This is vague, but I remember reading something once that the Ace of
Spades was popular with flying types in the 1930's and some used to
fly there. Presumably there was some clear area nearby for them to
land on, though the recreation ground would possibly be too small.
I go round the Hook roundabout each night on the way home, having come
down Woodstock Lane, up the n/bound sliproad and then back down to
Esher. This is to aviod the hideous queues on the Esher-Kingston road
via Long Ditton.
When I was a child in the 70's I recall the Silly Isles, (I think it
was always stupid silly as opposed to islands off Cornwall), had a
different layout with more than one roundabout as now, hence the name.
In the same location, I heard a story that the railway bridge nearby
over the Hampton Court-Esher Road was constructed wider than necessary
as it was intended the road would be wider. The path on one side is
quite wide. Don't knowe how true this is though.
I don't often travel Londonbound on the A3, but I think the doors in
the side of the Hook Underpass are still visible. Are there any up the
road at Tolworth. I seem to think there are, but might be confusing
the two. If there are were they put there as an option to do the same
as at Hook, or just for maintainence access?

Neill



Stuart wrote in message k...
Troy Steadman wrote:


Farmer Brooms fields behind Kelvin Grove (just across the A3)? There is
a picture in HRA of a 5/- a flight bi-plane in the 1930's. Don't suppose
the pub owned the airfield but it was certainly very close to it, and a
picture in the Cap in Hand makes the connection. Douglas Bader used the
Ace but *didn't* fly to it AFAIK.

Interesting, so behind Kelvin Gravoe would be what is now the King
Edward Recreation Ground then?

What is HRA and what is 5/-??

"Neill Wood" wrote in message
om

I don't often travel Londonbound on the A3, but I think the doors in
the side of the Hook Underpass are still visible.

So did I but there aren't any (I've just been to have a look) so the
generators must have been at ground level which makes sense. The Cap in
Hand (Wetherspoon) is one of the best *proper* locals in London, so I
popped in there, Harry Hawker lived at corner of Hook Rd / Orchard Rd,
so it is not surprising there was aviation interest. He is buried in the
churchyard near his house (marked with a cross on the overlaid map).

http://tinyurl.com/6fmq5

King Edward Rec is very large and quite capable I would suppose of
accomodating bi-planes. I wonder if anyone's figured out how the people
of Ace got home if they went to Mitcham on the 152?


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"Troy Steadman" wrote in message news:740bac0afbbf5e6378070ad2d5f2d60a.125090@myga te.mailgate.org...
"Neill Wood" wrote in message
om

I don't often travel Londonbound on the A3, but I think the doors in
the side of the Hook Underpass are still visible.

So did I but there aren't any (I've just been to have a look) so the
generators must have been at ground level which makes sense. The Cap in
Hand (Wetherspoon) is one of the best *proper* locals in London, so I
popped in there, Harry Hawker lived at corner of Hook Rd / Orchard Rd,
so it is not surprising there was aviation interest. He is buried in the
churchyard near his house (marked with a cross on the overlaid map).

http://tinyurl.com/6fmq5

King Edward Rec is very large and quite capable I would suppose of
accomodating bi-planes. I wonder if anyone's figured out how the people
of Ace got home if they went to Mitcham on the 152?

Another thing I recall is that there was a gap in the barriers between
the main carriageway and the sliproad when travelling northbound just
before you entered the underpass. I never worked out why it existed as
both roads come from the same point. I used to see people using it to
cross between the A3 and the sliproad as late as the 1980's. Quite
scarey when the car in front suddenly slows down to leave the
carriageway. It eventually got filled in with ordinary cones, then
fixed poles and finally by a new section of barrier a few years back.

Neill