epw052223 ENGLAND (1936). Shoreham Airport, Lancing, from the south-east, 1936. This image has been produced from a damaged negative.

This is an aerial picture taken during the 2002 Shoreham Airshow. It clearly shows how much the airfield has been developed over the years including tarmac runways and taxiways (the airfield was forever being closed due to water logging and flooding - the new runways have helped enormously here). The original terminal building and control tower, and the adjacent hangar still exist and can be seen in the top of the picture next to the railway line.

Extract from Wikipedia:

Foundation

The first aviator to fly there was Harold Piffard in 1910; a memorial garden celebrates his flight.[4] The aerodrome was officially opened on 20 June 1911. The first flying school opened in 1913.

First World War

During the First World War the aerodrome was used by the Royal Flying Corps. It was the departure point for the first flight (Blériots and BEs) to join the conflict across the Channel.[5]

Inter-war period

The aerodrome became an airport for the adjacent towns of Brighton, Hove and Worthing in the 1930s. A new terminal building was opened on 13 June 1936. It was designed by Stavers Tiltman in the Art Deco style.[6] The terminal building is still in use and was designated a Grade II* listed building in 1984.

Second World War

During the Second World War the airfield operated a variety of military aircraft including Westland Lysanders that were later replaced by Supermarine Spitfires, Hawker Hurricanes, Boulton Paul Defiants and a pair of Bristol Beaufighters. It was an air-sea-rescue base with Supermarine Walrus aircraft joining other wartime activities in the nearby harbour.

The airfield was bombed several times and a Messerschmitt Bf 109 was shot down by ground fire during one such attack, crash-landing near the terminal building.

A B-17 Flying Fortress crash-landed at the airfield after being damaged during a raid on Germany. The consequent damage to the old guardhouse on the north side of the airfield can still be seen.

Post-Second World War

The landing area was entirely grass until a tarmac runway was built in 1981.

In 1949, F G Miles Engineering Ltd moved to Shoreham from Redhill Aerodrome and soon occupied the repaired Municipal Hangar.

Beagle Aircraft Ltd (British Executive & General Aviation Ltd) was formed at Shoreham on 7 October 1960 and design drawings were begun a few weeks later for a new prototype twin-engine light transport aircraft. Built as the Beagle B.206X at Beagle's Rearsby factory near Leicester, this promising new type was completed at Shoreham and first flown by John Nicolson on 15 August 1961. Beagle Aircraft Ltd was nationalised in late 1966 and taken over by the British Motor Corporation but later entered receivership in late 1969 and soon closed down.

In 2006, due to mounting debts the airport was sold by the local authority to a property company on a 150-year lease. It was intended that the airport would provide increasing commercial flight activity for the conurbation on the coast nearby, particularly the city of Brighton & Hove.

The pre-war Municipal Hangar was Listed Grade II in July 2007.

Present

The airport is used by privately owned light aeroplanes, flying schools, and for light aircraft and helicopter maintenance and sales. A number of operators provide sight-seeing and pleasure flights, including the experience of flying in two T-6 Harvard World War II training aircraft.