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Gatwick History
The name Gatwick has been derived from the name of a manor. This manor was built in 1241 and it was situated where the Gatwick airport stands today. The anglo-saxon word ‘Gatwick' stands for goat farm and the mansion was there till the 19 th century.
In 1891, the manor was replaced by a race course for horse racing. It was near London-Brighton railway and a railway station was built over there which provided sidings for horseboxes. In 1932, the land was owned by Redwing Aircraft Company who ran a flying school there. The next year the property was sold to a private investor who planned to run an airport over there. His plan was approved the following year and commercial flights started to take off from Gatwick and within years scheduled flights were flying to several continents. A subway was also built connecting Gatwick railway station and the Gatwick airport. But due to poor drainage system and lack of proper security the airport was transferred to private possession again.
A few decades later there were proposal of renovating the airport, and nearly 7.8million dollars were spent to renovate the airport. The airport started to function on 1952 and was formally reopened by Her Highness Queen Elizabeth II. The Gatwick airport was the world's first airport with a direct railway connection. It was also the first to use a fully enclosed pier-based terminal design.
Today, Gatwick with its beauty and transportation facilities is a nice place to travel.
Travel guide to Gatwick
Gatwick History
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