Bentley Priory Museum

Intelligence and Invasion Stripes
2024-05-29 10:00 - 16:00, 2024-05-31 10:00 - 16:00, 2024-06-01 10:00 - 16:00 (Europe/London) | Bentley Priory Museum, Mansion House Drive, Stanmore, HA7 3FB, United Kingdom
May Half-Term: Intelligence & Invasion Stripes
Saturday 25 May – Saturday 1 June, on Museum open days*.
Find out more about the RAF’s role in the D-Day Landings in June 1944 with themed activities in the Museum’s galleries.
*Museum Open Days – Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays + Bank Holiday Monday, 27 May
Included in Admission or Membership.

Remembrances of War
2024-05-29 10:00 - 17:00, 2024-05-31 10:00 - 17:00, 2024-06-01 10:00 - 17:00, 2024-06-05 10:00 - 17:00, 2024-06-07 10:00 - 17:00, 2024-06-08 10:00 - 17:00, 2024-06-12 10:00 - 17:00, 2024-06-14 10:00 - 17:00 and 7 more dates
Paul Joyce has provided the opportunity for Bentley Priory Museum to present, for the first time, his unique collection of pictures inspired by his memories of The Second World War. His paintings combine personal impressions of earth-shattering events with received images, which we have scarcely recovered from eight decades on. His claim to be the sole remaining artist still dealing with the emotional and psychological effects of a conflict which ended with the only time nuclear weapons have been used in battle, is probably accurate. We are pleased to present these unforgettable events, honed by his particular vision, to the public as a premiere event.
Paul Joyce’s work is held in many private and public collections, including: The Royal Collection of Queen Elizabeth the Second; The Department of the Environment, The Arts Council of Great Britain, The Victoria and Albert Museum, The National Portrait Gallery, London, The Tate Gallery, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, The National Museum of Wales in Cardiff, The American Film Institute and The Library of Congress, as well as a number of institutions and universities in the UK, Europe and the United States.
LUCIDA PRODUCTIONS HOMEPAGE

Friday Morning Talks: D-Day (Uxbridge Bunker) -With Dilip Amin
2024-06-07 11:00 - 12:00
Join us for our Friday morning talk, where Dilip Amin’s talk will help us mark the 80th Anniversary of D-Day.
Dilip Amin is a military historian, public speaker, and published author. His previous talk on his book ‘Enemy Sighted’ was widely praised. Hear him now bring the remarkable story of how control of the air was fought for and won in the build up to, and beyond D-Day eighty years ago.
Pivotal to the telling of this story is the 11 Group Operations Room, from where aircraft had been controlled to protect troops at Dunkirk … directed to save Britain from Nazi invasion in the Battle of Britain … and were now coordinated to help the Allies gain a foothold on the beaches of Normandy.

About the speaker:
DILIP AMIN is a retired police chief superintendent, with a life-long interest in military history, military aviation, and the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He volunteers as a tour guide at the Battle of Britain Bunker and relishes the opportunity to share its rich and fascinating story with visitors, bringing its history to life as a tribute to those who served there during the dark days of war. He now puts the investigative and presentational experience gained whilst in the police to good use, devoting much of his time to researching and writing about his field of passion.
This talk will take place onsite in the Museum’s Learning Centre and is included in Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your seat via the link below.
Reserve Your Place

**SOLD OUT - Operation Nep'tune' - A D-Day 80 Commemoration - SOLD OUT**
2024-06-08 15:00 - 15:45
**This Performance has now sold out and is no longer available to book.**
Operation Neptune, better known as D-Day which took place on 6 June 1944, was the operational codename of the naval and assault landings of Operation Overlord (the invasion of and battle for Normandy).
To mark the 80th anniversary, members of Tonic Choir present a collection of songs and readings in the very building where some of the planning for the operation and the progress of the landings were observed on D-Day itself. Visitors on the day included King George VI, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and General Dwight D. Eisenhower – the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe.

From the team that brought you previous Bentley Priory Museum shows: Fighter Command and the Battle for Britain (2015), Beyond the Trenches (2017), Flying without Feathers (2018), The Bentley Priory Chronicles (2023). This performance by members of the Tonic Choir will include many of the best hits from the previous shows.
Approximate running time is 45 minutes.
Performance ticket holder access to the Museum will be available from 2pm. The Museum galleries will be available to view before and after the performance. The café will be open, serving light refreshments before and after the performance until 4.30pm.
Limited seating available, so book early to avoid disappointment! Tickets must be pre-booked for the performance.
Tickets: Adults £10, Children £5.00. This is not included with annual membership.
This performance has now sold out.
Or contact us using the details below if you are unable to book online.
Email: enquiries@bentleypriorymuseum.org.uk | Telephone: 020 8950 5526
Please note: Admission to the Museum on this day for non-performance ticket holders will be limited to 10am – 1pm. Advance booking is not required for normal museum admission.

