Beyond Brighton
Brighton City Airport: the Art Deco terminal and Poirot
Since 1910
About Brighton City Airport: the Art Deco terminal and Poirot
Brighton City Airport, still Shoreham Airport to most people, is the oldest licensed airport in the UK, in its own words; the first recorded flight from the field was in 1910. Its terminal opened on 13 June 1936 as the Brighton, Hove and Worthing Joint Municipal Airport, and still has its original Art Deco features. The building has long been a favourite period location for film and television, including Agatha Christie’s Poirot.
Few buildings say “the golden age of flying” quite like the terminal at Shoreham. Low, white and symmetrical, it looks across the grass towards the Adur and the Downs exactly as it did when it opened before the war.
Since 1910
The airport describes itself as the oldest licensed airport in the UK and one of the oldest commercial airports in the world. The first recorded flight from the field was in 1910, and its history runs from the early pioneers through both world wars.
Have lunch in the terminal and watch the light aircraft come and go.
The 1936 terminal
The terminal opened on 13 June 1936 as the Brighton, Hove and Worthing Joint Municipal Airport, shared by the three towns. With its original Art Deco features, it still stands proud today, in the airport’s words. A historic hangar on the site is Grade II listed.
A star of the screen
Because so little has changed, the terminal has been used again and again as a period location for film and television; the airport has appeared in ITV’s Agatha Christie’s Poirot, standing in for the airfields of the 1930s.
Visiting today
Inside, the Hummingbird Restaurant is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea, with views of the runway. The airport’s visitor centre tells its hundred-year story, and guided tours of about an hour can be booked: call ahead on the number on its history page. Flight schools and sightseeing operators are based on the field.
Remembering 2015
On 22 August 2015, a vintage jet taking part in the Shoreham Airshow crashed onto the A27 beside the airport, and eleven people on the road and nearby lost their lives (Air Accidents Investigation Branch report 1/2017). They are remembered in Shoreham.
Our advice: come by train to Shoreham-by-Sea, about 15 minutes from Brighton, and walk over the footbridge and along the river.
Why it's on our list
- Since 1910
- The 1936 terminal
- A star of the screen
- Visiting today
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Brighton City Airport: the Art Deco terminal and Poirot before you go.
What’s nearby
Distances from Brighton City Airport: the Art Deco terminal and Poirot are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 15 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.
Nearest railway stations
- Shoreham-by-SeaRail1.0 mi20 min walk
Key sights
- Hove Lawns5.7 miCycle 37 minCar or taxi 29 min
- Preston Park6.1 miCycle 39 minCar or taxi 31 min
- Brighton i3606.3 miCycle 41 minCar or taxi 32 min
- The Lanes6.8 miCycle 44 minCar or taxi 34 min
- The North Laine6.8 miCycle 44 minCar or taxi 34 min
- Brighton Dome6.8 miCycle 44 minCar or taxi 34 min
- Royal Pavilion6.9 miCycle 44 minCar or taxi 34 min
- Palace Pier7.0 miCycle 45 minCar or taxi 35 min
Railway stations
- Hove station5.4 miCycle 35 minCar or taxi 28 min
- Preston Park station6.1 miCycle 39 minCar or taxi 31 min
- Brighton station6.7 miCycle 43 minCar or taxi 33 min
- London Road (Brighton) station6.9 miCycle 44 minCar or taxi 34 min