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Members of the Architecture for Fun group had a great day at the iconic Crowne Plaza hotel at Speke today. The grade II* listed terminal building was converted into a hotel in 2001 and the old airport apron is now home to Speke Aerodrome Heritage Group who hosted our visit today. We were treated to a guided tour of the art deco hotel which has been sympathetically restored by the current owners. Many original photographs of the old Speke airport are displayed and our guides explained how the old building was extended to accommodate the rooms of today, and also how the two aircraft hangars were converted, one into the David Lloyd leisure centre and the other into a call centre which has recently been vacated. The art deco attributes are still visible on the buildings today and the size of the frontage enabled us to see what were the openings of the hangar. Following lunch we returned to the apron and had the opportunity to go aboard some of the many aircraft on permanent display. The hotel owners have given permission for the aircraft to remain in situ and they are all in the process of being lovingly restored by the volunteers who make up the heritage group. We had the chance to view and sit in the pilot seats, and were informed of the history of each plane and how it came to be in its present location.  The jet stream also houses a flight simulator installed on the flight deck which one of the group booked onto. I can only say I’m glad he’s not flying planes as he crashed on landing and the plane ended up upside down on the grass! If you haven’t been to this site I would definitely recommend it especially for a visit with grand children! Open every Saturday for a donation, with the flight simulator available for hire for 15 minutes. Thanks to George for another very interesting and well organised day out.