Radlett Aerodrome was an airfield and

Handley Page Handley Page Limited was a British aerospace manufacturer. Founded by Frederick Handley Page (later Sir Frederick) in 1909, it was the United Kingdom's first publicly traded aircraft manufacturing company. It went into voluntary liquidation a ...

aircraft manufacturing plant in

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

, now owned by

Eon Productions Eon Productions Limited is a British film production company that primarily produces the ''James Bond'' film series. The company is based in London's Piccadilly and also operates from Pinewood Studios in the UK. ''James Bond'' films Eon wa ...

. Part of the airfield is now the M25 between junctions 21 ( A405) and 22 ( A1081).

History

In the 2010s plans for the future use of the site's land were the subject of lengthy dispute but in 2020 it was agreed that it would be redeveloped as a rail freight terminal. On 20 February 2024, the £34m sale of the remaining portion of the former Radlett Aerodrome to rail freight company Segro, which has faced opposition from campaigners, will undergo judicial review in the High Court to determine its lawfulness.

Air Shows

Radlett Aerodrome hosted a number of significant post-war airshows. * 10 February 1946; a display was given in order to show the main types of British civil and military aircraft to the delegates to U.N.O. (

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

) * 12–13 September 1946; the first post-war

Society of British Aerospace Companies The Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC, formerly Society of British Aircraft Constructors) was the UK's national trade association representing companies supplying civil air transport, aerospace defence, homeland security and space. ...

(S.B.A.C.) show is held at Radlett in Hertfordshire. * 9–12 September 1947; the Society of British Aerospace Companies show is extended to four days, with three days of flying displays. This is the last S.B.A.C. show at Radlett before it is moved to Farnborough. * 14 September 1947; Royal Aeronautical Society Garden Party

Structure

The

works were situated on the east of the former A5, then a main road into London from the Midlands. The site is between the

A5 road A5 Road may refer to: ;Africa * A5 highway (Nigeria), a road connecting Lagos and Ibadan * A5 road (Zimbabwe), a road connecting Harare and Bulawayo ;Americas * Quebec Autoroute 5, a road in Quebec, Canada * County Route A5 (California) or Bowm ...

, to the west, and the

Midland Main Line The Midland Main Line (MML), sometimes also spelt Midland Mainline, is a major Rail transport in Great Britain, railway line from London to Sheffield in Yorkshire via the East Midlands. It comprises the lines from London's St Pancras railway ...

, to the east. The

M25 motorway The M25 or London Orbital Motorway is a major ring road encircling most of Greater London. The motorway is one of the most important roads in the UK and one of the busiest. Margaret Thatcher opened the final section in 1986, making the M25 th ...

crosses the entire former site from east to west.

Accidents

On 25 March 1937, whilst ferrying pilots to the Handley Page factory at Radlett aerodrome, to collect new Harrow bomber aircraft,

Handley Page H.P.54 Harrow The Handley Page H.P.54 Harrow was a heavy bomber designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Handley Page. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and used during the Second World War, although not as a bomber. The Harro ...

K6940 clipped an express train travelling at 60 mph, ripping the roof off the kitchen car. Fortunately there were no fatalities either on board the Harrow, or the train, but the aircraft crash-landed and was written off.

References

External links

UK Airfields

Britain from Above in 1948
{{authority control Aircraft assembly plants in England Airports in Hertfordshire Economy of Hertfordshire Handley Page M25 motorway World War II airfields in the United Kingdom