Thames Tributary River Roding - Stapleford Aerodrome

Thames Tributary River Roding
The Roding continues to flow in a generally westward direction and is joined by a tributary from the south


Post to the west Ongar Road
Post to the north Shales More
Post to the east Passingford Bridge
Post to the south Stapleford Abbotts

Epping Lane
Shales More Cottages

Ongar Road
Arnold’s Farm with an associated clay pigeon shoot
Walters Farm Stapleford Airfield was opened in 1933 for Hillman Airways, on the Maylands estate. They ran a scheduled service to European destinations including services to Paris. They lost money and moved elsewhere – to become one of the constituent companies for British Airways. When they left the airfield dealt with private aircraft, until 1938 when the Air Ministry opened a flying training school here. During the Second World War squadrons 151 and 46 of 11 group, flying Hurricanes, were based here. In 1941 it became a base for Special Operations Executive, dropping agents behind enemy lines. It was a grass surfaced airfield equipped with Blister aircraft hangars in addition to an existing civilian hangar. It later became the headquarters of the Air Sea Rescue unit. The airfield was hit by two V2 rockets – the second killed 17 and injured 50. There is a memorial on site to those who were killed. After the war it was used by the Royal Engineers after the war to store plant for clearing minefields, and major projects. The Army left in 1948, and the airfield again became private. In 1955 Edgar Percival set up a company here to manufacture his EP9 crop spraying aircraft – building a total of 40. The field is now used by the Stapleford Flying Club and as a family run pilot training centre. It has two long parallel runways one is asphalt at one end, and the other is shorter and grass only. Remains on the site include: a site of a military storage building, the Second World War control tower, gun crew building, broadcasting building, airfield transformer plinth, site of the sewage works, barrack hut, Pickett Hamilton fort built in concrete, a number of concrete pillboxes, underground battle headquarters,
Lambourne VOR aircraft navigational beacon which anchors the North East (NE) Arrival Stack for London Heathrow Airport, and is a fix for air routes to the North

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

South Norwood

Bromley by Bow

River Lea/Bow Creek Canning Town