3 Aircraft Hangars To Former Sundridge Aerodrome At Coombe Bank Farm

The three aircraft hangars at the former Sundridge Aerodrome, located at Coombe Bank Farm, were built around 1910. Originally constructed for manufacturing aeroplanes by Polish Prince de Bolotoff before the First World War, these timber-framed structures are currently used for sheep raising. Each hangar features a gabled design with an open front and is covered in corrugated iron sheeting. The roofs are of kingpost type construction, supported by five posts at each gable held by iron clamps. Each hangar consists of six bays with square upright posts resting on padstones. The wall frames include diagonal tension braces at the rear and a continuous window.

To the south, there is a concrete structure that is two bays wide and nine bays long, which is not of special interest and was likely added around 1927 when the site became a garage for West Kent Motor Services. During the Second World War, the hangars served as an RAF recovery unit for crashed aircraft. These hangars are significant as pre-First World War aircraft hangars are very rare, with only about 15 surviving across the country.