IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Terminal Road, B26 3FS

Public viewing location - an open air area with concrete wall, accessed from the main airport buildings (as was). Very popular in summers, as there was little access closeup or in the buildings. See Image] for alternative but smaller viewing location

A view of the terminal buildings from an aircraft on a flight from Glasgow (Renfrew) that flew to Paris via Birmingham.

Taxiing for take off, CP Air aircraft moves away from main buildings. Notice airport steps in foreground.

Best view for taxiing aircraft and takeoffs, the outdoor, all-weather location has no cover for inclement weather - plane spotting was catered for in a very rudimentary way.

From my Travelodge Hotel room looking out across the airport.

The vestigial remains of now closed cross-wind runway 24 are visible leading up to the control tower. From an era when neither short runways, nor large buildings close alongside their thresholds were an issue.

From runway 33, just before taxiway F, the original control tower and airport buildings off the A45 road are clearly visible. From a very different era to the large hangar which now adjoins them.

Built in 1938/39, but some years prior to that in gestation and design. The initial ideas for the airport and building were put together by Birmingham City Council in the late 1920s, but the General Depression rather put things on hold for a while. In the early 1930s the idea was resurrected, and a specialist committee formed to review sites including Elmdon. Once the site had been decided on, a terminal building was needed, and the firm of Norman, Muntz and Dawbarn were duly appointed as advisers; one of the partners had recently inspected a number of American airports, so he was considered something of an expert. Graham Dawbarn's other designs include the Aero Clubhouse at Brooklands (probably this image Image) and the BBC Television Centre in London. Design work was well underway by the mid 1930s, and included the very distinctive 'wing' canopies, one of which is seen here, which were intended to represent an airplane, but on a practical level also to provide some shelter for passengers embarking onto aircraft. The airport was ready for civilian operation by mid 1939, just in time for the outbreak of WWII, which saw it more or less immediately taken over by the Air Ministry for bomber deliveries, and as an Elementary Flying School. At the end of hostilities, the site was given back over to civilian and commercial use, and this terminal building then served its intended purpose until the mid 1980s when it was replaced by Image, and has been used as offices since then, at least until fairly recently. It appears to be empty and fenced off at present. At the far end of the building, and seen here above the nearest canopy, lies the original Air Control Tower, below which is a striking curved frontage with windows, balconies and steps down to ground level, but unfortunately all that is 'airside' and out of bounds from the business park from which this picture was taken. A fully detailed history is available at https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101458322-elmdon-terminal-building-birmingham-airport-bickenhill#.XlgXjWj7TIU & https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1458322 where the 2018 Grade II listing details are laid out.