Note: This is a guided tour with tea and cake to finish.
Date/Time: Wednesday, 19th June 2024 at 13:15
Location: Biggin Hill Memorial Museum, Main Road, Biggin Hill, Kent, TN16 3EJ
Price: £15 per person. Member and guest £30.
Event Organiser: Derrick Daines. 22 Fulford Road, Caterham CR3 5SQ
The museum story begins over 100 years ago when RAF Biggin Hill was just farmland. Its high altitude and strategically important location between London and continental Europe destined it to become the most important airfield of the Battle of Britain, laying the foundation for the European landscape as we know it today. One of Britain’s oldest aerodromes, RAF Biggin Hill is still internationally recognised as Sir Winston Churchill’s ‘strongest link’.
St George’s RAF Chapel of Remembrance was built in 1951 to preserve the legacy of those who served and died at Biggin Hill during the Second World War. Sir Winston Churchill led the fund-raising campaign to build the chapel. Today it supports active weekly worship on the original RAF base and features: a consecrated garden with the interred ashes of RAF personnel; two aircraft; ‘Gate Guardians’ guarding the chapel; the original airstrip behind the Chapel; and an active RAF Squadron (Biggin Hill ATC) sharing the same site.
Our guided tours will commence at 1:30pm. We will split into two groups: One will visit the museum while the other visits the chapel. After 45 minutes the two groups will swap over. During the museum tour we will hear the story of Britain’s most famous fighter station through the personal experiences of those who served there.
After the tours we will visit the Nightingale café for tea, coffee and cakes (included in your ticket price). You may then want to explore the gardens and the tranquil Garden of Remembrance.
Travel Note
The museum is within the London Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).
Other Things to See in the Area
The Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar is within the perimeter of the Biggin Hill airfield (just 5 minutes drive from the museum), boasting an impressive collection of flying Spitfires and Hurricanes, some under repair or restoration – see www.bigginhillheritagehangar.co.uk for details and entrance price.
For those who have English Heritage or National Trust memberships you will find a number of properties you could visit within 10-30 minutes drive of Biggin Hill. For a list, see https://bigginhillmuseum.com/visit/in-the-area/.
Event Booking
Please note that all bookings are subject to our Event Booking Rules.
The standard, printable event booking sheet is downloadable here.