The Vale
Note: This bothers me; can anybody help? I have put the location here simply because there seems to be quite a lot of mentions of Craycombe in this locality. However, this position on the A44 west of Evesham seems quite different from the address given in the 1930s. Plus, the Cheltenham Road is the A46, which of course now forms a bypass for Evesham, but which once led directly through the town centre.
THE VALE: Temporary aerodrome
Operated by: Alan Cobham’s 1933 No.1 Tour of the UK, British Empire Air display 1936 Tour
Location: Cheltenham Road, Craycombe S to SW of Evesham town centre?
Period of operation: 5th May 1933, 22nd July 1936
Michael T Holder
This comment was written on: 2020-05-19 12:07:00As you stated above, just south of Craycombe House is the Evesham Road which runs west out of Evesham; the Cheltenham Road runs south out of Evesham. I couldn’t find a Craycombe either south of Evesham, so I think your assumption is right. The address is wrong. The ground between the railway, on the northern edge of Fladbury, and the Evesham Road is fairly flat and is shown as a golf course on the 1903 Ordnance Survey. However, although it exists now as Evesham Golf Club it does not appear on the 1930 Map. An aerial photo taken in 1947 shows an American Military Camp on the site which is mentioned on a BBC Archive site and the contributor called the site Blue Gate Field. I would say it is highly likely that this field was used by Alan Cobham. There is also a railway station at the SW corner of the field; handy for the punters.
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