In 1946 Heathrow replaced Croydon
as London's main airport, partly due to problems with expanding
Croydon, and the airport was eventually closed in 1959. The Administration
Building had various commercial uses until it was developed as
a business centre in 1995. The building was refurbished in the
late 1990s with the addition of an extra storey to match that
added to the new cargo wings in 1941 and the infilling of the
northern courtyard to create a restaurant. In 2002 the aerial
on top of the control tower was reinstated. The control tower
houses (2017) a visitor centre.
Details
Integrated airport terminal building and control tower, 1926-28
by the Air Ministry Department of Buildings and Works. Additional
wings were added in 1941. Refurbished as a business centre in
the 1990s with an additional storey added and the north courtyard
infilled.
MATERIALS: the building has a steel
frame faced with concrete blocks (now painted white) and with
reinforced concrete floors and roofs. Fenestration comprises
a mixture of original metal windows (some with distinctive margin
glazing) by Beacon Windows Ltd of Wolverhampton and later metal
or uPVC replacements.
PLAN: the symmetrical east-shaped
plan was originally divided into two cargo areas in the flanking
wings (with multiple cargo entrances, later extended to the east)
and a central spine for passenger traffic with a large booking
and waiting hall with a glazed dome projecting to the east. This
lead through to immigration, security and customs areas with
separate Departure and Arrival gates either side of the control
tower on the west elevation. The building is flat-roofed, originally
of two storeys but with a third-storey added, initially on the
1941 extensions and later to most of the building. The northern
of the two courtyard areas (each reached from the east under
a first-floor bridge) has been infilled with a late-C20 single-storey
restaurant* (this is not of special interest apart from the surviving
elements of the original elevations).
EXTERIOR: neoclassical in style,
the symmetrical (east) entrance elevation to Purley Way has a
seven-bay booking hall frontage flanked by the three-bay, three-storey
eastern ends of the 1941 extensions. The booking hall has two-storey,
two-bay wings with a projecting double-height, centre of three
rusticated bays. The bays are defined by broad pilasters with
relief panels, those to the central section of the booking hall
bearing stylised bird reliefs. The wide central entrance bay
has a semi-circular window with original metal tracery. The flanking
bays have full-height arched windows. All the arches have oversize
keystones. The main entrance originally featured a large semi-circular
glazed canopy (now removed) with a copper embossed emblem known
as the 'Winged World' which is now mounted in the booking hall.
The six-leaf timber doors have glazed panels in metal frames
and are probably original. The façade is completed by
a simple entablature with a projecting cornice. A round clock
face is set into the entablature. The outer bays have aprons
with a diaper pattern between the metal-framed casement windows.
The side and courtyard elevations are simpler in style, three-storey
in height, of 13 bays with dividing pilasters. Alternate bays
either have windows with aprons between the ground and first
floor windows, or recessed cargo entrances on the ground floor
with deep, moulded, surrounds and keystones. On the north side
the double door entrances retain their transoms with diamond
lights but the original canopies have been lost. An additional
storey has been added with pilasters extended above the original
cornice, matching the 1941 extensions at the east.
The west elevation is of 20 bays
and three storeys with the central four bays to the projecting
four-storey control tower. The stepped-forward ground floor (apart
from on the S cargo range) is a later addition. Originally the
two-storey elevation was flat apart from the slightly projecting
cargo wings and the control tower, which projected by two full
bays. The control tower has a balcony on all four sides of the
top storey which retains its original metal railings and circular
clocks on three sides. The metal casement windows are later replacements.
The radio mast*, with its projecting horizontal arms*, is an
early-C21 replica. The parapet* and its metalwork is also of
early C21 date.
INTERIOR: the interior has been
modernised with the conversion to office space and has largely
lost its original plan form with the exception of the booking
hall and control tower. The offices have modern partitioning*,
suspended ceilings* and fittings* throughout.
The booking hall is a square, double-height,
atrium with a balcony on three sides, lit by a metal-framed glazed
octagonal dome. Four square concrete pillars support the balcony
and coffered ceiling. Most fittings, the parquet flooring, dado
panelling and glazed wooden screen to the late-C20 restaurant
are modern replacements or insertions. The post room in the south-east
corner retains its original timber interior frontage with vertical
sliding sash windows, panelling and counter. The geometric patterned
metal balustrade is original apart from the wooden handrails.
The copper 'Winged World' sculpture is mounted on the west wall.
To the west of the booking hall are two bullion rooms which retain
their metal security doors. A number of concrete stairs with
original metal balustrades and handrails remain in the rest of
the building.
The control tower retains its main
stair with metal balustrade, timber hand rail and metal internal
glazing to the stairwell. The cast-iron spiral stair which gave
access to the top floor control/radio room survives (the main
stair now giving access to the visitor centre is a late C20 addition*).
The glazed timber partition* in the control/ radio room is a
C20 recreation.
*Pursuant to s1 (5A) of the Planning
(Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 ('the Act')
it is declared that these aforementioned features are not of
special architectural or historical interest.
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