation-f         =
| elevation-m         =
| coordinates         = {{coord|51|21|23|N|000|07|02|W|type:airport_region:GB-SRY|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map         = Greater London
| pushpin_label       = EGCR
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Greater London
| website             = {{URL|www.historiccroydonairport.org.uk}}
| r1-number           = NW/SE
| r1-length-f         = 3,900
| r1-length-m         = 1,200
| r1-surface          = Grass
| r2-number           = E/W
| r2-length-f         = 3,600
| r2-length-m         = 1,100
| r2-surface          = Grass
| r3-number           = NE/SW
| r3-length-f         = 3,300
| r3-length-m         = 1,000
| r3-surface          = Grass
}}

'''Croydon Airport''' {{airport codes||EGCR}}{{efn|name="n1"}} was the [[UK]]'s only [[international airport]] during the [[interwar period]].<ref name="Sutton">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sutton.gov.uk/info/200168/libraries_museums_archives_and_arts/1361/croydon_airport|title=Croydon Airport|last=Council|first=Sutton|website=www.sutton.gov.uk|language=en|access-date=18 February 2019}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> It opened in 1920, located near [[Croydon]], then part of [[Surrey]]. Built in a [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]] style,<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Airport House (Croydon)|num=1188970|accessdate=5 July 2020}}</ref> it was developed as Britain's main airport, handling more cargo, mail, and passengers than any other UK airport at the time.<ref name=":0" /> Innovations at the site included the world's first [[air traffic control]],  the first [[airport terminal]] and the world's first airport hotel (the Gate Lodge, now the Aerodrome Hotel
).<ref name=":0" /> It was home to Britain's first national airline, [[Imperial Airways]], founded through a government sponsored four-airline merger in 1924.<ref name=":0" />  During [[World War II]] the airport was named [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] Croydon as its role changed to that of a [[Fighter aircraft|fighter]] airfield during the [[Battle of Britain]]; and in 1943 [[RAF Transport Command]] was founded at the site, which used the airport to transport thousands of troops into and out of Europe.<ref name=":0" />

After the [[Second World War]], its role returned to civil aviation, but the lack of available land for expansion meant that the role of London's primary international airport later passed to [[London Heathrow Airport]]. Croydon Airport closed in 1959. It had been known under eight different names while it was active.<ref name=":0" />

In 1978, the terminal building and Gate Lodge were granted protection as Grade II [[listed building]]s.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1079299|desc=Former Lodge To Croydon Airport Terminal|access-date=30 May 2010}}</ref> In May 2017, [[Historic England]] raised the status of the terminal building to [[Listed building#Categories of listed building|Grade II*]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.croydonairport.org.uk/The-Airport|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908041619/http://www.croydonairport.org.uk/The-Airport|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 September 2017|title=Historic Airport {{!}} Historic Croydon Airport|last=Basing|first=Tavis|website=Croydonairport.org.uk|access-date=23 November 2017}}</ref> Owing to disrepair, the Gate Lodge is now classified as [[Heritage at Risk]] by Historic England.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/news/heritage-at-risk-2017|title=Heritage at Risk 2017 {{!}} Historic England|last=England|first=Historic|website=historicengland.org.uk|date=26 October 2017 |access-date=26 December 2017}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Aa oldcroydonairport.jpg|thumb|right|Area around Croydon Airport as it was in the 1920s or 1930s]]

===Origin===
In December 1915, [[Beddington]] Aerodrome was established – one of a number of small airfields around London that were created for protection against [[Zeppelin]] airship raids during the [[First World War]]. In January 1916, the first two aircraft, [[Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2|B.E.2C]]s, arrived at the aerodrome as part of Home Defence. [[Waddon]] Aerodrome opened in 1918 as part of the adjoining [[National Aircraft Factory]] No. 1, to serve aircraft test flights. The two airfields were on each side of Plough Lane, Beddington to the west and Waddon to the east.

Beddington Aerodrome became a large Reserve Aircraft and Training aerodrome for the [[Royal Flying Corps]]. After the end of the [[First World War]] the aerodrome became an important training airfield for the newly formed [[Royal Air Force]]. During 1919, Prince Albert (later [[George VI]]) gained his "[[Aircrew brevet|wings]]" here with No. 29 Training Squadron, the first member of the royal family to learn to fly. His elder brother, the Prince of Wales (later [[Edward VIII]]), also received flying training with No. 29 Training Squadron at Beddington during 1919.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1919/1919%20-%200473.html?search=Prince%20Albert|title=prince {{!}} prince albert {{!}} rome {{!}} 1919 {{!}} 0473 {{!}} Flight Archive|website=Flightglobal.com|access-date=27 December 2017}}</ref>

The following units were also here at some point:<ref name="ABCT">{{cite web|url=https://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/airfield-finder/croydon-beddington-london-waddon/ |title=Croydon (Beddington) (London) (Waddon) |publisher=[[Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust]]|access-date=11 April 2022}}</ref>
{{columns-list|colwidth=50em|
* No. 17 Reserve Aeroplane Squadron
* No. 17 Reserve Squadron
* No. 17 Training Squadron
* No. 19 Reserve Squadron
* 24th Aero Squadron
* No. 40 Training Squadron
* No. 65 Reserve Squadron
}}

