Crawley, England
Gatwick's Waiting Room
"Where Your Holiday Actually Begins (In A Travelodge)"
Official Coat of Arms
A shield depicting an Airbus A320 in perpetual descent over a roundabout, flanked by two wheelie suitcases rampant, with a Travelodge sign as the crest, and the motto banner reading 'Departures This Way' underneath a stylised rendering of the Broadwalk pedestrian precinct.
TripAdvisor Review
★★★☆☆ 3/5
"Stayed here the night before an early flight and honestly it did exactly what it said on the tin, which is to say nothing at all. The town centre has a lovely 1960s brutalist charm if you squint hard enough while dragging a wheelie case through the rain. County Mall is a fine place to buy last-minute holiday sun cream you forgot, and the constant drone of planes overhead is oddly soothing after a while. Wouldn't go out of my way to visit but if you're flying from Gatwick you have literally no choice."— Barry Suitcase, Luton
Property Listing
Nestled in the vibrant heart of West Sussex, this thriving New Town offers unrivalled connectivity, with the entire world just a short hop from your doorstep via London's second-busiest airport! Enjoy the architectural boldness of post-war town planning and the gentle, rhythmic hum of aircraft as your permanent soundtrack. A commuter's dream and a plane-spotter's paradise, all in one delightfully practical postcode.
Twinned With
Terminal 5 Heathrow — Both are liminal spaces humans pass through while actively wishing they were somewhere else.
Supporting Evidence
Crawley was designated a 'New Town' in 1947 to house London's overspill population, and it grew up almost entirely alongside Gatwick Airport, which opened to commercial flights the same era.