Years ago I used to drive past the last vestiges of the Handley-Page factory in Cricklewood, London ( where the Halifaxes were built ). I always used to think to myself 'Must bring a camera one day and photograph this'.
And then one morning all that was left was a pile of bricks. I've always regretted not taking that photo.....
So this morning, I forced myself out of bed early , took my camera, and drove the few miles to Hatfield and the old, derelict De Havilland offices, determined not to make the same error again.
The factory was demolished after closure in 1993, and is now the site of a 'business park' and leisure centre, with houses appearing all over the old airfield. The 1930's frontage of the offices is 'listed' and will have to be preserved eventually - probably as the front of a McDonalds or Tesco supermarket .... [img]graemlins/no.gif[/img]
The office site is so overgrown with trees and bushes that you can't even see it from the road, but on this misty morning I found a side entrance open, and walked around the outside of the huge old offices. Quite an atmosphere, with broken windows, peeling paint and the original ornamental pond full of weeds. As well as the King, Churchill and other VIPs, many famous Mosquito pilots climbed these steps on morale-boosting factory visits.
All in the past now. But I got my photos....
