gatwick

My parents flew back to Lancashire this afternoon and I used the opportunity to take a few shots of the new departure area at Gatwick Airport. They've moved things round quite a bit since I was last there and I almost got lost trying to get to the old departure area which used to be on the upper concourse.

The name "Gatwick" dates back to 1241, the name of a manor on the site of today's airport until the 19th century that was originally owned by the De Gatwick family. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words gat, 'goat', and wic, 'dairy farm', i.e. 'goat farm'. In 1890, the descendants of the original owners sold the area to the newly established Gatwick Race Course Company. The following year, the new owners opened a racecourse beside the London-Brighton railway, together with a dedicated station including sidings for horse boxes. The course held steeplechase and flat races. During the First World War the course hosted the Grand National.