Beddington and Waddon aerodromes were combined to become Croydon Aerodrome, the gateway for all international flights to and from London. The new, single aerodrome opened on 29 March 1920, replacing the temporary civil aerodrome at a Cavalry ground on Hounslow Heath.<ref name="cp-flypast">{{cite news|url=http://www.thisiscroydontoday.co.uk/news/Fly-past-mark-50th-anniversary-Croydon-Airport/article-1308837-detail/article.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130505143351/http://www.thisiscroydontoday.co.uk/news/Fly-past-mark-50th-anniversary-Croydon-Airport/article-1308837-detail/article.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 May 2013|title=Fly past to mark 50th anniversary of Croydon Airport|last=Millard|first=Neil|date=3 September 2009|work=The Croydon Post (online and in print)|publisher=[[Northcliffe Media]]|access-date=14 September 2009}}</ref> Plough Lane remained a public road crossing the site. Road traffic was halted when necessary, first by a man with a red flag and later by a gate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.croydononline.org/history/places/airports.asp|title=Online communities|date=22 January 2016|access-date=9 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120131012117/http://www.croydononline.org/history/places/airports.asp|archive-date=31 January 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> The aerodrome stimulated a growth in regular scheduled flights carrying passengers, mail and freight, the first destinations being [[Paris–Le Bourget Airport|Paris]],<ref name="cp-flypast"/> [[Amsterdam]] and [[Rotterdam]]. Two flights daily from Paris were scheduled for ease of communication with London during the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference]]. In 1923, flights to [[Berlin Tempelhof Airport]] began.

[[Penshurst Airfield]] was an alternative destination for airliners when Croydon was closed on account of fog. One such diversion was on 24 September 1921, when a [[de Havilland DH.18]] aircraft was diverted to Penshurst.<ref name=Flight290921>{{cite magazine|title=London Terminal Aerodrome |magazine=Flight |issue=29 September 1921 |page=649 |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1921/1921%20-%200649.html}}</ref> This situation lasted until Penshurst closed on 28 July 1936.<ref name=Flight300736>{{cite magazine|title=Penshurst Closed |magazine=Flight |issue=30 July 1936 |page=141 |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1936/1936%20-%202116.html?search=penshurst}}</ref>

Croydon was the first airport in the world to introduce [[air traffic control]], a [[control tower]],<ref name="croydonairport.org.uk">{{cite web|url=http://croydonairport.org.uk/The-Airport/The-History|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909054148/http://croydonairport.org.uk/The-Airport/The-History|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 September 2017|title=Historic Croydon Airport|first=Tavis|last=Basing|website=Croydonairport.org.uk|access-date=3 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1920/1920%20-%201100.html?search=control%20tower |title=Air conference at Waddon: the Vickers "Viking III" Amphibian |website=Flightglobal.com|access-date=3 February 2018}}</ref> and radio position-fixing procedures.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1922/1922%20-%200299.html?search=wireless%20position%20findingr |title=Wireless position-finding for aircraft |website=Flightglobal.com|access-date=3 February 2018}}</ref> The "aerodrome control tower", {{cvt|15|ft}} high with windows on all four sides, was commissioned on 25 February 1920 and provided basic traffic, weather and location information to pilots.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kaminski-Morrow |first1=David |title=Colourised images mark centenary of world's first control tower |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/safety/colourised-images-mark-centenary-of-worlds-first-control-tower/136903.article |work=Flight Global |date=25 February 2020 |language=en}}</ref> There, [[Jimmy Jeffs]] was its first air traffic control officer.<ref name=Hales2020>{{cite book |last1=Hales-Dutton |first1=Bruce |title=Cross-Channel Aviation Pioneers: Blanchard and Bleriot, Vikings and Viscounts |date=2020 |publisher=Pen and Sword |location=Yorkshire |isbn=978-1-52677-559-7 |page=97 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S90SEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA97 |language=en |chapter=8. On silver wings}}</ref>

On the formation of Britain's first national airline, [[Imperial Airways]], on 31 March 1924, Croydon became the new airline's operating base. Imperial Airways was the British Government's chosen instrument to develop connections with the U.K.'s extensive overseas interests. It was therefore from Croydon that Britain first developed its European and longhaul routes to India, Africa, the Middle and Far East, Asia, Africa and Australia (in conjunction with [[Qantas]]).

