Stroxton Lodge
STROXTON LODGE: Private airstrip
I have had this listing for quite a long time, and trying to find out where the strip was located seemed a hopeless task. That is, until Mike Holder, a great friend of this 'Guide', discovered the newspaper article below in August 2022. We had both looked at and wondered if it was possibly what looks like evidence in the Google Earth © picture from 1999? But why would anybody need a 950 metre runway for Austers and a Tiger Moth?
The article provides the ideal answer. If visitors are being invited, especially for an event such as the Lincolnshire Show, a runway that could easily cope with most light twins, is without much if any doubt, the solution to our problem - and, it lies alongside the road that leads to Grantham. This said of course, we still cannot be entirely certain, even if it does seem to 'fit the bill' perfectly. If anybody can kindly offer advice and information, this will be much appreciated.
Note: The newspaper article was published in the Nottingham Evening Post on the 4th June 1952. The local area view is from my Google Earth © derived database.
Location: Just NNW of Stroxton village which is about 1.5nm W of the A1, about 3nm SSW of Grantham town centre
Period of operation: 1948 to mid 1970s?
Runway: (Assuming we are correct?) 04/22 950 grass
NOTES: It seems that the Auster 5 type was very much the flavour here for many years, with three examples found. The first is the Taylorcraft Auster 5 G-AKWT (ex MT360) which was based here, registered to Mr V G Manton, (with this address), from 01.04.48 until 03.10.48. It crashed at TOLLERTON on 07.08.48 so was presumably kept here as a source of spares. It appears that in 1977 this aircraft was then 'registered' as belonging to the Humberside Aircraft Preservation Society. (See comment below)
Clearly Mr Manton was a big fan of the type as he registered another Taylorcraft Auster 5, G-ALBK (ex RT644) from 03.06.48 to 15.12.75. It appears that another example, this being the Auster 5 Alpha, G-AOVW, registered to Mr B Marriott, (with an address in Grantham), from 27.01.70 to 28.07.21, was based here until the mid 1970s, when the airstrip became disused?
It also seems that the de Havilland DH82A Tiger Moth G-ADIA was here, at least from 1972 to perhaps 1978? Built in 1935, it was impressed during WW2 as BB747 - and survived! This was registered to Mr R M Kilvington from 17.02.72 until 01.02.78, with an address in Geneva, Switzerland.
Brian Stafford
This comment was written on: 2016-11-23 21:23:50G-AKWT was indeed based here, although it was only a damaged frame and a set of engine cowlings. It had been used for spares for a number of Austers that had been bought post war by the owner of the farm ( Stroxton Lodge). It was removed by myself and is now in the Newark area in store
Reply from Dick Flute:
Dear Brian, Many thanks for taking the time and trouble to inform us about this. Best regards, Dick
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