Check your bags and climb on board for a flight through London's forgotten history of aviation
Doors: 7pm.
WILL NOBLE tells how in the 1920s and 30s, Croydon Airport was at the heart of a glamorous age of air travel. Imperial Airways would whisk you from Croydon to almost anywhere in the Empire. Hollywood stars, royalty and politicians were a common sight. French aristocrats flew in to get their suits made in Croydon. World records were set and broken here.
Those not wealthy enough to fly used the airport as a holiday resort, staying at the Aerodrome Hotel and plane-spotting from its viewing platform. This was an age when Croydon was uttered in the same breath as Paris, Cape Town and Brisbane. It was, in many ways, the centre of the
universe.
Hendon – London’s first aerodrome
Before Heathrow, or Croydon, London had its first aerodrome at Hendon, in what is now North West London. From a rough field used by a pioneer aviator to its time as a hub for daring pilots and stunt flyers, and on to its glory days as the home of Royal Air Force Pageants, MARK AMIES tells how Hendon was an essential part of British aviation history. As well as this it acted as a magnet for aircraft constructors who lined the A5 road from Kilburn to Edgware.
Mark will tell the story of how this important aerodrome could have been the Capital’s first proper airport, and how its fate was sealed by suburban growth.
WILL NOBLE is editor at Londonist and has written for the Guardian, Telegraph and CNN Travel. His debut book, Croydonopolis: A Journey to the Greatest City That Never Was, was published in 2024.
MARK AMIES has an enthusiastic interest in London’s industrial heritage, especially in terms of manufacturing. His first article appeared in Londonist.com in 2015, and in late 2018 he started his long-running contributions on The Robert Elms Show, on BBC Radio London. These slots have covered a large variety of subjects over the years from subjects as diverse as ice cream to car making.
He has written two books: London’s Industrial Past (2020), and Flying Up The Edgware Road (2022)