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Roundshaw developed on the site of the old Croydon Airport that was originally established in 1915 as the Beddington Aerodrome. Between the two World Wars, this was the only international airport in the UK. It was also the first airport to have air traffic control and terminals. In World War II, this South West London airport became a fighter airfield during the Battle of Britain. Winston Churchill took flying lessons at the Croydon Airport. It features in Agatha Christie’s Death in the Clouds. The airport closed in 1959. While it was active, it had eight different names. The terminal building and the gate have grade II listed status.
The name of this SM6 area comes from Roundshaw Park. It derives from “shaw” which means grove of trees. House building began in 1965. The first residents moved in two years later. St Paul’s Church was established in 1981. The church took part in the Roundshaw Experiment. A cross made from an old air-screw was displayed outside of the church. The Croydon Airport Society donated the propeller for the cross. Amy Johnson was the first woman pilot to fly solo from Croydon Airport to Australia. The local school borrows her name. Many roads carry the name of aviators associated with the old airport. Mollison Drive is named after Johnson’s husband pilot Jim Mollison.
Wilson’s School came here in 1975. The school was originally established in the 17th century in Camberwell. Notable alumni include sports commentator Tom Abbott, comic book writer Simon Furman, opera singer Mark Stone, and mathematician George Barker Jeffery. The South London Pirates is a British baseball club that plays at Roundshaw Fields. Paralympic wheelchair athlete David Weir lives in the area. The Bill TV series and The London Programme were filmed here.