Following the [[1924 Imperial Airways de Havilland DH.34 crash|Imperial Airways de Havilland DH.34 crash]] of December 1924, Britain's first major civil aviation accident, conditions at Croydon came under criticism from the [[public inquiry]] that investigated the causes.<ref name=Times110225>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Croydon Air Accident. Court of Enquiry's Report |date=11 February 1925 |page=17 |issue=43883 |column=A, B, C, D}}</ref> The inquiry was Britain's first into an aviation accident which led to an [[Act of Parliament]], the Croydon Aerodrome Extension Act 1925. The Croydon Aerodrome Extension Act led to large scale expansion, redevelopment and construction of an improved new airport with airport buildings constructed adjacent to the Purley Way, Croydon.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1927/1927%20-%200943.html|title=The Royal Aero Club and Christmas|website=Flightglobal.com|access-date=3 February 2018}}</ref>

===Expansion===
[[File:Croydon Airport aerial view.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Croydon Airport in 1925]]
[[File:Jewish refugees at Croydon airport 1939.jpg|thumb|Unsuccessful forced deportation of Jewish refugees at Croydon Airport, 30 March 1939]]
Under the provisions of the Croydon Aerodrome Extension Act 1925, the airport was greatly enlarged between 1926 and 1928, with a new complex of buildings being constructed alongside [[Purley Way]], including the first purpose-designed airport terminal and air traffic [[control tower]], the world's first airport hotel, and extensive hangars. The development cost £267,000 (£{{Formatprice|{{inflation|UK|267000|1928}}}} in today's prices) {{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}}. Plough Lane was closed permanently to let heavier airliners land and depart safely. The airport's terminal building and control tower were completed in 1928, and the old wooden air traffic control and customs building demolished.<ref name="controltowers.co.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.controltowers.co.uk/C/Croydon.htm|title=Croydon Airport & RAF Croydon Airfield|work=controltowers.co.uk}}</ref> The new buildings and layout began operations on 20 January 1928, and were officially opened on 2 May 1928 by [[Lady Maud Hoare]].

Croydon was where regular international passenger services began, initially using converted wartime bombers, and the Croydon–[[Paris–Le Bourget Airport|Le Bourget]] route soon became the busiest in the world. [[Air traffic control]] was first developed here, as was the "[[Mayday]]" distress call.<ref name="croydonairport.org.uk"/> [[Amy Johnson]] took off from Croydon on 5 May 1930 for her record-breaking flight to Australia. In 1927, [[Charles Lindbergh]] arrived in ''[[Spirit of St. Louis]]'', to be greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of over 100,000 people.<ref name="croydonairport.org.uk"/> [[Winston Churchill]] also took flying lessons.

On the morning of 11 July 1936, Major [[Hugh Pollard (Major)|Hugh Pollard]], and [[Cecil Bebb]] left Croydon Airport for the [[Canary Islands]] in a [[de Havilland Dragon Rapide]] aircraft, where they picked up [[General Francisco Franco]], taking him to [[Spanish Protectorate of Morocco|Spanish Morocco]] and thereby helping to trigger the outbreak of the [[Spanish Civil War]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://randompottins.blogspot.com/2006_09_01_archive.html|title=RandomPottins|work=randompottins.blogspot.com}}</ref>

Imperial Airways used the [[Handley Page]] [[Handley Page H.P.42|HP42/HP45]] four-engined biplanes from Croydon, and the [[Armstrong Whitworth Atalanta]], which was the first monoplane airliner used by the airline, intended for use on the African routes. In March 1937 [[British Airways Ltd]] operated from Croydon, moving to [[Heston Aerodrome]] in May 1938. Imperial Airways, serving routes in the British Empire, and British Airways Ltd, serving European routes, were merged by the [[Neville Chamberlain|Chamberlain]] government in November 1938 to become [[British Overseas Airways Corporation]] (BOAC). Larger four-engined monoplanes, [[Armstrong Whitworth Ensign]] series (G-ADSR) came into service that year.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}

The airport also hosted a much-publicised visit by [[Gertrud Scholtz-Klink]], leader of the National Socialist Women's League (NS-Frauenschaft) and rumoured to be a spy; historians have speculated that she landed in Britain to cultivate German spies living here, in the run-up to WWII.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.historyextra.com/article/premium/when-hitlers-perfect-woman-came-call|title=When Hitler's perfect woman came to call|newspaper=History Extra|access-date=9 December 2016}}</ref>

===Second World War===

When the [[World War II|Second World War]] started in September 1939, Croydon Airport was closed to civil aviation but played a vital role as a fighter station during the [[Battle of Britain]]. [[No. 92 Squadron RAF|No. 92 Squadron]] flew [[Supermarine Spitfires]] from RAF Croydon during the early part of the Second World War and the Battle of Britain.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cambridgemilitaryhistory.com/2015/05/13/mk1-supermarine-spitfire-to-be-sold-to-benefit-raf-veterans-and-wildlife-charity/|title=MK1 Supermarine Spitfire to be sold to benefit RAF Veterans and Wildlife Charity|work=Cambridge Military History|date=13 May 2015}}</ref>

The following units were here at some point:<ref name="ABCT"/>
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
* [[No. 1 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 1 Squadron RCAF]]
* [[No. 2 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 3 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 10 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 17 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 22 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 32 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 39 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 41 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 72 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 83 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 84 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 85 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 92 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 93 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 111 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 116 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 145 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 147 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 167 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 207 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 271 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 285 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 287 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron]]
* [[No. 317 Polish Fighter Squadron]]
* [[No. 414 Squadron RCAF]]
* [[435 Transport and Rescue Squadron|No. 435 Squadron RCAF]]
* [[437 Transport Squadron|No. 437 Squadron RCAF]]
* [[No. 501 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 605 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 607 Squadron RAF]]
* [[No. 615 Squadron RAF]]
}}
;Units:
{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|
* [[No. 1 Aircraft Delivery Flight RAF]] (January 1942 - July 1944){{sfn|Sturtivant|Hamlin|Halley|1997|p=47}}
* [[No. 110 Wing RAF|No. 110 (Transport) Wing RAF]] (July 1944 - February 1946){{sfn|Sturtivant|Hamlin|Halley|1997|p=321}}
* [[No. 143 Gliding School RAF]] (May 1945 - December 1946){{sfn|Sturtivant|Hamlin|Halley|1997|p=166}}
* No. 405 Aircraft Repair Flight
* No. 405 Repair & Salvage Unit
* No. 409 Repair & Salvage Unit
* No. 3202 Servicing Commando
* [[List of RAF Regiment units#Flights|No. 4007 Anti-Aircraft Flight RAF Regiment]]
}}

