Bentley Priory Museum are thrilled to have secured a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to record and share the memories of RAF and WAAF personnel who worked in the Top Secret Bunker at RAF Bentley Priory, focusing on the key historical periods of the Battle of Britain in 1940 and the Cold War from 1945 to 1991.
The underground bunker was completed in haste in 1940 as Nazi Germany threatened to invade Britain and was developed for use throughout the Cold War period as political tensions remained high. Personnel within the bunker at Bentley Priory during both historical periods were responsible for identifying enemy encroachment of British airspace and co-ordinating the RAF’s response. After nearly 70 years of internationally important work, the bunker closed in 2008 when the RAF left Bentley Priory.
Temporary Exhibition
Now open!
The bunker temporary exhibition is now open at the Museum.
Come and hear first-hand accounts of what it was like working in the bunker from those who knew it best.
Podcasts
For those who are unable to visit the Museum at this time, volunteers are creating a podcast series featuring their oral history interviews.
Episode 1: Welcome to Bentley Priory – Defending Britain from Nazi & Nuclear Threat
Episode 2: Down the Hole
Episode 3: Intercept
Episode 4: The Artist
Episode 5: Eyes and Ears – the ROC part 1
Episode 6: Eyes and Ears – the ROC part 2
Episode 7: Eyes and Ears – the ROC part 3
Episode 8: In Conversation with Jim Bee and Paul Smith
Episode 9: The Dowding System with Air Marshal Cliff Spink
Online Talks
As part of the project, a series of online talks are being delivered. Please enjoy them in your own time here.
Bentley Priory Museum Online Talks: The Berlin Blockade and Air Lift, 1948 – 1949, by Aldon Ferguson
Bentley Priory Museum Online Talks: Britain’s Vietnam War, by Stuart Hadaway
Bentley Priory Museum Online Talks: Iron Lady or Iron Chancellor? by Alastair Noble
What’s On
Opening Hours & Admission