2012
4th March Sunday -
Croydon Airport
Airport House, Purley Way, Croydon, CRO 0XZ
Sunday 4th March 2012. 10.30am - Free (but donations accepted)
Make your own way there - Car Parking only available on a Sunday
The Croydon Airport Society celebrates and perpetuates the history of
the Airport from 1916 until its closure in 1959, The Visitor Centre in
the Art Deco terminal building (1928) houses a museum of early aviation
memorabilia and some very huge models, A few days before war was
declared in September 1939, Croydon Airport was closed to civil
aviation, and became instead an RAF fighter station.
'Lord Haw Haw', on German radio, warned: 'Croydon must beware. She is
the second line of defence. We know the aerodrome is camouflaged, but
we know just what kind of camouflage it is. We shall bomb it and bomb
it to a finish.'
Visitors to the Centre in its heyday of glamour included café society
flying to Paris in the 1930s.
Also Lindberg , Jesse Owens. Alan Cobham, Kingsford-Smith. In 1931 Amy
Johnson flew solo to Moscow in a day; and also she flew solo to
Australia and Cape Town. Hear details of her mysterious death and see
some of her possessions.
Croydon Airport House
A De Havilland Heron (a small propeller-driven British airliner of
the 1950s), is displayed outside Airport House on struts flanking
the entry path (as of November 2009). The Heron is painted as G-AOXL
of Morton Air Services, which was the aircraft that flew the last
passenger flight from Croydon on 30 September 1959
Croydon Airport - Surrey
Flying Club originally based at Croydon
Croydon Airport - Commercial Flight
The de Havilland Express was a
four-engined passenger aircraft from the 1930s manufactured
by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.
The D.H.86 was conceptually a
four-engined enlargement of the successful de Havilland
Dragon, but of more streamlined appearance with tapered
wings and extensive use of metal fairings around struts
and undercarriage. The most powerful engine made by de
Havilland, the new 200
hp
(149 kW) Gipsy Six, was selected. For long-range work
the aircraft was to carry a single pilot in the
streamlined nose, with a wireless operator behind.
Maximum seating for ten passengers was provided in the
long-range type, however the short-range Holyman
aircraft were fitted with twelve seats.
The prototype D.H.86 first flew on
14 January 1934, but the
Qantas
representative
Lester Brain
immediately rejected the single pilot layout because he
anticipated pilot
fatigue
over long stretches, and the fuselage was promptly
redesigned with a dual-pilot nose. Only four examples of
the single-pilot D.H.86 were built, and of these the
prototype was rebuilt as the dual-pilot prototype. When
she entered service in October 1934 the first production
aircraft
It was realized that with technical advances, post-war airliners
would be larger and use of airports serving capital cities would
intensify. Urban spread of south London, and surrounding villages
growing into towns, had by now enclosed Croydon Airport and left it
with no room for further expansion, and it would soon be too small
to meet evident travel demands. Heathrow was therefore designated as
London's airport.
1952: It was decided to close Croydon Airport at a suitable future
date. 30 September 1959 at 6.15pm: Croydon's last scheduled flight
departed. The airfield officially closed at 10.30pm that evening.
Much of the site has been built over, but some of the terminal
buildings near Purley Way (the A23) are still visible, clearly
identifiable as to their former purpose. The former terminal
building is called Airport House and the former control tower houses
a visitors' centre.
Organiser – Deric Tonge
Thursday 15th March 2012
Matinee performance of Gershwin’s musical ‘Crazy for You’
At the Novello Theatre, London
Stalls tickets £25 (All 40 tickets have now been sold)
Organiser - John Mills
Royal Hospital Chelsea - Tuesday 8th May 2012
Royal Hospital Road, London, SW3 4SR - Tuesday 8th May 2012 - 1.30pm
£5 p.p. Guided Tour - Make your own way there - 30 minutes
No.170 Bus from Victoria.
"The
Men in Scarlet", the Chelsea Pensioners, and their home, the Royal
Hospital Chelsea was founded in 1682 by King Charles II. It was intended
for the 'succour and relief of veterans broken by age and war', The
Royal Hospital, with its Grade 1 listed buildings, still serves its
original purpose. A recently completed addition is the Infirmary and the
newly upgraded units where women are now admitted.
