Former Liverpool/Speke Airport 1930's Terminal Building & Beatles Balcony With Old Airplanes

Built in part of the grounds of Speke Hall, Liverpool (Speke) Airport, as the airport was originally known, started scheduled flights in 1930 with a service by Imperial Airways via Barton Aerodrome near Eccles, Manchester and Castle Bromwich Aerodrome Birmingham to Croydon Airport near London. The airport was officially opened in mid-1933. By the late 1930s, air traffic from Liverpool was beginning to take off with increasing demand for Irish Sea crossings, and a distinctive passenger terminal, control tower and two large aircraft hangars were built.
During World War II, the airport was taken over by the Royal Air Force and known as RAF Speke. Rootes built many bombers in a "shadow factory" here, including Bristol Blenheims and 1,070 Handley Page Halifaxes. Lockheed Aircraft Corporation assembled many types including Hudsons and Mustangs, that had been shipped from the United States to Liverpool Docks. The airport was also home to the Merchant Ship Fighter Unit.
On 8 October 1940 (one day before John Lennon's birth), Speke was witness to what is thought to be the fastest air to air combat "kill" in the Battle of Britain and possibly of all time. Flight Lieutenant Denys Gillam took off in his Hawker Hurricane from Speke to be confronted by a Junkers 88 passing across him. As his undercarriage was still retracting he shot the Junkers down, and, along with Alois Vašátko and Josef Stehlík, all of 312 Squadron, was credited with the kill. The moment has been caught in a painting by Robert Taylor called "Fastest Victory"
Civil airline operations resumed on a normal basis after VE-day and passengers increased from 50,000 in 1945 to 75,000 in 1948, remaining ahead of Manchester Airport. Ownership by the Ministry of Aviation proved to be a drag on the airport's progress thereafter and Manchester gained the lead from 1949, resulting in Liverpool's loss of the only ground-controlled radar approach unit available to North West airports, further hampering operation.
The city took over control of the airport on 1 January 1961 and prepared development plans. In 1966, a new 7,500 ft (2,286 m) runway was opened by Prince Philip on a new site to the southeast of the existing airfield. It enabled the airport to be open for business around the clock and is in use to this day. Control of the airport transferred to Merseyside County Council from Liverpool Corporation in the mid 1970s and then, ten years later, to the five Merseyside councils following the abolition of Merseyside County Council. A new modern passenger terminal, adjacent to the runway on the southern airfield site, opened in 1986 and this was followed by the closure of the original 1930s building.
The original terminal building dating from the late 1930s, famously seen on early television footage with its terraces packed with Beatles fans, was left derelict for over a decade after being replaced in 1986. The building was renovated and adapted to become a hotel, opened for business in 2001, preserving its Grade II listed Art Deco style. The hotel was previously part of the Marriott chain of hotels, but is currently the Crowne Plaza Liverpool John Lennon Airport Hotel after a renovation in August 2008.
the guys renovating the planes.
www.spekeaero.org/
all drone footage was shot with permission from ATC at john lennon airport on the 03 ‎August ‎2019 a 15 minute window was granted.
the rest of the video was filmed 3/8/2020
all footage copyright of G2E Media
intro music by www.bensound.com/
rearranged by george toohey
outro music also courtesy of www.bensound.com/
I APOLOGISE FOR THE SOUND IN THIS IN CERTAIN PARTS I WAS USING AN OSMO POCKET WHICH IS AN AWESOME CAMERA BUT WHEN THE WIND HITS THE MICROPHONE IT SEVERELY DISTORTS THE AUDIO SOMETIMES.....EXTERNAL MICROPHONE NEXT PURCHASE METHINKS !

[@sarribel]

Perfect site for a world class aviation museum, assembling some of the most iconic flying beasts?

[@andicog]

Great idea, you'd have no problem if it had something to do with football but anything to do with vehicles or transport wouldn't be entertained.

[@sarribel]

Gloriously designed building. THX for sharing

[@peter-e2q]

When I was seven, I used to get the 500 bus from Walton Church to the airport. I paid 7 old pence each was and it was threepence (3 penny bit) to get up to the balcony. The medium tier with the white doors in the tower used to be a sweet shop. This was 1963 and some years either side. Great video. The concrete wasn’t part of the runway but is called the Apron. Parking area to load/unload passengers.

[@g2emedia1977]

Thanks for watching bit late on the reply sorry Mad that the 500 route still runs to this day albeit a different route

[@jamesgallagher4655]

I used to do the same Peter on the 81 bus from Bootle. A great day out watching the planes, in later years when the old airport was still operational they closed the balconies to the public.

[@peter-e2q]

@@jamesgallagher4655 Yes, sad day that was. Me and my dad used to go to 'Ringway' occasionally, you could walk out on the piers in those days, finally shut after a terrorist attack.

[@jamesgallagher4655]

A great bit of nostalgia thanks mate most enjoyable.

[@g2emedia1977]

Cheers mate glad you liked it

[@virtualscouser]

I have some photos of the airport in the 80s, my mom (from Garston) and I flew into there on an old British Midland dual prop from London when coming over on summer holidays from the US. We had lunch in the cafe there after walking to Speke Hall and they had the first music video jukebox I'd ever seen. We'd sit out on the observation deck and I remember the the Royal Mail and the Isle of Man planes would come in. My nan worked in the bomber factories during the war as well. Thanks for posting this!

