Bulldozing more than 1,000 years of history in Sipson would be a crime so abhorrent the very thought of it turns the stomach of one historian.

Philip Sherwood lives in Victoria Lane, in the neighbouring village of Harlington, and has done so for all his 80 years.

The author of books including Around Heathrow Past And Present vividly remembers attending his first meeting to oppose any addition to the two runways the airport had back in 1949.

He said: "At that very first meeting I remember thinking the aviation mafia will never give up - and I have been proved right because they have come back time and time again.

"This village is priceless in terms of its history. The churches locally date back to Anglo Saxon times and there has been a village on the site for the last 1,000 years."

Mr Sherwood does not hesitate to identify the church of St Peter and St

Paul, Harlington, as the jewel in the crown of the village's history.

It would stand at the east end of the new runway, and St Mary's Church, Harmondsworth, would be at the western end.

He said: "They are beautiful and have endured for centuries. Although they will physically remain standing they will die as the noise from the planes will make them unusable.

"The thought of bulldozing (Sipson) sickens me. All along, the Government and BAA have said it is only 700 houses which are going to be demolished. But it is not houses, it is homes. There is a difference.

"We are talking about people and families who have lived here for generations and to just sweep it all away in the name of progress is totally wrong.

"The air industry has said if they are not allowed to grow they will die. Rubbish. The water and gas industries don't think like that, they grow in line with demand.

"The analogy I use is that if you plant a tree it grows very quickly at first, sometimes as much as 10ft every 10 years. However, eventually it stops at a particular height and then it matures.

"Airlines seem to think they will go on forever but in the wake of the current economic downturn the number of flights has fallen.

"Does anyone believe a third runway will be the end of the matter for BAA? In a few years it will want a fourth, then a fifth.

"It will not stop, ever. The best hope is the Conservatives coming to power and fulfilling their pledge to scrap the plan."