A London Airport we never had.
Following the 2nd World War the Government sought
to improve transatlantic and long distant air transport. Flying boats were considered suitable and
Saunders-Roe were approached in 1945 to design a suitable plane. The following year they received a contract
for three of what were to be the largest flying boats – the S.R. 45
‘Princess’.
Steps were then taken to find a suitable site for a Flying
Boat air port to serve London. The Chichester
area and the Blackwater were the two suggested locations and assessments were
made in 1947 of their suitability.
Initial conclusions stated :
“At Chichester, the
ideal terminal cannot be provided without the engineering difficulties of
building on reclaimed land. At
Blackwater, it cannot be provided without a larger terminal basin and mooring
area than is proposed in the Blackwater Survey Report. If neither of these courses should prove
practical, then, in terms of taxying distances, Blackwater, with a terminal at
Bradwell and Maintenance and M.O.S. at Ramsey, would be preferable to
Chichester …
Extendibility of Alighting Area. - Chichester,
once built could not be extended, whereas the length of run at Blackwater is
practically limitless.
Availability. - Chichester would not be available for use
until the end of a lengthy development period.
On the other hand, most of the alighting area at the Blackwater is
available now and would be so during the development period.”
The three terminal sites suggested were at Osea Island,
Ramsey Wade between Stansgate and Ramsey Island, St. Lawrence, and Bradwell
Creek. The Bradwell basin would have utilised an enlarged Creek. At Ramsey it
would have occupied the Wade, previously sealed off from the Blackwater in
1815. Both basins would have been deepened by excavation and at Ramsey Wade the
sea wall demolished to gain access.
The plans do not indicate where the Osea basin might have
been but the terminal would have been on the island itself with a new causeway
constructed to give road access towards the A12.
It was envisaged that the then redundant Bradwell Bay
aerodrome could act as a feeder airport for the south bank sites. They estimated that the road journey from
these two sites would take 3 hours compared with today’s 1½ hours.
Consultations were held between several government
ministries and local authorities.
Maldon’s M.P. Tom Driberg also requested to be kept informed.
One consultee put forward the Medway Estuary as a better
alternative – a precursor to ‘Boris Island’ ?
The scheme came to nothing as it became obvious that land
based airfields would cater more economically and safely. Only one of the Princess aircraft ever flew,
in 1952.
Small sea planes did operate on the Blackwater during the
First World War in conjunction with H.M.S. Osea fast motor boat base. Sea planes may still return to the Blackwater
as there is currently a proposal to operate a service between Osea and small
airports around London.
“The Dengie Hundred in the Air” is this year’s exhibition to
be held at St Lawrence Heritage Church from 9th July until 11th
September, Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
Sources.
TNA BT 217/1777
River Blackwater, Essex: proposed flying boat base
Maldon & Burnham Standard March 2016
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