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.

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.