====Battle of Britain====
On 15 August 1940, Croydon Airport was attacked in the first major air raid on the London area. At around 6.20 pm 22 [[Messerschmitt Bf 110]] and [[Messerschmitt Bf 109]] fighter-bombers of ''Erpr.Gr.210'' mounted a final raid of the day, intended for [[RAF Kenley]] nearby, but attacked Croydon (four miles further north) in error. The armoury was destroyed, the civilian airport terminal building was badly damaged, and a hangar was damaged by cannon fire and blast. Another hangar and about forty training aircraft in it went up in flames. Six airfield personnel died (four airmen from [[No. 111 Squadron RAF|No. 111 Squadron]], an officer of [[No. 401 Squadron RCAF|No. 1 Squadron RCAF]], and a female telephonist from Station HQ). Factories next to Croydon Airport took the worst of the bombing. The British NSF factory (making electrical components) was almost entirely destroyed, and the [[Bourjois]] perfume factory gutted. The [[Rollason Aircraft and Engines|Rollason Aircraft]] factory also received bomb hits and accounted for many of the 62 civilians (including five women) killed and 192 injured. Eight of the attacking aircraft were shot down by the Hurricanes of [[No. 32 Squadron RAF#Second World War|32]] and 111 Squadrons.<ref>Ramsey, "After the Battle"{{clarify|date=September 2022}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=Citation is to [[After the Battle]] magazine but no issue number so impossible to verify (there are 195 issues)|date=September 2022}}

=== Post-war developments and final closure ===
[[File:Croydon Airport 1945.png|thumb|Aerial photograph of Croydon Airport in 1945]]
Following the end of the war, it was realised that post-war airliners and cargo aircraft would be larger and that air traffic would intensify. The urban spread of south London and the growth of surrounding villages had enclosed Croydon Airport and left it little room for expansion. [[Heathrow Airport|Heathrow]] was therefore designated as London's airport.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}

Croydon returned to civil control in February 1946; a diagram in the issue of ''[[Flight International|Flight]]'' magazine dated 11 April shows {{convert|1250|yd|m}} ground run in the 170–350 direction, {{convert|1150|yd|m}} 060-240 and {{convert|1100|yd|m}} 120–300 (''the numbers are degrees clockwise from north''). Northolt opened to the airlines soon after that, cutting Croydon's traffic, but the September 1946 ABC Guide shows 218 departures a week to Belfast, Dublin, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow (Renfrew), Jersey, Guernsey, and several continental airports. A year later there were 56 departures a week, mostly [[British European Airways|BEA]] [[de Havilland Dragon Rapide]]s that weeks later left Croydon for good.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}

It was decided in 1952 that the airport would eventually be closed, as [[Blackbushe Airport]] in [[Hampshire]] and [[RAF Northolt|Northolt Aerodrome]] in [[Middlesex]] could accommodate European flights during the 1950s. The last scheduled flight from Croydon departed at 18:15 on 30 September 1959,<ref name="cp-flypast"/> followed by the last aircraft (a private flight), at 19:45;<ref name="cp-flypast"/> the airfield officially closed at 22:20.<ref name="cp-milestone">{{cite news|title=Airport milestone marked by flypast|last=Austen|first=Ian|date=7 October 2009|work=The Croydon Post|publisher=[[Northcliffe Media]]|location=Croydon, UK}}</ref>

On 27 September 2009, to mark the 50th anniversary of the closing of the airport, eleven [[light aircraft]], including eight biplanes, staged a flypast.<ref name="cp-flypast"/><ref name="cp-milestone"/> A gold laurel leaf tribute was laid in the [[control tower]] to mark the anniversary.<ref name="cp-milestone"/>

==Present day==
[[File:Airport House at the old Croydon Aerodrome - geograph.org.uk - 1571720.jpg|thumb|The [[de Havilland Heron]] outside Airport House]]
[[File:R.A.F. Memorial, Croydon Airport - geograph.org.uk - 1208193.jpg|thumb|upright|RAF Battle of Britain memorial]]
Much of the site has been built over, but some of the terminal buildings near [[Purley Way]] (the [[A23 road]]) are still visible, clearly identifiable as to their former purpose. The former terminal building is called Airport House,<ref name="cp-milestone"/> and the former [[control tower]] houses a visitors' centre.<ref name="cp-milestone"/>

A [[de Havilland Heron]] (a small propeller-driven British airliner of the 1950s) is displayed on the forecourt outside Airport House, mounted on struts. The Heron is painted to represent an example [[Aircraft registration|registered]] ''G-AOXL'' of [[Morton Air Services]], the aircraft that flew the last passenger flight from Croydon on 30 September 1959. A memorial to those lost in the [[Battle of Britain]] stands slightly to the south.

