Did you know that Colindale was once the home of the world’s largest aircraft manufacturing company? Stand here, where the bustling streets now lie, and try to picture the towering Airco factory, a behemoth of its time. Before the First World War, Colindale was a quiet village, but the war, with its hunger for engines, turned it into an aeronautical hub. Pilots trained here, and aircraft, like the Airco DH.5, were built in these very fields.
The area was then called Collin Deep, named after a 16th-century family. There were just a few cottages and a farm here, and life was tranquil, but that all changed with the advent of the war. It was the perfect location for Airco. Land was plentiful, and it was easily accessible from London via the Edgware Road. The factory was immense, spanning acres and a half, employing thousands to build these aircraft, which would eventually be used in the Great War.
The war ended, and the demand for aircraft dwindled. Airco was bought by General Motors, and Colindale began a new chapter. Factories sprang up, producing everything from fridges to illuminated signs. Colindale was transformed from a village into a thriving industrial district, its history etched in these streets. Today, the echo of the Airco factory lingers in the air, just a whisper, but it’s a testimony to a time when Colindale held the fate of the skies in its hands.