The guided tour of the Christopher Wren designed building is taken at a
leisurely pace. There are 10 steps to both the Chapel and the Great
Hall. Unfortunately there are no lifts available. There is a newly
refurbished café and conservatory that provides light lunch, sandwiches
and drinks. The South Grounds and the Ranelagh Gardens will be open.
Next door is the National Army Museum (admission free) and further along
is the Chelsea Physic Garden (£8 admission)
Until the 17th Century the state made no specific provision for old
and injured soldiers. Care for the poor and sick was provided by the
religious foundations. Much of this provision ended following the
dissolution of the monasteries in 1536.
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I it became recognised that
provision needed to be made for the poor and for sick and disabled
soldiers. This led to an Act of Parliament, passed in 1593, that
levied a weekly tax (not exceeding 6d in the pound) on parishes for
the relief of soldiers and sailors.
By 1673 it was already being noted that some soldiers were no longer
fit for service. It was common practice for maimed or old soldiers
to be kept on regimental rolls, or sent on garrison duty - thus
impairing the effectiveness of an army that was under heavy demand.
King Charles was determined to make provision for the soldiers on
the English establishment and on 22nd December 1681 he issued a
Royal Warrant authorising the building of the Royal Hospital.
Sir Christopher Wren, Charles II's Surveyor-General of Works, was
commissioned to design and erect the buildings. Sir Stephen Fox
(1627 - 1716), who had been Paymaster General to the Army from 1661
to 1679, and was a Commissioner of the Treasury, was commissioned to
secure the funds necessary to progress the scheme.
Parts of the hospital were heavily damaged, with some loss of life,
by enemy bombing in 1918, reconstructed in 1923 only to be destroyed
again by a V2 rocket in 1945. Other damage was suffered during the
Blitz and the Infirmary was destroyed in 1941.
On display in the Museum, is the parade chair presented to Queen
Elizabeth II by The Royal Hospital in 2002. Also on display is The
Sovereign's Mace which was presented to the Royal Hospital by Queen
Elizabeth II in July 2002. Throughout its existence the Royal
Hospital has had no colours or other distinctive device. The Mace is
now carried at all of the Royal Hospital's ceremonial events.
Currently the facilities are being upgraded to
meet the needs of the 21st Century. Improvements to bathing and WC
facilities are planned and an IT suite has been opened. However, all
the works have to take account of the historic
structure.
Organiser – Deric Tonge
Thursday 21st
June 2012
Cavalry Museum and changing of the guard at
Horseguards Parade plus the Cabinet War Rooms
Cavalry Museum
The
Household Cavalry Museum is a living museum about real people doing a
real job in a real place. You can see troopers working with horses in
the original 18th century stables and hear first hand accounts of their
rigorous and demanding training.
The experience comes alive with compelling
personal stories, interactive displays and stunning rare objects – many
on public display for the first time.
The Household Cavalry Museum sits within
Horse Guards in Whitehall, central London, one of the city’s most
historic buildings. Dating from 1750, it is still the headquarters of
the Household Division, in which the Household Cavalry has performed the
Queen’s Life Guard in a daily ceremony that has remained broadly
unchanged for over 350 years.
The Household Cavalry was formed in 1661
under the direct order of King Charles II and now consists of the two
senior regiments of the British Army – The Life Guards and the Blues and
Royals.
http://www.householdcavalrymuseum.co.uk/index.html
Cabinet War Rooms
The First
World War unleashed a new threat to mankind: the aerial bombardment of
cities.
The bombing
of undefended cities was practised during the First World War and the
Spanish Civil War, causing many civilian casualties and threatening
governmental stability.
The
fear that cities, particularly London, would be the first targets of an
enemy conducting a war against Great Britain troubled successive British
governments in the 1920s and 1930s. As the possibility of conflict
increased, the question became more urgent as to how the Prime Minister,
his Cabinet and the central core of the military command could be
protected in the event of a war involving the European powers.
