# Imperial Airways Terminal in Victoria



## tim (Feb 13, 2012)

I discovered yesterday that this impressive building in Victoria








was formerly the Imperial Airways (later BOAC and BA) central London terminal, it's now the H.Q. of the National Audit Office, and is opposite Victoria Coach Station.  you used to be able to take coaches to Heathrow and trains from a plaform linked to the lines out of Victoria  (presumably the forerunner of the Gatwick Express) to Gatwick and to the flying boat terminal in Southampton.

There's a link form more information here. It's nice (at least for me) to find ou something about such a familiar building.

It was in use (as indeed was the rather less exciting BEA "West Londo Air Terminal") until the late 1970's, so maybe somebody here has actually travelled from there.


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## pogofish (Feb 13, 2012)

Your image isn't showing for me.

I posted an article recently over on the new London Airport thread that goes into some detail about the history and operation of the central London terminals operated by the various airlines.

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/thames-estuary-airport-plan.234868/page-4

http://www.metadyne.co.uk/pdf_files/AIRPORT2.pdf

Page eight onwards.

I never used this building but I think I remember it from various bus journeys to Victoria from the early 80s.  Although I have used the West London Air Terminal as a child back in the 1970s.  Train from Aberdeen to Kings Cross, then tube to somewhere near Cromwell Road (Gloucester Rd?), check-in and drop baggage, then bus straight to the Heathrow where we were taken right through to departures.  I also remember it being a beacon of light at night on an otherwise rather dull street at the time.  A totally incongruous modern building!  

Dan Air also had a much smaller "terminal" in the area too.  I think it was near South Kensingston Tube

IIRC they both closed very shortly after the tube was extended to Heathrow.


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## tim (Feb 13, 2012)

I remember the Cromwell Road terminal but coming from Hounslow obviously never used it. For me the most memorable thing about it is the scene in "Billion Dollar Brain".

I've always liked that Victoria building so am pleased to know its original purpose. I also find the fact that it, like the Necrropolis railway had its own central London link to therail network interesting.


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## lang rabbie (Feb 14, 2012)

I think the original train service was to Croydon Airport not to Gatwick. 

In the intervening period it was used for coach services for BOAC/British Airways customers to check in baggage to get to Heathrow.  After opening of the Piccadilly Line extension to Heathrow in 1977 usage plummeted and I think BA sold up c.1980.

I don't think there was a checked in baggage service using trains to an airport from 1939 until the Gatwick Express started operating c.1984 from the new BA terminal in part of what is now the Victoria Place shopping centre.


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## co-op (Feb 14, 2012)

Croydon Airport, site of Croydon's most famous Historic Moment, that's where Chamberlain got off his plane waving a piece of paper signed by that nice Herr Hitler and promised peace in our time.


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## 1927 (Feb 14, 2012)

I always remember as a child going to London to see my grandparents and from Heathrow onwards, on the M4, used to love seeing the BEA and BOAC liveried buses pulling their trailers of bags.


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## pogofish (Feb 14, 2012)

co-op said:


> Croydon Airport, site of Croydon's most famous Historic Moment, that's where Chamberlain got off his plane waving a piece of paper signed by that nice Herr Hitler and promised peace in our time.


 
Nope - That was Heston Aerodrome, near Heathrow - Heston Services on the M4 occupies part of the site today.

Heston was also a site identified for one of the four international airports planned to serve London post war, along with Croydon, Fairlop (Essex) and Lullingstone (Kent) before the Air Ministry land grab lumbered us with Heathrow instead.


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## discplayer (Feb 14, 2012)

co-op said:


> Croydon Airport, site of Croydon's most famous Historic Moment, that's where Chamberlain got off his plane waving a piece of paper signed by that nice Herr Hitler and promised peace in our time.


 
That was Heston. Later, after the peace plan had failed, a reconnaissance base and now the M4 service station and a BA staff sports club. Unless that's closed in the last few years.


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## pogofish (Feb 14, 2012)

lang rabbie said:


> I don't think there was a checked in baggage service using trains to an airport from 1939 until the Gatwick Express started operating c.1984 from the new BA terminal in part of what is now the Victoria Place shopping centre.


 
There was however a short-lived helicopter service from beside Waterloo Station for a few years in the 1950s. From part of the Festival of Britain site, now where the Shell building stands:






http://www.flickr.com/photos/patrick_castelli/5973471858/


Video here, from about 2:55-on

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/london-airport/query/waterloo helicopter

Never mind the subsequent plan to stick a heliport on top of Waterloo Station itself!

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1953/1953 - 1419.html


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## tim (Feb 14, 2012)

I don't know what happened to my picture. Here's another try


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## co-op (Feb 14, 2012)

discplayer said:


> That was Heston.


 


OMG! I was told it was Croydon in a very authoritative way, can't remember who by now....


Croydon's most famous moment that would have been.


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## discplayer (Feb 15, 2012)

co-op said:


> OMG! I was told it was Croydon in a very authoritative way, can't remember who by now....
> 
> 
> Croydon's most famous moment that would have been.


 
I think Croydon had the country's first scheduled international flights. Paris, IIRC. You could argue that was more successful than Chamberlain's trip to avert war!


