Tag: Liverpool

Liverpool Speke Airport, Liverpool, Merseyside

.

Liverpool Speke Airport

Speke Hall Avenue
Speke
Liverpool
L24 1YD
Merseyside

History of the original Speke Airport and when it “closed”

The original Liverpool Speke Airport opened in 1933 on the site of the current airport.

It served as Liverpool’s main commercial airport throughout the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and early 1960s.

The Beatles flew in and out of Speke many times, most famously returning there after their early Hamburg trips and U.S. tours (e.g., the famous scenes of thousands of fans greeting them on the balcony in 1964).

The original terminal and facilities were effectively closed and replaced in the early 1980s:

The old art-deco terminal building at Speke was closed to passenger traffic in 1982.

All commercial operations moved to a new terminal on the same site (built on the former RAF Speke hangar area).

The new terminal opened in 1986 and was extensively modernised and expanded in the 1990s and 2000s.

In 2001, the airport was officially renamed Liverpool John Lennon Airport, with the slogan “Above us only sky”.

So, strictly speaking, the airport itself never fully closed — it was redeveloped on the same site — but the original 1930s Speke Airport terminal and facilities that the Beatles actually used were shut down in 1982 and later demolished (the old terminal was finally torn down around 2000).The historic control tower and some hangar structures from the Speke era still exist and are preserved (e.g., the Crowne Plaza hotel is built inside the old 1930s hangar complex).

Beatles flights

Here are the best-documented Beatles flights that actually used the original Liverpool Speke Airport (the 1930s terminal and apron that fans gathered at) between 1960 and 1964. After mid-1964 they almost always flew from Manchester Ringway or London Heathrow instead.

Date
Event / Flight
Airline / Aircraft
Notes
20 Aug 1960
First flight to Hamburg (as “The Beatles”)
KLM (via Amsterdam)
Departed Speke on a BEA Viscount to Amsterdam, then to Hamburg. Very low-key, no crowds.
15 Oct 1960
Return from first Hamburg trip
BEA Viscount
Small group of fans met them at Speke.
10 Apr 1962
Fly out to Hamburg (last time with Pete Best)
BEA Vanguard
Departed Speke.
9 May 1962
Return from Hamburg with Ringo now in the band
BEA Vanguard
First time fans saw Ringo with them at Speke.
18 Aug 1962
Fly out for final Hamburg residency
BEA Vanguard
Departed Speke.
4 Nov 1962
Return from last Hamburg trip
BEA Vanguard
Decent crowd at Speke.
2 Feb 1963
Fly out to start first nationwide UK tour (with Helen Shapiro)
BEA (charter?)
Small send-off at Speke.
10 Jul 1964
World premiere of A Hard Day’s Night – triumphant return to Liverpool
BEA Vanguard flight BE 202
THE most famous Speke arrival: ~3,000 fans on the balcony, 200 police, live TV coverage. They flew in from London after the premiere.
10 Jul 1964
Same day – depart Speke again for evening shows in Wolverhampton
BEA Vanguard
Left Speke again a few hours later.
7 Nov 1964
Return to Liverpool for concert at the Empire Theatre
Private flight (possibly from London)
Last documented use of Speke by the Beatles. Hundreds of fans still turned up.
5 Dec 1965
Final Liverpool concert (Empire Theatre)
Flew into Speke one last time
Very low-key arrival; they were driven straight to the venue. This is the last confirmed Speke landing.

Key points

    • After July 1964, the Beatles almost never used Speke again for departures on major tours because the airport’s runway (only 7,500 ft) could not reliably handle fully-loaded jets (Boeing 707, etc.). They switched to Manchester Ringway or London Heathrow.
    • The iconic 10 July 1964 return is the one you see in all the black-and-white footage with the balcony packed with screaming fans.
    • By 1966 the original 1930s terminal was already being phased out, and the Beatles’ fame had grown so large that Speke simply couldn’t handle the crowds or aircraft any more.

So, in total, the Beatles used the original Speke Airport terminal on at least 10–12 documented occasions between 1960 and 1965, with 10 July 1964 being by far the most famous.

.

1964, Friday 10th July – Homecoming

This is the most famous single moment in the history of the original Speke Airport.

Flight Details

    • Flight
        • British European Airways (BEA) Vanguard flight BE 202
    • Aircraft
        • Vickers Vanguard turboprop, registration G-APEC
    • Route
        • London Heathrow → Liverpool Speke
    • Departure from London
        • 12:25 pm (delayed slightly)
    • Arrival at Speke
        • 1:17 pm (scheduled 1:10 pm)
    • Flight time
        • 52 minutes

The Scene at Speke

    • Crowd size
        • Officially estimated at 3,000 on the airport balcony and roof, with another 100,000+ people lining the roads from Speke into the City Centre (Speke Road, Speke Boulevard, A561).
    • Police
        • 200 Merseyside Police officers inside the airport, plus dozens more along the 8-mile route into town.
    • Media
        • Live BBC and Granada TV coverage. The balcony scene was broadcast nationwide on BBC TV news that evening.

.

Timeline of the Day (Liverpool only)

Time
Event
13:17
Vanguard G-APEC touches down on runway 27.
13:25
Aircraft taxis to the apron in front of the 1930s terminal. The Beatles wave from the cockpit windows.
13:28
Steps rolled up. John, Paul, George, and Ringo emerge at the front door, followed by Brian Epstein, Neil Aspinall, and Mal Evans.
13:30–13:40
They walk across the apron, waving and bowing to the screaming crowd on the balcony above. Classic black-and-white footage shot from directly below.
13:45
Civic reception inside the terminal: Lord Mayor (Alderman Louis Caplan) presents them with the key to the city.
14:00
Open-top lorry parade begins: route from Speke → Speke Hall Avenue → Speke Boulevard → A561 → past the city centre to the Town Hall (8 miles, took nearly 2 hours because of the crowds).
16:00 approx.
Arrive at Liverpool Town Hall for official civic reception on the balcony.
19:30
Screening of A Hard Day’s Night world premiere at the Odeon Cinema, London Road.
22:30
Back to Speke Airport (much quieter this time). Depart on another BEA Vanguard for Runcorn and Wolverhampton shows the same night.

.

Famous Quotes from the Day

    • Paul (shouting over the noise on the balcony)
        • “Thank you Speke Airport – the best airport in the world!”
    • John (to reporters)
        • “It’s great to be home – even if we can’t hear ourselves think!”

.

Visual Legacy

The black-and-white footage you always see of the four Beatles in dark suits waving from the apron with thousands of teenage girls screaming on the balcony above, was shot between 13:28 and 13:35 on Friday 10th July 1964 at the original 1930s Speke terminal.

That terminal was demolished in the late 1990s, but the exact spot where they stood is now roughly where the Hampton by Hilton hotel car park is today.

This was the absolute peak of “Beatlemania” at Speke – and the last time the original airport ever saw scenes on that scale.

.

Back To Top

Home