RAFM Hendon walkaround 10th October 2007

re

The area I mean, is in the middle bottom of the picture. A large area of small buildings and a big grass area, directly below Aerodrome road.

http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?txtkeys1=Hendon+Aerodrome

Do you mean the grass area in the square underneath the RAF museum, above Aerodrome road and in between the factory/control tower and railway line? That used to be hangars belonging to Claude Grahame-White but not sure about in later years, need to try and find a decent aerial photo of Hendon throughout the years. As for the police college training site i’m not sure what was there, probably more hangars but not sure as there isn’t a huge amount of space aviation wise between Aerodrome Road and the tube line

re

that al makes sense, I was right the area I am thinking of, on Aerodrome road is the police college. I assume the grass area in the south of the picture was never part of the af then?

You mean the area that’s being built on? That used to be the site of the Claude Grahame-White factory buildings (as shown in the ‘RAFM Closed Areas’ photos), as for the 1930s buildings, the only buildings left are the 1917 Officers Mess, the ones on the Museum site and the two I posted photos of, the 1917 control tower and the factory building (pre WWI I think). Can’t think of any 1930s looking buildings around.

Have already posted a photo of the RFC crest on the front of the factory building, it’s actually a Claude Grahame-White crest. Here’s an aerial photo of the site showing where the buildings are. By the way, the L shaped building in the ‘RAF Museum site’ square below the Battle of Britain Hall is the police station

re

I’m puzzled. What is that huge site opposite the former RFC building, the big grass/concrete area with 2 hideous tower blocks? The buildings certainly look 1930s.

Have you got a pic of the RFC crest over the door of the old tower/theatre/mess. Last time I was there the bushes were too overgrown to get a good pic.

Excellent pics of restricted areas, and as you rightly say, that CGW hanger is exactly how aeroplanes should be displayed. A delightful looking place, its nice to see original buildings and our heritage sites preserved. shame more of Farnborough wasn’t saved.
What is the future for the other airfield buildings, mess, control tower etc?
Is there anything left of the runways or airfield?

Pretty much all modernised, the staircase and some of the floor at the main entrance seems original but that’s probably it. I’d imagine the rooms etc are all the same size too but obviously re-decorated. The windows are all original too, as I can testify from many a cold night.

Do you mean where the grass airfield was? The council estate which is on the other side of the road of the museum and me is where the airfield was, nothing original there though, and I certainly don’t reccomend investigating! From what I can tell none of the police college is part of the old aerodrome, the only surviving buildings are either on the museum site, the officers mess, and the control tower which is adjoined to the factory building. Don’t know if the upstairs offices of the CGW hangar have been restored either, probably just used for storage, you can’t go up there.

As for the watch office/factory building, the current state of affairs is that they’re negotiating moving them to the museum site, as if the buildings are moved then they can put something like 400 million pounds worth of flats on the site!

that must be amazing…

… must be an incredible place to live in the former mess. Are there any original features or has it all been modernised?

I have allways tryed to figure out, where was the grass af? How much of the police college is actually ex aerodrome? Last time I had a look in the CGW hangar it hadnt been moved, and I thought they would have a remarkable job sorting it. Have the offices been restored?

And whats happening with the watch office? I suppose the factory is doomed?

…. and getting close up photos of the Triumph Model H,…. Rob

Appropriately it’s got Coventry plates (“DU….”)

It was very close to the Triumph cycle works in the centre of Coventry (c. 1895 IIRC) that one Major Moore had his Flying Fox electric motor-powered ornithopter constructed.

Roger Smith.

Ahah, link fixed now LesB. Many thanks for the link to the video TLAR, fascinating to see my home on video! Certainly is great to live somewhere with some aviation history instead of a 1930s semi in Leicestershire. Don’t know why I said the old photo of the officers mess was pre-WWI, for starters the place wasn’t built until 1917 plus you can just make out a roundel on one of the aircraft in view. I’m back at the RAFM tomorrow going around the closed areas and getting close up photos of the Triumph Model H, so will put those photos up sometime tomorrow if I get the chance.

Cheers, Rob

Crikey! They’ve got a Beaufort. 😮 Steve P

That’s where my ‘signature’ at the bottom comes from 🙂

Last time I visited the Beaufort and Beaufighter were adjacent to each other but the Blenheim in the Battle of Britain Hall(?). Will we ever see the three types lined up anywhere?

Roger Smith.

Nice set there Rob, good one.

Thanks for the port side lo-angle on the Canberra, just right squire. But they don’t make it easy to photograph do they. Looks like you’ll have to edit the img link in Post #6 so that everybody can see it.

.

1917 Building

The 1917 building appears in this deH Moth promo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0_C9vXvxyQ

TLAR

Crikey! They’ve got a Beaufort. 😮 I must visit more often.

Cracking photos. 😀

Best wishes
Steve P

Typical students idea of early start…..the place doesn’t open till ten o’clock:D 😀 😀 .

Seriously though there are some great shots there Rlangham, pleased to see you had a good day there.

Regards,

John.

Cheers for the Anson piccy.

Pity Hendon have arranged the Port side against the wall. That is the side that has the fabric removed allowing the internal structure and crew positions to be seen. When the fuselage was next to the Halifax it was the port side that faced the walkway.

The current display view is inferior in my opinion.

Regards
Ross

That’s a really enjoyable selection, thanks a lot.
I visited the Museum in 1991, obviously a lot of development since then.

Thanks for posting all that – it looks like it was worth your while getting up ‘early’ :rolleyes:

DS

Westland Whirlwind, great looking helicopter

Westland Wallace

Blenheim IV (actually a Bolingbroke)

Boulton Paul Defiant

Gloster Gladiator

That’s all i’m afraid, used up all my camera capacity plus the B of B hall was way too dark. Went to the shop on the way out, was a bit dissapointed with the book selection especially pre-WW2 wise, but got a rather nice poster for the Hendon Air Pageant (not sure what year but it features Vickers Vernon’s flying over a destoyed bridge. Hope you enjoy the photos anyway, and I can strongly reccomend the museum, even if just for the CGW hangar.

Canberra PR3

The Chinook exhibition was very good I thought – it’s actually a former US Army Chinook, but marked up as ‘Bravo November’, the Chinook that served in the Falklands Conflict (remember a while ago there was talk about preserving Bravo November at the RAFM because of her historic significance – presumably now Hendon already have a Bravo November they won’t bother now?)

Dh9A

How long does it take the RAFM to change a wheel? About three years and counting!

Lockheed Hudson

Phantom

Humber Light Recce Car

Forward control car of 1919 built airship R33 – the control car was based on the design of Zeppelin L33 that came down in Essex during WWI.

The fantastic Supermarine Southampton fuselage

Never cease to be amazed by the size and beauty of the Supermarine Straenraer. The vehicle next to it is a 1924 Trojan tender