Barton Aerodrome has three existing structures that are Grade II Listed buildings.
AIRPORT TERMINAL
The oldest is the Airport Original Terminal, although in the 1930s it was called the “Offices”. This is the single storey building with a pitched roof that is on your left hand side as you drive into the Airport. It was originally part of the farm that occupied this land, before becoming an Airport. The building contained a booking hall, the Airport Manager’s office, Customs, toilets, store rooms and the offices of Northern Air Lines, which ran the Airport. At the far end of the building (nearest the airport) were double doors that passengers used to access their awaiting aircraft. This became a listed building in April 2003.
This building is currently being restored.
PEMBERTON HANGAR
This hangar was the first purpose built structure on the Airport and was ready when the Airport opened in January 1930. The size of the hangar was set by the size of the largest aircraft that Imperial Airways operated at that time. This was the Armstrong-Whitworth Argosy that had a wingspan of 90 feet and 8 inches, so the hangar was designed with a width of 100 feet. Construction started in 1929 and from the A57 road you can still see the Manchester Coat of Arms that was cut into the stone work in situ as it was being built. To help pilots find the Aerodrome the roof had “Manchester” painted on the roof. The hangar is named after the company that used it for many years after World War Two until 1984, after which time it reverted back to an aircraft hangar. This became a listed building also in April 2003.
CONTROL TOWER
The go ahead for the Control Tower was given in February 1932 and was opened in 1933. The ground floor had four “wings” that are positioned so that they are in the direction of the cardinal points of the compass. On the first floor there is a viewing balcony and on the east and west wings you will see concrete posts on which weather instruments to record the hours of sunshine were mounted. Originally there were numerous aerials on the top of the Control Tower, but these were removed many years ago as communication equipment improved. This building is unique in being the oldest Control Tower in Europe that has been in constant use as such. The Grade II listing for the Control Tower was awarded in July 1987.