Newton House Hotel
NEWTON HOUSE HOTEL: Civil aerodrome (Aka LEEMING LANE)
Operated by: Newton House Hotel, Londonderry
Flying operations: Yorkshire Aviation Services
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
Note: The second item was published in the Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer on the 12th September 1932. The fourth item, an advert, was published in the Daily Gazette for Middlesborough on the 30th May 1934.
Note: The fifth item was published in the Daily Gazette for Middlesborough on the 1st June 1934. The seventh item was published in Flight magazine on the 16th August 1934. The eighth item was published in the Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer on the 27th September 1934.
Note: The tenth item was published in Flight magazine on the 15th November 1934: The eleventh item, regarding the possibility, or even probability, of the RAF taking over this aerodrome was published in the Yorkshire Evening Post on the 31st March 1938. I have added the area view from my Google Earth © database.
Location: “Adjoins Newton House Hotel, Leeming”. On the old A1(T), on which the village of Londonderry stands just SSE of Leeming and roughly one mile distant.*
Period of operation: 1932 to 1938
Runways: The Landing Ground was roughly ‘L’ shaped, albeit tipped over about 120º anti-clockwise.
The maximum landing distances are ‘hedge to hedge’, something of a nonsense of course for pilots but accepted in those days. Which is why in more recent years, at Licenced Airfields at least, a LDA (Landing Distance Available), and TODA (Take-Off Distance Available) are provided.
This is something well learnt when flying from private airstrips. For example a runway might well begin, (and/or end) against a hedge. So obviously when landing or taking-off, not all the runway distance can be used – as many pilots have found to their considerable cost when not taking this into account. Sometimes with fatal results!
THE RUNWAYS
It appears that at least at one time in the 1930s the runways or ‘maximum runs available’ were: SW/NE 575 yards, (526 metres), NW/SE 350 yards (320 metres) and SSW to NNE, (across the base of the ‘L’), was 500 yards (457 metres). All on grass of course.
The aerodrome area was 100 acres
MORE INFO
Additional information concerning this Landing Ground came when the Royal Aeronautical Society sent me a guide of ‘UK Flying Clubs & Landing Grounds 1933-34’ published by Flying – The Light Aeroplane Weekly in October 2013. Plus, more information was then found on the web and provided by the Airfield Research Group who have been immensely helpful and supportive of this 'Guide' over many years.
The ARG info also states that LEEMING LANE LG was an AA (Automobile Association) approved Landing Ground and that fuel was available in cans from Newton House Hotel which also had a telephone. The LG had no hangar in 1933 but “Transport” (typically a taxi service) was available from W Curry in Leeming village. In the 1930s the AA had up to seventy-four approved Landing Grounds on mainland Britain.
A PERSONAL NOTE
On a personal note I have so often found, rather like a detective, that a picture eventually emerges over many years by adding snibbets of information gleaned from a wide variety of sources.
Many years ago I made this note: "I still cannot determine reasonably accurately where it was located". However, in 2016 I looked at the entry again, lit the wick to the inter-web and lo and behold all became clear. Mainly by looking at samples of photographs of the Newton House Hotel available for sale. The caption of one read, "Demolished when RAF Leeming aerodrome was constructed."
Note: In March 2020 Mike Charlton very kindly sent me this picture from a postcard. The only records I can find of the DH60G Gipsy Moth G-AAWR are that it was registered 17.5.30.
Much later to Yorkshire Aviation Services Country Club Services based at the Municipal Aerodrome, York, from 06.12.37 to 06.08.40 when it was impressed as BD166.
ADDING TO THE CONFUSION?
In October 2021 I was very kindly contacted by Mr Richard Cleal, who sent these scans of aviation charts. Note that this aerodrome is shown on the first 1935 chart as 'LEEMING'. On the second 1938 chart, the name has been crossed out. The only example I have seen of this rather crude amendment. The reason for this being that the land for building RAF LEEMING had been requisitioned, and this aerodrome formed part of the much larger WW2 airfield.
AN EXTRA NOTE
Mr Graham Frost, a great friend of this 'Guide', has discovered that the de Havilland DH60G Gipsy Month, G-AADI, was registered to Yorkshire Air Services Ltd here from 06.07.34 until June 1935. A further delve on my part reveals that it was first registered on the 4th February 1929, and crashed at Middlesborough on the 10th February 1935. It is not unusal to find a registration cancelled some time after an aircraft crashed.
There can be a variety of reasons for this. For example it can take a while, especially when it might be feasible for a rebuild to be undertaken, that the hull insurers decide it has to be writtern off. I have come across several examples when, after an aircraft had been declared a 'write-off', that the wreckage has been purchased and the aircraft rebuilt using many spare parts. Sometimes being given a new registration.
A VERY RARE POSTCARD
In 2024 Mike Charlton, a great friend of this 'Guide' came across this rare postcard, which, most unusually, provides no details about where it was taken. This said, we both believe the chances are it was here. Two main reasons, see the magazine article above, plus, the aircraft outside of the hangar is G-AAZR, a de Havilland DH60G Gipsy Moth Coupe. This was first registered 07.07.30 and then to Yorkshire Aviation Services, based here, from 04.03.35 until 10.10.37 when it was written off.
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