Although Croydon has long ceased operation, the two cut ends of Plough Lane have never been reunited, but the area between has been developed instead into parkland, playing fields, and the [[Roundshaw|Roundshaw residential estate]] with its roads aptly named after [[aviator]]s and aircraft. All that remains of the runways is a small area of tarmac about {{convert|400|ft|m}} long each way in Roundshaw Park just west of Purley Way, which is a remnant of the WNW-ESE runway due south of the control buildings; it can be seen at {{coord|51.351067|N|0.117449|W|type:landmark}}; the "arm" may be a remnant of a taxiway to Hangar B.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://myunclefred.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/thursday-15th-august-1940.html|title=Thursday 15th August 1940 – Battle of Britain|publisher=War and peace and the price of cat-fish|date=22 August 2010|access-date=10 May 2012|archive-date=16 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116144900/http://myunclefred.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/thursday-15th-august-1940.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The area is used primarily by walkers, model aircraft enthusiasts, locals playing football and the [[Croydon Pirates]] baseball team.

The church on the Roundshaw estate has a cross on its outside wall that was made from the cut down propeller of a Spitfire based at Croydon during the Second World War.

The area is still known as Croydon Airport for transport purposes and was the location for [[Croydon Water Palace]].

When two local schools, Waddon Infants School and Duppas Junior School, merged in September 2010, they were renamed The Aerodrome School, in recognition of the airport's historical significance.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thisiscroydontoday.co.uk/news/Work-begins-new-primary-school-Waddon/article-1234258-detail/article.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912090420/http://www.thisiscroydontoday.co.uk/news/Work-begins-new-primary-school-Waddon/article-1234258-detail/article.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 September 2012|title=Work begins on new primary school in Waddon|last=Charlton|first=Jo|date=7 August 2009|work=[[The Croydon Advertiser]]|publisher=[[Northcliffe Media]]|access-date=8 October 2009|location=Croydon, UK}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.croydon.gov.uk/democracy/councilnews/874261|title=Schools amalgamation means lift off for Aerodrome School|date=6 August 2009|publisher=[[London Borough of Croydon]]|access-date=8 October 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605123243/http://www.croydon.gov.uk/democracy/councilnews/874261|archive-date=5 June 2011}}</ref>

==The buildings==
The Aerodrome Hotel and the terminal building including its grand booking hall were built in the neo-classical geometrical design typical of the early 20th century. A further item that would have caught the eye of visitor and traveller alike was the [[time zone]] tower (now lost) in the booking hall with its dials depicting the times in different parts of the world. Croydon Airport's Aerodrome Hotel is part of [[Croydon Vision 2020]] regeneration plan.
[[File:Croydon Airport Booking Hall, world with wings.jpg|thumb|World with Wings Symbol, still on wall in Booking Hall]]

The Airport Hotel survives as the independent Hallmark Hotel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.londonnethotels.co.uk/Aerodrome_Hotel_Croydon.htm|title=Hallmark Hotel Croydon, Croydon, Near Gatwick|work=londonnethotels.co.uk|access-date=6 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419235938/http://www.londonnethotels.co.uk/Aerodrome_Hotel_Croydon.htm|archive-date=19 April 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Events and celebrities==

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Date/year!! Aviator!! Comments

|-

|1919||[[Winston Churchill]]||Took extensive flying lessons at Croydon and was nearly killed during a crash at take-off<ref>{{cite book|title=Winston S. Churchill: Volume IV 1917–1922|last=Gilbert|first=Martin|publisher=Heinemann|year=1975|location=London|page=208|author2=Churchill, Randolph}}</ref>

|-

|1925||[[Alan Cobham]]||Flew from Croydon to [[Cape Town]] and back in 1925-6<ref name=Cobham>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/online-exhibitions/sir-alan-cobham-a-pioneering-aviator/south-africa-flight.aspx|title=Sir Alan Cobham; A Life of a Pioneering Aviator|website=www.rafmuseum.org.uk|access-date=19 February 2019}}</ref>

|-

|1927||[[Charles Lindbergh]]||Flew into Croydon shortly after completing the first solo trans-Atlantic flight<ref name="Clarke2006">{{cite book|last=Clarke|first=Penny |title=Flight|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OOwlv0DMe8QC&pg=PP7|year=2006|publisher=Salariya Publishers|isbn=978-1-905087-87-7|page=7}}</ref>

|-

|1928||[[Mary Bailey (aviator)|Mary Bailey]]|| Flew solo from Croydon to Cape Town<ref name="marybailey">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/bailey.html|title=Lady Mary Bailey (1890-1960), Pioneer Aviatrix|website=www.ctie.monash.edu.au|access-date=3 January 2019}}</ref>

