BRITS may not be aware that a huge train station in the UK could have become a multi-million-pound airport.
King’s Cross Station in Central London nearly became an airport in the 1930s.
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The famous train station first started welcoming passengers in 1852, with just two passenger platforms in operation at the time.
In the last 170 years, the station has grown in size to encompass 11 platforms and multiple train routes.
The train station has also been used as a filming location for blockbuster movies like Harry Potter, Wonder Woman, and The Imitation Game.
However, the station’s legacy could’ve gone very differently, if plans were approved to transform the Kings Cross into an airport.
According to Darkest London, the ambitious plans were designed by architect Charles W. Glover in 1931.
Glover’s design was published in the Illustrated London News, and a model was later presented at the Institution of Civil Engineers.
A sketch from the 1930s showed what “Aerial Kings Cross” could have looked like.
The design showed a cartwheel-shaped runway that would have been built on top of the station’s railway sidings.
The airport runways would have stretched for around half a mile, with planes using the outer circle to taxi around the airport.
Both commercial flights and private planes would have operated from the airport, with passengers taken to boarding gates via a lift.
There were no skyscrapers in London at the time, which meant planes landing at the airport wouldn’t have to worry about any obstacles.
But the ambitious plans, which were expected to cost £5million, were riddled with problems from the onset.
Based on Glover’s design, the airport runways couldn’t be lengthened at any point.
There were also safety concerns about planes falling off the edge of the runway because of its circular shape.
The plans were quickly shelved, with the English capital waiting a further 50 years for a central airport.
London City Airport opened in 1987 at the Royal Docklands.
In addition to London City Airport, the English capital is also served by other airports, including Stansted Airport, London Luton Airport, London Heathrow, and London Gatwick.
While the UK is home to plenty of well-known airports, other hubs aren’t as famous.
Land’s End Airport in Cornwall connects passengers to and from the Isles of Scilly.
The tiny airport only handles a few hundred passengers each day, and it has seating for just 30 people.
It only has one route available for passengers – a short 19-mile trip that takes around 20 minutes to complete.
The planes are just 19-seaters, meaning several journeys have to take place each day to get everyone to and from the islands.
Skybus, who operates the flights, has been operating a scheduled air service to the Isles of Scilly for nearly 45 years, with flights operating all year round.
Meanwhile, this tiny UK airport is hoping to relaunch flights to Europe.
And this airport is closer to France than London but was once one of the busiest in the country.
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