Simple Flying - Mark Finlay
Kings Cross Airport never got built, as it would have been too dangerous.
...in 1931, British architect Charles Glover proposed creating an elevated airport above the railway sidings at Kings Cross station.
Designed in the shape of a pinwheel, Glovers plan called for an elevated network of taxiways and runways built over aircraft hangars and terminal buildings. At the time, London had no skyscrapers like it has today, and planes would have been able to land and take off in any direction.
While sounding good in theory, there were problems with the design that would hamper the airport at a later date. Firstly the runways would never be able to be lengthened, and should an aircraft overshoot the runway, the consequences would have been a major disaster both for the people on the plane and those on the ground.
After initially being received with excitement at such an innovative project, Glovers' plan went nowhere.
In 1935, the local authority considered buying up land on the south bank of the River Thames between Tower and London Bridge and use it to build a new airport.
