Bentley Priory Museum in Stanmore welcomes visitors this September to help mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
On Tuesday 15th September, Battle of Britain Day, visitors will be able to join a special Museum tour to discover Bentley Priory’s vital role in the Battle as Headquarters RAF Fighter Command. The hour-long tours will be available for a maximum of 10 people at a time, to enable social distancing through the galleries. The Museum’s delightful vintage cafe and stunning Italian Gardens will be open for attendees to enjoy after the tour. Advanced tickets are required.
The Museum is hosting its annual Battle of Britain Commemorative Day on Saturday 19th September and are delighted to confirm that, in addition to historical displays, re-enactors, pop up talks and family games and activities, a Spitfire flypast will take place at 4.06pm*. Tickets for the Commemorative Day are limited due to COVID-19 so booking early is recommended.
The Museum has put in place careful and thorough measures to ensure visitors’ safety from COVID-19 and, in line with government regulations, visitors are required to wear a face covering.
*Flypast is weather and operations dependent
In collaboration with aviation artist Mark Postlethwaite, Bentley Priory Museum has also produced 80 limited edition signed prints of ‘The Few’ to commemorate the 80th anniversary. The painting depicts an aircraft from every fighter squadron that took part in the Battle of Britain.
The artwork was painted by Postlethwaite at the Museum in 2019, and local families were invited to contribute to the painting during the May half term. At a special function to launch his new book at the Museum, Battle of Britain veteran Archie McInnes also contributed to the painting and signed the reverse. The original painting is now on display at Bentley Priory Museum.
The limited edition prints are available to purchase exclusively from the Museum shop both onsite and via the Museum’s website.
For more information and to book for the Museum tours or Battle of Britain Commemorative Day, visit the Museum’s What’s On webpage: https://bentleypriorymuseum.org.uk/whats-on/
For more information and to purchase prints of ‘The Few’, visit the Museum’s online shop: https://bentleypriorymuseum.org.uk/visit-us/museum-shop/