Web site at
http://cwr.iwm.org.uk/
Organiser – Peter Anning
Parham
Elizabethan House and Gardens
Parham Park,
Storrington, West Sussex
Tuesday 12th June 2012 – Guided Tour of House and
informal Garden Visit
Coach to leave
Sainsbury Kiln Lane at 9.45 am. We will stop at a very nice Garden
Centre on the A24 for a coffee etc. We will then continue to Parham
aiming to arrive at approx. 12.15pm.
The delightful gardens
open at 12.00 so we can explore the gardens at our leisure and also
visit the very pleasant restaurant for a light lunch. Our guided
house tour commences at 2pm. and will last approx. 1hr 15mins.
This will allow us time
for a further stroll around the garden and a look at the very small
church. This will then give us time to have tea if required before
our coach leaves at 4.45pm.
The cost for Coach,
Guided tour of House and entry to Gardens plus gratuity to coach
driver will be £ 26.00
Welcome
to Parham.
It has always been a well-loved family home, and only three families
have lived here since its foundation stone was laid in 1577 during
the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The Hon. Clive Pearson, my
great-grandfather, bought the House and Estate in 1922. He and his
wife Alicia found the House and Garden in sad repair, and together
they revived and restored both with great sensitivity and care. They
opened the House to visitors in 1948. Their work was continued by my
great-aunt Veronica Tritton, who inherited Parham, living here until
her death in 1993. Parham's tranquillity and timeless beauty have
changed little over the centuries. Parham House and Gardens are now
owned by a Charitable Trust. I have lived here with my family since
1994.
Lady Emma Barnard
After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540, Henry VIII granted
the manor of Parham, which had belonged to the Abbey of Westminster,
to a London mercer called Robert Palmer. Parham’s foundation stone
was laid in 1577 by Robert’s two-year-old grandson, Thomas; it was
considered lucky to have this duty performed by the youngest member
of the household. His mother Elizabeth was god-daughter to Queen
Elizabeth I, and there is a legend that the Queen visited Parham.
Thomas Palmer sold the house in 1601 to Sir Thomas Bysshopp, who
came from Henfield. For 320 years Bysshopp descendants lived at
Parham. In 1826 Sir Cecil, 8th Baronet, became the 12th Lord Zouche,
and in 1922 the 17th Baroness Zouche sold the Parham estate to the
Hon. Clive and Alicia Pearson. Clive was the second son of Weetman
Dickinson Pearson, the 1st Viscount Cowdray.
The house is built of local stone and roofed with Horsham "slabs".
It is built to an Elizabethan H-plan, complete with a Great Hall and
Long Gallery. During the 18th and early 19th centuries further
alterations and additions were made to the house.
The Pearsons found it in a dilapidated state of repair, and employed
the architect Victor Heal to help them carry out a major renovation
and conservation of the building during the 1920s and 1930s. They
researched meticulously the architectural features they found,
restoring those using traditional methods of craftsmanship.
http://www.parhaminsussex.co.uk
Organiser - John Mills
Future possibly in 2013 Bisley Rifle Range
Due to the Olympics taking place at
Woolwich, equipment has already been taken from Bisley hence the
visit will have to be postponed perhaps until 2013, so watch this
space!!
The National Rifle Association
(now the governing body of
full-bore rifle and centre-fire pistol
shooting in Great Britain) was founded in 1859, originally to
provide a focus for marksmanship for the newly formed corps of
volunteers which had been raised to meet the perceived threat of
invasion by the French. The National Rifle Association was granted Royal
Charter in 1894. This Royal Charter continues to this day for the
"promotion of marksmanship in the interests of the Defence of Realm and
permanence of the Volunteer Forces, Navy, Military and Air"
Most recently, Bisley hosted all the shooting events for the
Commonwealth Games. Brand new formal clay shooting facilities were
constructed and the Lord Roberts Centre was built to house a small-bore
rifle range and press facilities. On the 300m range it is now possible to
shoot using the latest electronic targetry.
Set in 3000 acres of Surrey heathland some 30 miles from Central
London, Bisley has the unique combination of the best, most modern, and
largest arrangement of shooting facilities in the world combined with
colonial-style clubhouses.
Organiser – Pat Hunt
Probus
Club of Ewell
