Propelling Aerdrome into the History Books
There were several historic occasions at Croydon Airport.
Lindberg flew in with his Spirit of St. Louis after his flight from New York to Paris, and was greeted by enormous crowds - he appeared on the old wooden control tower and spoke to the masses, ending his speech by saying : "all I want is a cup of tea".
In August 1931 Amy Johnson was there after her solo flight to Australia. Her aeroplane, Jason, in now in the Science Museum. Croydon Airport was not ideal. It never had a concrete runway and the grass landing strip had a considerable dip in the middle with steep gradients on either side.
In 1930 Gatwick was founded, by Ronald Walters of the Surrey Aero Club, on fields next to Gatwick Racecourse.
The Club soon gave way to commercial use and the airport acquired a railway station on the Britain Line (the present Gatwick station is on the site of racecourse station).
Gatwick got a concrete runway in late 1950's. Also in 1930, Heathrow was established as a manufacturers airfield, and when it got a concrete runway it took over as the main London Airport.
In 1934 overseas air mail services were concentrated at Southampton, using flying boats - these took passengers, transported by train by Imperial Airways directly from Buckingham Palace Road.
Croydon, however, as an established airport, continued to be busy. Railway Air Services Ltd. used it to provide a mail service around Britain.
In the Second World War the RAF moved in with a squadron of Hurricanes. After the war it continued as an airport for flying clubs and charter work until 1959 when Morton Air Services flew out for the last time (to Rotterdam). The site was sold in 1963, to Guardian Royal Exchange.
In 1978 the Croydon Airport Society was founded. It has had several events, particularly that of 1980, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Amy Johnson's flight to Australia.
However the main aim of the Society was to set up a Croydon Airport Museum in Airport House, the main terminal building which is Grade 2 listed. The council was supportive, but a succession of new owners have had opinions ranging from supportive to dismissive.
Airport House is now developed for office use, with a De Haviland Heron displayed outside and a Tiger Moth hung from the ceiling of the main hall. The Society now has a visitor centre and hope for the Museum is not dead.
Unfortunately commercial development at the rear is less pleasing than a view of the airfield.
However, the site is still flyable. The Aerodrome Hotel is still there but is renamed Aerodrome.
The original name was thought to suggest aircraft noise to potential guests.
The Society has much material to display, and is still getting more : about the aerodrome itself, its staff, the aircraft which used it and the passengers it served.
A French pilot from the early years met and married a Croydon girl and recently, as his widow, she gave the Society more than 200 pictures he had taken.
More photographs were found in a Lufthansa archive at Cologne. It also has material on other airports and airfields serving London.