|-

|1928 ||[[Mary, Lady Heath]]||The first pilot to fly a small open-cockpit aircraft from [[Cape Town]] to London, 18 May<ref name="HerStory">{{Cite web|url=https://www.herstory.ie/news/ladymaryheath|title=Lady Mary Heath/Aviator and Athlete|website=www.herstory.ie|date=7 October 2015 |language=en-GB|access-date=19 February 2019}}</ref>

|-

|1928||[[Bert Hinkler]]||Made the first flight from Croydon to [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]], Australia<ref name=AutralianGeo2013>{{Cite web|url=https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/on-this-day/2013/11/on-this-day-hinklers-solo-flight-from-england-to-australia/|title=On this day: Hinkler's solo flight from England to Australia|date=7 November 2013|website=Australian Geographic|language=en-AU|access-date=19 February 2019}}</ref>

|-

|1928 ||[[Charles Kingsford Smith]]||Beat Hinkler's record<ref name="Dymock2013">{{cite book|last=Dymock|first=D. R.|title=Hustling Hinkler: The short tumultuous life of a trailblazing Australian aviator|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cfIrcy73ErYC&pg=PT87|year=2013|publisher=Hachette Australia|isbn=978-0-7336-2998-3|page=87}}</ref>

|-

|1929|| || [[Armstrong Whitworth Argosy]] flew from Croydon to Paris, [[Douglas Fairbanks]] and [[Mary Pickford]] met [[Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma]]<ref>{{Cite book|title=The First the Fastest and the Famous|last=Cluett|first=Douglas|year=1985 |publisher=London Borough of Sutton Libraries and Arts Services|isbn=978-0907335146|pages=223}}</ref>

|-

|1930||[[Aspy Engineer]] and [[Ram Nath Chawla|R. N. Chawla]]|| First Indians to fly from Karachi to Croydon and shortly after, Engineer flew from Croydon to Karachi solo and within the specified one month time frame to win the Aga Khan competition<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U7JNDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT102|title=The de Havilland DH.60 Moth|last=McKay|first=Stuart|date=2016|publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited|isbn=978-1-4456-5724-0}}</ref>

|-

|1930||[[Man Mohan Singh (pilot)|Man Mohan Singh]]||The first Indian to fly Croydon to Karachi as a contestant in the Aga Khan competition<ref name=Flight1930>{{Cite journal|date=23 May 1930|title=The Aga Khan Prize|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1930/UNTITLED0%20-%200583.PDF|journal=Flight|pages=559}}</ref>

|-

|1930||[[Amy Johnson]]|| The first woman to fly from Croydon to Australia, leaving 5 May with a few people to see her off; welcomed back by a jubilant crowd of thousands<ref name=Guardian2017>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/26/amy-johnson-solo-flight-australia-1930|title=Amy Johnson, the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia – archive, 1930|date=26 May 2017|work=The Guardian|location=London|access-date=19 February 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref name=FFF>{{Cite book|title=The First the Fastest and the Famous|last=Cluett|first=Douglas|publisher=London Borough of Sutton Libraries and Arts Services|year=1985|isbn=978-0907335146|pages=36}}</ref>

|-

|1934||[[Tom Campbell Black]]||With [[C. W. A. Scott]] won the MacRobertson London to Melbourne Air Race<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tomcampbellblack.150m.com/|title=Tom Campbell Black|date=24 July 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724170047/http://www.tomcampbellblack.150m.com/|archive-date=24 July 2008}}</ref>

|-

|1936||[[Juan de la Cierva]] ||The Spanish inventor of the [[autogyro]] died in an aviation accident, 9 December<ref name="Volodarsky2015">{{cite book|last=Volodarsky|first=Boris |title=Stalin's Agent: The Life and Death of Alexander Orlov|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tM6SBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA568|year=2015|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-965658-5|page=568}}</ref>