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## hipipol (Feb 15, 2012)

I got a coach to Heathrow from the BOAC terminal once - 1970 I think
Can remember v litlle about it mind
Think I was annoyed cos they didn't have a decent cafe like the proper coach station over the road
Had to walk out the front to get on the coach


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## hipipol (Feb 15, 2012)

On that trip flew to Hong Kong and landed at Kai Tak - first airport shown on the vid


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## Rolfik (Sep 28, 2013)

tim said:


> I discovered yesterday that this impressive building in Victoria
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
By chance I found this thread. I worked at the Victoria Terminal until 1973 in the Reservations Sales office. 
The phones were manned 24/7 working shifts 6am-2pm, 2-10pm, 10pm-6am. We made booking reservations from both the public and travel agents, using the Boadicea computer, long before the days of Microsoft !
The staff were all eligible for 90% discount as a standby passenger, which meant that we had the opportunity to travel anywhere in the world at a fraction of the normal price. In fact, Middle East Airlines to Beirut was free !
It was not unusual to answer the phone and find you were talking to a celebrity. I well remember my colleague and good friend saying on the phone "I'm not a regular fan, but my mother adores you"! When I asked who he was talking to, he replied Des O'Connor ! 
I  remember that although the office procedure was very strict, there was a good friendship between us all, and a weekend with colleagues in Rome or somewhere like that was not uncommon.
I look back with nostalgia to those days.


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## Bungle73 (Oct 1, 2013)

Funny this thread should come up, I just bought this book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1908402571/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## _pH_ (Oct 2, 2013)

Bizarre really, given that the building hasn't been used by BOAC for years and years, but there's still a red door onto one of the platforms at Victoria marked 'BOAC Fire Exit'.


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## flip43 (Oct 26, 2016)

I hope I can help with this thread. I worked for BOAC/BA from1960 until 1979. I was one of 17 young men on BOAC's first Sales Apprentice scheme much of which involved work at Airways Terminal (AT). On its completion I continued working in Passenger Reservations at Airways Terminal until I was appointed a Sales Representative for BOAC based in Manchester in 1965.

As has already been mentioned here, Airways Terminal was opened in 1939. Originally planned to be the London terminal for BOAC's seaplane services, by the time WW2 ended it was clear that the future of aviation lay in land-based airports. However that accounts for both AT's location alongside Victoria railway station and the original doorway on to platform 16. AT may also have handled BOAC flights from Croydon airport but these had ceased in favour of Heathrow by 1960.  

In 1960 it was still commonplace for airlines to offer downtown check-in and connection services but AT only catered for flights by BOAC and its partners. Passengers could complete all departure formalities there and were considered 'boarded'. Only in exceptional circumstances would aircraft depart from Heathrow before the coaches from AT had arrived, even if they were delayed in road traffic. The M4 was still yet to open. Since no scheduled BOAC flights departed from Gatwick I think it may be assumed that there were no connections from AT to Gatwick.

In 1960 AT consisted of the central tower and four floors of offices above the ground floor public areas. The public areas had a mezzanine balcony that mirrored the sweep of the taxi access road outside the main entrance. The original sculpture called 'Speedwings over the World' still stands on the canopy over the entrance. Even though it has no relevance to the present tenants, the NAO, I imagine the cost and scale of removing the sculpture makes it something of a fixture. In any case I'm told the building is Grade II listed still so that's another reason. I believe 'Speedwing' is also still the international radio call sign for British Airways. Most other airlines are known by their company name.

By 1963 five or six floors of new offices were opened above the public areas to either side of the original building.

As well as housing the passenger reservations departments (telephone sales and correspondence both of which demanded a large private telephone exchange) reservations control which counted and recorded worldwide sales of seats on all BOAC services was based at AT. In the early 60's this department was taking its first steps towards computerisation and a substantial data-processing unit was one of the occupants of the new offices.

To provide facilities for last-minute reservations changes and re-ticketing, BOAC also operated a small ticket sales office at AT. Like other operations this department was open round the clock. Working there was regarded as a key position within the sales and reservations operation because mistakes in fare calculation or ticketing were invariably unrecoverable since the passengers had departed long before any errors were identified. Eventually as the importance of a downtown terminal declined so too did the need for round-the-clock sales and ticketing and I have the (dubious) honour of working the last night shift at BOAC's AT Ticket Sales office.


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## mauvais (Oct 26, 2016)

BA's callsign is Speed_bird_ , FWIW.

Thanks for posting, interesting thread!


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## Pickman's model (Oct 26, 2016)

Welcome aboard Rolfik and flip43


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## hash tag (Oct 26, 2016)

The building Tim mentons is a fine building indeed. For this house, it marks the spot as the only place where we can get both the 44 and 170 buses, which have now been allocated seperate stops at Victoria 
I to thought Croydon was where Chamberlain had his piece of paper and wonder where that folklore came from 
Croydon Aerodrome is well worth a visit, but it is only open once a month Croydon Airport Society | Home


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## Puddy_Tat (Oct 26, 2016)

1927 said:


> sed to love seeing the BEA and BOAC liveried buses pulling their trailers of bags.


 
gratuitous BEA Routemaster picture from Flickr (they got an orange / white livery in the early 70s)






broadly the same kit of parts as a standard Routemaster, although with door at the front, slightly more comfy seats than the standard version, and different gear ratios (they could easily do 60 mph +)


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## Spymaster (Oct 26, 2016)

flip43 said:


> I hope I can help with this thread. I worked for BOAC/BA from1960 until 1979. I was one of 17 young men on BOAC's first Sales Apprentice scheme much of which involved work at Airways Terminal (AT). On its completion I continued working in Passenger Reservations at Airways Terminal until I was appointed a Sales Representative for BOAC based in Manchester in 1965.
> 
> As has already been mentioned here, Airways Terminal was opened in 1939. Originally planned to be the London terminal for BOAC's seaplane services, by the time WW2 ended it was clear that the future of aviation lay in land-based airports. However that accounts for both AT's location alongside Victoria railway station and the original doorway on to platform 16. AT may also have handled BOAC flights from Croydon airport but these had ceased in favour of Heathrow by 1960.
> 
> ...


Great post.


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