A circuit of Kenley airfield

The unwelcome return of lockdown turned an otherwise normal weekday into a strangely busy day as folk hurried to complete last minute tasks before midnight. For the last day of freedom in a while it was as glorious a day as you could hope for. I headed to one of the more remarkable green spaces in my local area, Kenley Common, for a morning walk before tackling my own pre-lockdown tasks.

Kenley Common

Riddlesdown and Kenley Common were purchased by the Corporation of London in 1883 for public recreation and to help preserve the natural environment. However, it was the requisition of land at the centre of the common for use as an airfield in the First World War that makes this space more than a little bit unusual.

The growing threat from a re-militarised Germany prompted the modernisation of the airfield during the 1930s, including the construction of two concrete runways so that aircraft could take off in all conditions. RAF Kenley was re-activated in January 1940 and became a fully operational sector of Fighter Command in May 1940, playing an important role in the defence of London during the Battle of Britain.

Unlike other airfields there was little possibility of extending the runways for the new breed of jet fighter so the focus moved away from Kenley. The curious effect of this was that Kenley retained its original runways and has been left as “the most complete fighter airfield associated with the Battle of Britain to have survived” according to English Heritage.

Much of the infrastructure can still be seen on a walk around the perimeter. New wing signposts and table-top boards have been installed in 2020 to help explain the history and the key dates in history, such as the series of attacks on Kenley on 18th August 1940 (usually referred to as “The Hardest Day”) which were intended to destroy the airfield.

One of the new wingtip signs

The conditions today were perfect, with cloudless blue skies and bright sunlight to melt the crisp morning frost. I spent a leisurely couple of hours walking around the perimeter of the airfield, taking a look at the remaining structures – including blast pens, a rifle range, triangular hard standings for tying down aircraft and the concrete remains of the fuel dump.

The RAF station closed in 1974 but the airfield is still in use by 615 Volunteer Gliding Squadron most weekends – at least in normal circumstances. It is fascinating to watch the operations on the airfield – gliders being launched by winch under the watchful eye of instructors in the mobile Launch Point Control. I was sorry not to be able to hang around long enough to see the first launches of the day when I visited.

Practicalities

To get to Kenley Common I took the train to Whyteleafe. It takes around 15 minutes to reach the edge of the common from here. If you make a small detour into the grounds of St. Luke’s, Whyteleafe, you can pay your respects at the special plot (‘Airman’s Corner’) set aside in the churchyard.

The Kenley Revival website contains all the information you could possibly need on the history of the site and includes some handy downloadable leaflets with self-guided walks highlighting some of the surviving heritage features. A map of the heritage trail is also available indicating where to find the new display boards.

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