|-

|}

==Accidents and incidents==
* On 15 March 1923, [[Farman F.60 Goliath]] F-AEIE of [[Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes]] overran the runway on landing and collided with a building. The aircraft was later repaired and returned to service.<ref name=AB>{{cite web|url=http://www.ab-ix.co.uk/f-aaaa.pdf |title=French pre-war register version 120211 |publisher=Air Britain |access-date=8 March 2011}}</ref>
* On 22 January 1924, Goliath F-GEAO of [[Air Union]] was destroyed by fire following an accident when landing.<ref name=AB/>
* On 24 December 1924 ([[1924 Imperial Airways de Havilland DH.34 crash]]), [[Imperial Airways]] [[de Havilland DH.34]] G-EBBX crashed and caught fire shortly after takeoff from Croydon, killing the pilot and all seven passengers.<ref name="Times110225"/><ref name=Flight010125>{{cite magazine|title=Air Disaster at Croydon |magazine=Flight |issue=1 January 1925 |page=4 |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1925/1925%20-%200004.html}}</ref>
* On 6 November 1929, the [[Deutsche Lufthansa]] [[Junkers G 24]]bi ''Oberschlesien'' (registration D-903) crashed after striking trees on a hill in [[Marden Park]], [[Surrey]], while attempting to return to Croydon in thick fog after taking off for a flight to [[Amsterdam]] in the Netherlands. Three of the four crew members and four of the five passengers died.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19291106-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Junkers G.24bi D-903 Godstone, Surrey|author=Harro Ranter|date=6 November 1929|work=aviation-safety.net}}</ref>
* On 19 May 1934, a [[Wibault 280]] of [[Air France]] crash-landed on a [[cricket pitch]] adjacent to Croydon Airport as a result of running out of fuel. Only one of the ten people on board was injured.<ref name=Times210534>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Mishap to French Air Liner |date=21 May 1934 |page=7 |issue=46759 |column=F}}</ref>
* On 31 May 1934 an Air France aircraft carrying newspapers to Paris crashed after hitting the mast of an aircraft radio navigation beacon that had been erected off the end of the white-line takeoff path, killing the two crew.
* On 6 March 1935, in the [[Croydon Airport robbery]], £21,000 worth of gold bullion was stolen. Three men were charged, only one was sentenced. The gold was never found.<ref name="Whalley2009">{{Cite web|url=https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/4075336.secrets-of-gold-bullion-heist-revealed/|title=Secrets of gold bullion heist revealed|last=Whalley|first=Kirsty|date=26 January 2009|website=Your Local Guardian|language=en|access-date=26 March 2019}}</ref>
* On 9 December 1936 ([[1936 KLM Croydon accident]]), a [[KLM]] [[Douglas DC-2]] crashed on takeoff at Croydon Airport on a flight to [[Amsterdam]]. The accident killed 15 out of 17 on the DC-2,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.reachinformation.com/define/1936_KLM_Croydon_accident.aspx |title=Informasi Teknologi Terbaru 2018 |access-date=16 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715161231/http://www.reachinformation.com/define/1936_KLM_Croydon_accident.aspx |archive-date=15 July 2011 }}</ref> including [[Juan de la Cierva]] and [[Arvid Lindman]].
* On 25 January 1947 ([[1947 Croydon Dakota accident]]), a Spencer Airways [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain|Douglas Dakota]] failed to get airborne on a flight to [[Rhodesia]]. The aircraft struck another parked and empty aircraft, killing 11 passengers and the pilot.<ref name="ASN">{{ASN accident|id=19470125-3}}</ref>

== Immigration and customs ==
The Chief Immigration Officer of the shipping port of [[Port of Dover]], P. L. Hartley, took over in 1936.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Dover Express|date=25 December 1936}}</ref>

== Medical provision ==
A medical officer, Dr John Robert Draper, M.B., B.Ch., was employed by Croydon Council to take over medical duties at the airport from 1 January 1931. He was answerable to Croydon's [[Medical Officer of Health]]. Following the [[Public Health (Aircraft) Regulations 1938]], his role changed significantly.<ref name="DraperJan1939">{{Cite journal |first=John Robert |last=Draper |date=7 January 1939 |title=Medical Supervision at Croydon Aerodrome |journal=[[The BMJ|British Medical Journal]] |volume=1 |issue=4070 |pages=S1–S3 |jstor=20302025 |doi=10.1136/bmj.1.4070.S1 |s2cid=219995166}}</ref>

==Literary references==
Croydon Airport features heavily in two detective novels, [[Freeman Wills Crofts]]' ''[[The 12.30 from Croydon]]'' (1934) and [[Agatha Christie]]'s ''[[Death in the Clouds]]'' (1935).<ref>{{cite book |first1=Vanessa |last1=Wagstaff |first2=Stephen |last2=Poole |title=Agatha Christie: a reader's companion |date=2004 |publisher=Aurum Press |location=London |isbn=978-1845130152 |edition=2nd |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/agathachristiere00wags }}</ref> It is also mentioned in [[Evelyn Waugh]]'s ''Labels: A Mediterranean Journey'' (1930), [[Elizabeth Bowen]]'s ''To the North'' (1932) and [[Winston Churchill]]'s ''Thoughts and Adventures'' (1932).

