London contains a lot of former airfields.
I spotted this one yesterday in Hornchurch.
As street names go it's a huge clue.
This was formerly RAF Hornchurch, a large airfield in the Ingrebourne valley which played a vital role in defending the eastern side of the capital from German bombers. It first came into service in 1915 when it was known as Suttons Farm, this because it was a farm and the planes touched down on the fields. In 1924 the RAF made the decision to build a proper aerodrome with proper runways, and several squadrons called Hornchurch home. It was thus well prepared for WW2 and saw plenty of action, after which it became Flying Training Command's Aircrew Selection Centre.
After the airfield closed in 1962 the majority was turned over to gravel extraction, and this was later filled in to create Hornchurch Country Park. But the former administrative and technical areas were instead levelled and this part of the airfield was repurposed as a surprisingly large housing estate. They call it the Airfield Estate, and although it's architecturally undistinguished its cul-de-sacs of townhouses with little gardens are precisely the affordable properties many Londoners crave.
• For considerably more history and background information, the website rafhornchurch.com is comprehensively excellent.
• For considerably more history and background information, a nine room Heritage Centre opened on Suttons Lane in 2021 and is currently open at weekends (admission £5).
• London Loop section23 passes through Hornchurch Country Park past most of the remaining gun posts and pill boxes.
• The Country Park also has a cosy cafe/visitor centre, and is easily accessed from Hornchurch station aboard bus 252.
But in today's post it's the housing I'm interested in, three dozen curling streets occupying land once devoted to planes. Bader Way leads off Deere Avenue leads off Tempest Way leads off Mungo Park Drive. Fairlop Close leads off Manston Way leads off Tangmere Crescent leads off Airfield Way. Harrier Close, Kestrel Close and Fulmar Road all lead off Heron Flight Avenue. If your house is on Drake Mews or Leathart Close you actually live on a former runway.
By my calculations this residential ex-airfield covers 0.3 square miles - about the same size as the East Village development in the Olympic Park. Normally we think about homes under threat from airport expansion but here in Hornchurch it's the other way round.
So I wondered, where else in London do people live on former airfields?
Croydon Airport is the obvious candidate, for two decades Britain's premier airport and the starting point for many a continental flight. A lot of the airfield is still open space with a small slice of runway still visible in the heath off Purley Way. But a substantial portion became the RoundshawEstate, a mid-60s swirl of concrete council houses, many of which have been rebuilt to higher standards since. 1800 homes were built altogether. The estate layout features a lot of nested closes, and residents of Spitfire Road, Moth Close and Avro Way are amongst those who live on its historic runway.
Hendon Aerodrome was an important centre for aviation from 1908 to 1968, so from the very earliest days until surprisingly late. It started out as an aircraft factory and flying school, became critically important during WW1 and later hosted air pageants that attracted tens of thousands of spectators. It was less well used during WW2 for fear of becoming a suburban bomb target. After closure part of the site became Hendon Police College, part the RAF Museum and the remainder the Grahame Parkhousing estate with another 1800 homes. Street names here are more pastoral than atmospheric, and this too is now undergoing 'intensification', for which read major redevelopment,
Cricklewood Aerodrome is another. During WW1 this was the site of the Handley Page aircraft factory but an airfield was also built alongside as somewhere to test planes and as a base for one of the very first public airports. But the surrounding area soon built up to the point where aviation became untenable, so in 1929 Handley Page shifted all their flying to Radlett and the aerodrome became the Golders Green Estate. This private estate plumped for hills rather than aviation to name its roads, its spine roads being Pennine Drive and Purbeck Drive, and from above it resembles the whorl of a fingerprint.
Stag Lane Aerodrome was first used for flying training during WW1, after which it was purchased by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. They used it to build aeroplanes including the classic Gipsy Moth, but encroaching housing saw them depart for a larger factory in Hatfield in 1932. Engine production remained in situ rather longer, also since redeveloped, which is why you'll now find a sliver of modern flats within a 30s housing estate just to the northeast of Queensbury station.
A wonderful London Transport poster from 1928 helped me narrow down any further potential candidates. It's an Empire Air Day poster, inviting you to spend 28th May 'at the aerodromes' to 'watch the flying' and 'inspect the planes'. It lists 12 airfields, but...
» I've already mentioned Hendon and Hornchurch
» Halton, North Weald, Brooklands, Hatfield and Gravesend are outside London
» Biggin Hill, Kenley and Northolt are still airfields, not housing
» Hanworth and Heston are, I think, still undeveloped
So what have I missed? It has to be in Greater London, it has to have been a relatively significant airfield and it has to now contain a reasonable amount of housing.
Here's what I've got so far, including approximate size and a link to an old map: (although some are just blank spaces on the OS map because they appeared on a need to know basis, beware Johnny Foreigner, hush hush)
