Non-Residential Palladian Mansion. At the heart of the Palace lies the Great Hall, with its exquisite French chandelier, hand carved architrave and silk wall coverings it is a stunning backdrop for dinner.

Note: Accommodation is at the nearby 4 star Aerodrome Hotel (transport to and from the event will be provided).

Aerodrome Hotel, 680 Purley Way, Croydon, Surrey CR9 4LT - Tel: 0208 680 1999
The Aerodrome Hotel in Croydon Surrey has changed. Soon to come to the end of a four million pound refurbishment programme, exciting new developments at the hotel include a new lift in the glass atrium and the addition of 24 deluxe bedrooms and Suites. These all offer luxurious comfort and state-of-the art facilities, including 32” interactive LCD TV’s with high-speed Internet access. All bedrooms in the hotel now boast this fantastic TV system, which offers a new level of communications for guests and most rooms are now fully air conditioned. As well as refurbishment throughout, a superb level of customer care ensures that a stay at the Aerodrome Hotel is a comfortable and enjoyable experience.

Addington Palace
In the Beginning - The Addington Palace we know was built in the 1770s as Addington Place, replacing the earlier manor house of the same name, home of the Leigh family.

When Sir John Leigh died in 1737 a 40-year legal battle ensued until the estate was eventually granted to his cousin, Anne Spencer, who sold it to Barlow Trecothick, Alderman of the City of London and Lord Mayor in 1770-1771.

Trecothick engaged Robert Mylne as architect. The building, a Palladian-style mansion of two main storeys plus mansard roof and a basement, was completed in 1778.

To the north and south were single-storey wings with pavilions, each with a basement beneath. The Early Tenants - In 1807 an Act of Parliament purchased the mansion and estate for the use of the Archbishops of Canterbury.

Part of the finance came from the sale of the old Palace, it being "in so low and unwholesome a situation". Six archbishops lived in Addington Palace, five of them being buried in St Mary's churchyard.

Archbishop Howley (1828 - 1848) increased the height of the wings bringing them level with the main building and extended them forward at ground level to create a chapel and a library. These changes made the house "comfortable rather than elegant".

Development - Archbishop Benson was succeeded by Frederick Temple, who ended the long association with the Palace in 1898 by selling it and the grounds to Frederick Alexander English, a South African diamond merchant.

English engaged Richard Norman Shaw to restructure the house. Shaw attempted to return to the earlier building outline by raising the front of the main Trecothick house by one storey, making the house much heavier.

To create his magnificent Salon, Shaw had to enlarge the whole front portion of the main building in both length and depth to maintain proportion. An illusion of even greater height came from abandoning the mansard roof and raising the wall to enclose the third storey.

Aerodrome Hotel
The Aerodrome Hotel was designed in the art deco style as an integral part of the Croydon Airport complex and was opened in 1928. The airport was built in 1915 and the terminal was owned and operated by Imperial Airways, which became the worlds first government owned air company in 1924.

Mainly catering for the passengers and airline crews, many famous people stayed in the hotel including: King George VI, Amy Johnson, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin.

Huge crowds would take advantage of the public areas in the hotel, including the roof, which was specially adapted to accommodate them, to watch the many air shows, the historic take offs and landings of famous pilots such as Amy Johnson and Bert Hinkler, or just the excitement of the air traffic of the day.

As Croydon Airport became the main London airport and the world’s most famous airport, the Aerodrome Hotel thrived with the advent of the affluent tour and leisure business.

The advent of World War II in 1939 heralded changes for the airport and the hotel. Both were used for military service and part of the hotel was also used as a hospital for injured servicemen.

In the 1950’s, decentralisation from London saw Croydon emerge as a major business centre and the hotel’s market move to business class. Simultaneously Heathrow Airport gained momentum against Croydon eventually forcing the closure of the terminal in 1959 and with it the leisure market for the hotel.

In the early 1960’s, with the addition of a new wing, the Aerodrome expanded from a 50 bedroom to a 84 bedroom hotel and not long after had a series of name changes; Croydon Court Hotel, Forte Posthouse Hotel and Posthouse Hotel.

The acquisition in March 2002 by the Westmead Group heralded a new era for the hotel. Again called by its original name, the Aerodrome Hotel, this reflects its magnificent and historic past in aviation history. An extensive refurbishment programme has taken place and now a 110 bedroom hotel, the addition of an executive floor has brought this splendid building back to its former glory as one of the major hotels in the area.

Gym, beauty treatment rooms, floatation room, relaxation lounge and fitness studio.

The facilities available in each bedroom include:

Bedrooms includes:

* Tea/coffee making facilities
* Iron & ironing boards
* Internet access

Certain rooms also include:
* Minibars
* Air conditioning
* Trouser press

Executive rooms also contain:
* Personnal sofas
* Robes
* Separate walk in showers