[[W. H. Auden]], in his ''Letter to Lord Byron'' (1937), lists "Croydon Aerodrome" as one of the locations visited by a modern-day [[Don Juan]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Auden |first1=W H |title=Collected longer poems |date=1968 |publisher=Faber |isbn=978-0571106059 |page=[https://archive.org/details/collectedlongerp0000aude_m8g9/page/35 35] |url=https://archive.org/details/collectedlongerp0000aude_m8g9/page/35 }}
<br />"I see his face in every magazine.
<br />'Don Juan at lunch with one of [[Charles B. Cochran|Cochran's]] ladies.'
<br />'Don Juan with his [[red setter]] May MacQueen.'
<br />'Don Juan, who's just been wintering in [[Cadiz]],
<br />Caught at the wheel of his maroon Mercedes.'
<br />'Don Juan at Croydon Aerodrome.' 'Don Juan
<br />Snapped in the paddock with the [[Aga Khan]].'"</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last1=Bluffield|first1=Robert|title=Imperial Airways: The Birth of the British Airline Industry 1914–1940|date=2009|publisher=Ian Allan Publishing|isbn=978-1-906537-07-4}}
* {{cite book |first1=Douglas |last1=Cluett |first2=Joanna |last2=Nash |first3=Bob |last3=Learmonth |year=1980 |title=Croydon Airport: The Great Days 1928–1939 |publisher=London Borough of Sutton Libraries and Arts Services |place=Sutton |isbn=978-0-9503224-8-3 }}
* {{cite book |first1=Douglas |last1=Cluett |first2=Joanna |last2=Bogle (Nash) |first3=Bob |last3=Learmonth |year=1984 |title=Croydon Airport and The Battle for Britain 1939–1940 |publisher=London Borough of Sutton Libraries and Arts Services |place=Sutton |isbn=978-0-907335-11-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/croydonairportba0000clue }}
* {{cite book |first=Charles C. |last=Dickson |year=1983 |title=Croydon Airport Remembered |publisher=London Borough of Sutton Libraries and Arts Services |place=Sutton |isbn=978-0-907335-12-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/croydonairportre0000dick }}
* {{cite book |last1=Gillies |first1=Midge |title=Amy Johnson: Queen of the Air |date=2003|publisher=Weidenfeld and Nicolson |isbn=978-0-75381-770-4}}
* {{cite book |last1=Gordon|first1=Alistair|title=Naked Airport: A Cultural History of the World's Most Revolutionary Structure |date=2004 |publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-30456-4}}
* {{cite book |first1=Bob |last1=Learmonth |first2=Joanna |last2=Nash |first3=Douglas |last3=Cluett |year=1977 |title=The First Croydon Airport 1915–1928 |publisher=London Borough of Sutton Libraries and Arts Services |place=Sutton |isbn=978-0-9503224-3-8 }}
* {{cite web |last1=Noble |first1=Will |title=This airport was once the gateway to Europe. Now no one’s heard of it |url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/croydon-airport-london-aerodrome-gateway/index.html |website=[[CNN Travel]] |access-date=12 September 2024 |language=en |date=4 September 2024}}
* {{cite book |last1=Stroud|first1=John|title=Railway Air Services|date=1987|publisher=Ian Allan |isbn=978-0-7110-1743-6}}
* {{cite book |last1=Sturtivant|first1=R.|last2=Hamlin|first2=J.|last3=Halley|first3=J.|title=Royal Air Force flying training and support units |year=1997 |publisher= Air-Britain (Historians)|location= UK|isbn=0-85130-252-1}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://www.historiccroydonairport.org.uk/ Historic Croydon Airport Trust website]
* [http://www.ponies.me.uk/maps/osmap.html?z=13&x=-0.0734710693359375&y=51.351200630655974 Old Ordnance Survey map of the area as in the 1920s]: see the word "Aerodrome" between the two roads going [[north-northwest]] from [[Purley, London|Purley]]; the westerly of those two roads is Plough Lane.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120131012117/http://www.croydononline.org/history/places/airports.asp History of Croydon Airport web page] from Croydon Online
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071019231835/http://www.controltowers.co.uk/C/Croydon_photo.htm Various photos from Control Towers website]
* [http://myunclefred.blogspot.com/2010/08/thursday-15th-august-1940.html Chart of Croydon Airport] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217143818/https://myunclefred.blogspot.com/2010/08/thursday-15th-august-1940.html |date=17 February 2020 }} from ''The Air Pilot'', published by Air Ministry, London, 1934.
* [http://www.controltowers.co.uk/C/Croydon.htm Croydon control tower]
* {{YouTube|8O8IG3UrzaA|Flypast over Croydon Airport – Sunday 27 September 2009}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100627003741/http://www.demotix.com/news/croydon-airport-50th-anniversary-flypast Demotix – Croydon Airport 50th Anniversary Flypast photos]
* [http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ll=51.356425,-0.116495&spn=0.000708,0.001742&sll=51.35645,-0.116639&sspn=0.002844,0.009012&t=h&z=20&layer=c&cbll=51.356371,-0.116482&panoid=gXoJkdyQ0LbPhWCYAimMUw&cbp=12,260.77,,0,3.88 Google Earth ground view] of Croydon Airport from the [[A23 road]] (Purley Way)
* [http://cambridgemilitaryhistory.com/2015/05/13/mk1-supermarine-spitfire-to-be-sold-to-benefit-raf-veterans-and-wildlife-charity/ Article about MK1 Spitfires from No. 92 Squadron which flew from RAF Croydon at cambridgemilitaryhistory.com weblog]
* [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClMuJ1DTvfqVF1SRS761OgQ Croydon Airport reconstruction]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReeZj8z5-L8 Croydon Airport | Shell Historical Film Archive 1935]

{{Defunct airports in the United Kingdom}}
{{LB Croydon}}
{{Buildings and structures in Croydon}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Defunct airports in England]]
[[Category:Airports established in 1920]]
[[Category:Airports disestablished in 1959]]
[[Category:1920 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1959 disestablishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1920 establishments in England]]
[[Category:1959 disestablishments in England]]
[[Category:Airports in the London region]]
[[Category:Art Deco architecture in London]]
[[Category:Battle of Britain]]
[[Category:History of the London Borough of Croydon]]
[[Category:Croydon 2020]]
[[Category:Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Croydon]]
[[Category:Royal Flying Corps airfields]]
[[Category:Transport in the London Borough of Croydon]]
[[Category:Grade II listed airports]]
[[Category:World War II memorials in England]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in the London Borough of Croydon]]