[@lukeypat]

22:30 that’s actually Very’s head office, and then B&M is down the road!

What once was...all the passengers, visitors from all around the world arrive in Liverpool. The news reels of the Beatles arriving there 1963, 1964....now a shell of it's purpose. Good post!! Thank you. Greetings from Hollywood California!

[@g2emedia1977]

Thanks for watching glad you liked it

@@g2emedia1977 a whole different life then here in Hollywood California. Or on my ranch in central México, in the beautiful state of Jalisco. The land of Tequila! I love England was there in 1995. 3 weeks in London...I loved it. Next trip is Liverpool!

[@scaggywillz]

We used to travel from Bootle for a day out at speke airport, we'd take butties and pop and sit on the viewing platform for hours watching the planes fly in and out, not that there were many in the early 70s 😊 we loved it though ❤️ lovely to see it looking how I remember it 💕 great video! many thanks x

[@g2emedia1977]

Many thanks glad you liked it i love hearing stories from this place

[@barbaraannecortina7899]

It was just a normal fucking viewing balcony, that's all. Just because the Fab Four landed back here doesn't make it the Beatles balcony. The Bay City Rollers were seen at Heathrow but that didn't make the airport BCR International...get some fucking perspective.

[@g2emedia1977]

thanks for watching have you seen my video on the beatles cinema....epic it is btw im not interested in the bay shitty rollers

[@grahamthebaronhesketh.]

Great video Larrr Subscribed.

[@AndreA-ke2id]

Would have been nice if you'd done a little research before making the film instead of saying you know nothing. And it's not the runway, it's the apron where planes park after landing !!

[@g2emedia1977]

Would have beem nice for you not to be such a karen

[@minijms1]

As a young lad in the mid 60's I was taken on a tour of a British Eagle plane parked on the runway at Speke. My nana had a friend who worked for British Eagle, it was a great day, that airport was a class act, shame it closed, it needed a longer runway.

[@ianc3293]

Loved going there as a kid, used to sneak past the pay booth and up the steps, there used to be big binoculars you could 2p in to see the planes, so many happy memories as a kid this place gave me and the mates

[@grahamthebaronhesketh.]

Who robbed the runways?

[@Ireallymissmymind]

I worked at Speke Airport from early 1970 - late 1976 during the rise of the 'bucket & spade flight' boom with cheap air travel to the continent suddenly becoming a thing. The old buildings were just not able to cope and they hastily cobbled together an 'international arrivals' building inside the old, listed hangar across the apron. It was about as successful as you would expect. Every time an aircraft taxied in or out, the entire building filled with exhaust fumes. In the Summer, the only thing to beat the exhaust fumes was the smell of Ambre Solaire from the hordes of seriously sunburnt and seriously under-dressed returnees clutching leather donkeys and bags of duty-free.

[@g2emedia1977]

Brilliant id live to have seen inside this building im glad it still stands to this day getting some use

[@tonykehoe123]

Spent lots of time on the balcony watching the “airees “ coming and going . I also remember the foyer ( as an eight year old ) appearing to be massive . Just across from here , is Speke hall , another hangout for us as kids growing up in Speke and “shaggers lane” at the bottom of which was a small tower and air raid shelters that we would often play in and nick a couple of turnips out of the field with the intentions of taking them home for my mother but would usually end up kicking them down the street . On the opposite side of the old runway was a pond , “The perchy” one of many that we would often swim in .

[@g2emedia1977]

Brill tony thanks for sharing this cheers for watching mate

[@giz.ian.]

great video, is permission required to visit the site and is it open to the public ?

[@g2emedia1977]

Pretty much a public thorough way

[@giz.ian.]

@@g2emedia1977 cool, thanks

[@michaelheaton5469]

Do you need prior permission to gain access to this site cheers.

[@g2emedia1977]

No its got a public path running through it

[@michaelheaton5469]

@@g2emedia1977 Wow awesome i will pay a visit in the spring sometime cheers.

[@buffplums]

Wow an HS748 or Andover as they were called for the RAF version. Then there is a Gloster Meteor. The first jet fighter that saw active combat with the RAF at the end of WWII.

[@CanadairCL44]

The heap at the beginning of the tour I believe is the remains of a DH (De Havilland) DH89 Dragon Rapide. The second aircraft is an HS (Hawker Sddeley) 748. Third is a Gloster Meteor MK8, (it's quite possible my Dad flew that one, if you can let me have the serial number I could tell you), The twin engined aircraft is a Percival Pembroke, and the large airliner is a Bristol Britania. The engines look to be the Bristol Proteus turboprops from the Britannia. I used to watch British Eagle and Cambrian Airways, Starways Aer Lingus and Dan Air aircraft from that balcony when I was a kid in the 60's! Thanks for an interesting video!

[@g2emedia1977]

Cheers for the info

[@CanadairCL44]

@@g2emedia1977 No problem mate, happy to help a fellow scouser !

[@g2emedia1977]

Much appreciated mate i often call in here when around the area its good to know a little more about whats here

[@scally1969]

Interesting that you said that the plane had British Eagle on it last time you saw it. If it's as Canadair suggests, a Bristol Britannia, it has a serious Liverpool connection. On 10th July 1964, The Beatles flew back to Speke Airport in a British Eagle Bristol Britannia to attend the Northern premiere of A Hard Days Night. 3000 fans were at the airport and 200,000+ lined the streets to the town hall. I wonder if it's that plane?