A Radical Departure from Convention
In 1936, a remarkable building opened on the edge of Crawley that would reshape how the world thought about airport design. The Beehive, Gatwick Airport's original terminal, introduced innovations that remain influential in aviation architecture today. Its circular form and integrated transport connections established principles now standard at airports worldwide.
The Vision Behind the Hive
The story begins in September 1933, when A. M. (Morris) Jackaman purchased Gatwick Aerodrome for Β£13,500. Jackaman envisioned something unprecedented: a purpose-built airport terminal that would eliminate the inconvenience and weather exposure passengers endured at existing facilities. On 8 October 1934, he submitted a patent application for his revolutionary circular terminal concept.
Construction began in July 1935. Architects Hoar, Marlow and Lovett, with job architect Alan Marlow, translated Jackaman's vision into steel reinforced concrete and Art Deco styling. The result was a beehive-shaped structure rising from one storey at its exterior ring to three storeys at its centre, with concentric rings of rooms and offices arranged around a central hub.
Engineering Innovations
The Beehive opened officially on 6 June 1936, though scheduled services had begun on 17 May with flights to Paris Le Bourget. The terminal incorporated several world-first features. Six telescopic covered corridors, or piers, provided direct undercover access to aircraft; this was the first airport anywhere to offer such protection from the elements. A subway connected the terminal to the newly built railway station 130 yards away, enabling passengers to travel from London Victoria to their aircraft in as little as 20 minutes.
The central section combined control tower, weather station, and passenger facilities in a single integrated structure. At approximately 20,000 square feet on a two-acre site, the building demonstrated how compact, efficient design could serve the emerging era of commercial aviation.
The 1958 Revolution
The Beehive's innovations proved foundational, but the airport's transformation during 1956β1958 would prove even more consequential for global aviation. When the government designated Gatwick as London's second airport in 1952, architect firm Yorke Rosenberg Mardall (YRM) was commissioned to design a completely new terminal.
Their design, which opened on 30 May 1958 (officially by Queen Elizabeth II on 9 June), introduced what the architectural press recognised as a genuinely new typology: the fully integrated transport hub. The Β£7.8 million redevelopment created the world's first airport terminal with a mainline railway station built directly within the complex. For the first time anywhere, trunk road facilities, mainline rail, and air terminal were combined in a single unit.
The 1958 terminal was also the first to employ an enclosed pier-based system, allowing passengers to walk under cover almost to their aircraft. YRM's modernist design, clad in white ceramic tiles inspired by Le Corbusier, established an aesthetic vocabulary that influenced airport architecture for decades.
Global Influence
Gatwick's 1958 innovations rapidly became standard practice. The concept of integrating rail and terminal, now expected at major airports from Heathrow to Hong Kong, originated here. The modular design permitted phased expansion; the original single pier with eleven aircraft stands has grown into today's substantial South Terminal complex, with the North Terminal added later.
The Beehive itself continued in various uses after being separated from the main airport in 1958. It served helicopter traffic, housed airline operations including GB Airways from 1989 to 2008, and was Grade II* listed on 19 August 1996. Since 2008, it has operated as serviced offices within the City Place Gatwick complex.
Crawley's Enduring Connection
The airport became part of Crawley in 1974, when the Local Government Act 1972 extended the borough northwards to include Gatwick. The town's coat of arms reflects this heritage: its supporters are an eagle and a winged lion, acknowledging the airport's significance to Crawley's identity and economy.
From a converted farmhouse serving a racecourse aerodrome, through Jackaman's visionary circular terminal, to YRM's pioneering integrated transport hub, Crawley has played a central role in the evolution of global airport design. The Beehive stands as a testament to that legacy: a Grade II* listed reminder that innovations now taken for granted by travellers worldwide were first tested on this town's doorstep.