Great aviators, royalty and stars of the big screen jostled to be spotted at Croydon as an eclectic mix of post-war buildings gave way to a purpose-built Neoclassical terminal. In the second of our six-part series we focus on the people and places behind the emerging airport
Early pioneers of aviation such as Alan Cobham, Amy Johnson, Jim Mollison, Bert Hinkler and Charles Kingsford Smith began and ended some of their epic route-proving flights at Croydon Airport.
As London’s aerial gateway, it was a place to see and be seen, and the 1920s and 1930s saw a steady stream of famous names and faces, the pioneer pilots rubbing shoulders with royalty, politicians and celebrities including Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin and Josephine Baker.
The la
