London’s Screen Archives enables Londoners see their past come alive on film. Managed by Film London, we are a unique network of historic film collections that cares for, collects and screens heritage film across the city. Together we preserve London’s rich film heritage from feature films to home movies, public information films, newsreels, and records of the capital’s many different industries.
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London's New Airport
London’s grand new airport, just outside Croydon, gets a visit from the Topical Budgets cameras, which linger after biplanes as they land and taxi.
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Overview
The reopening of Croydon Airport was a major event for 1920s London, and Topical Budget was on hand, shooting lengthy footage of biplanes flying over the control tower, coming in to land and taxiing on the runway. The airport –located outside Croydon between Purley and Wallington – was first used in 1920 but then enlarged and improved in 1928 as air travel became increasingly popular, particularly for cargo. It closed in 1959 following the construction of Heathrow.
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