Office At Barton Aerodrome

1481/0/10011 09-APR-03

Office at Barton Aerodrome

II

Former airport terminal building, a converted and remodelled farm outbuilding, empty at the time of inspection (12 / 02 ). c.1930 adaptation of late C19 fabric. Red brick with Welsh slate roof covering, and 3 brick chimneys. PLAN: Rectangular frontage building of L-shaped former farm outbuilding range. EXTERIOR: Single storey range with wide, shallow pitched roof . North-east front facing airfield with wide, off-centre doorway formerly for air passengers, with narrow flanking windows. Further left, a smaller doorway and 3 tall 2-light transomed windows. To the right of the wide doorway, a transomed window, a single doorway and 2 further transomed windows. North-west gable with centre doorway, 2 transomed windows to the right. To the left, single transomed window and a recessed doorway. South east gable with wide central doorway and flanking transomed 2-light windows. Rear elevation with 2 groups of 3 narrow windows for toilet provision within the former terminal building. INTERIOR: Not inspected, but believed to retain elements of the original terminal plan form, including central corridor with doors at each end. HISTORY: The development of an airport site at Barton Moss began in 1928. In 1929, the landing field was officially approved by the Air Ministry, and the airport was officially opened on 29th January 1930. In June 1930, Imperial Airways inaugurated services between Croydon, Barton, Birmingham and Liverpool. The provision of facilities for passengers, aircrew and airport staff in what would now be referred to as a terminal building included airline offices, waiting room, ticket office, Customs Inspectors office, Airport Managers office and storerooms. A similar conversion of existing buildings occurred during the early development of Speke Airport, Liverpool, but these no longer survive.

The earliest municipal airport passenger terminal building in England dating from 1930, adapted from part of an existing farm complex at Barton Moss, and part of England's first municipal airport, which also housed the first municipal aircraft hangar, the first flight control tower, and the first designated runways, all of which survive as components of a unique historic aviation landscape. A recommendation informed by current English Heritage research.