International Museums on the Air Weekend - With The Radio Society of Harrow
2024-06-15 10:00 - 16:00
Join us to see our friends from the Radio Society of Harrow participating in the International Museums on the Air Weekend.
Take a walk up to the bunker entrance, where you’ll find the radio station operating at the picnic area to mark the ‘International Museums on the Air weekend’. The team there where will be happy to speak to you about what’s going on and who they are as an organisation.
This does not need to be booked and is included with your admission or membership that day when visiting.
More information on the ‘International Museums on the Air weekend’ can be found here: https://www.radio-amateur-events.org/IMW/index.htm
About the Radio Society of Harrow
We are a Club for Amateur Radio enthusiasts
Amateur radio is a popular technical hobby that uses radio frequencies for exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communications. It is the only hobby governed by international treaty. Radio amateurs transmit radio signals on a number of designated frequency bands for various purposes:

Contacting people all over the world
Competing in international competitions to test good you are as an operator
Technical experimentation — many of the leaps forward in radio technology have been initiated by radio amateurs
Communication through amateur satellites or with the International Space Station
Providing communications at times of emergencies

Find out more about them here: https://www.g3efx.org.uk/

Father's Day Lunch
2024-06-15 12:00 - 16:00
Come and enjoy a hearty 2 course Father’s Day ploughman’s lunch on Father’s Day weekend on Saturday 15 June.
£18 Per adult – Includes a glass of Spitfire ale or Wine. (Soft drink alternatives available)
£12 Per Child
Discounted Museum admission available on the day or included with Membership.
Pre-booking required by Wednesday 12th June. Please contact Jackie on groupbookings@bentleypriorymuseum.org.uk or call 0208 950 5526 (Option 4), to book and discuss any dietary requirements.
(Please note that this not available on the Father’s Day Sunday itself)

Friday Morning Talks: The Stanmores and Harrow Weald - Part 2 – With John Williams
2024-06-21 11:00 - 12:00
Join us for our Friday morning talk, where John Williams will be back by popular demand to carry on the journey through our amazing local history.
John will be picking up where he left off in his last talk back in December, as he works his way around the remainder of Stanmore and then on to Harrow Weald. It’s therefore not essential to have attended the first talk.
John is a fountain of knowledge when it comes the history of the local area of the two Stanmores, Great (Magna) and Little (Prava), as well as Harrow Weald. There is a complex and fascinating history to the estate and wider surrounding area that the background of Bentley Priory is very much entwined in. John will talk about the Geology of our area and it’s location, which has contributed to attracting The Great & Good.

This talk will take place onsite in the Museum’s Learning Centre and is included in Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your seat via the link below.
Reserve Your Place

Bushey Festival Tours 2024
2024-07-03 11:00 - 12:00, 2024-07-06 11:00 - 12:00
We are delighted to be taking part in this year’s Bushey Festival!
Join us for a special Museum tour, Bentley Priory: From Where The Battle of Britain Was Won
This tour is available at 11.00am on Wednesday 03rd July and Saturday 06th July 2024. The tours will start promptly at these times, so please arrive 15 minutes in advance to check in at reception. The tour is bookable for children but is aimed at an adult audience.
Tour Duration: approx. 1 hour.
The Museum galleries, gardens, temporary exhibition, shop and cafe will be available to visit following your tour. The Museum closes at 5pm.
Please note: Pre-booked tickets are required. Places are booked on a first come, first served basis.
Book here

Dowding System Day 2024
2024-07-13 10:00 - 16:00
Bentley Priory Museum will welcome back Spitfire display pilot and retired senior Royal Air Force officer AM Cliff Spink to their annual Dowding System Day on Saturday 13 July, to talk about the Spitfire and contemporary aircraft of World War II.
Spink will be joined by Anthony Inglis, discussing his grandfather Air Commodore Ernest Howard-Williams MC, and Sharon Ward who will give an overview of Fighter Command’s two methods of Controlled Interception during the Battle of Britain.
The doors will open at 10am with the galleries available to view before and after the talks until 4pm. Please note that the Museum will be open to Dowding System Day ticket holders only on this day.
The talks will take place in the Operations Room and will run from 11am -1pm and 2pm – 3pm, with a break for lunch from 1pm-2pm.
Beat the rush! – Packed lunches can be pre-ordered and will be available for collection on the day. Please contact visitorexperience@bentleypriorymuseum.org.uk with any dietary requirements. Please note that our café will be open before the talks, during the lunch break and after for snacks and drinks, but will be unable to provide lunches other than those pre-booked.
Tickets and lunches can be purchased here.
Ticket information
We are aware of some visitors experiencing a system payment error when trying to book. Please call 020 8950 5526 or email enquiries@bentleypriorymuseum.org.uk if you experience this error and member of the team will be happy to help.

Pilot Peril and Daring Rescue!
2024-07-20 10:00 - 16:00, 2024-07-24 10:00 - 16:00, 2024-07-26 10:00 - 16:00, 2024-07-27 10:00 - 16:00
Summer Holidays: Pilot Peril and Daring rescue!
Children aged 12 and under go FREE between 20 July – 31 August. T&Cs apply*
Activities across the galleries connected to the RNLI and the rescue of Battle of Britain pilots, including parachutes, signalling and air-sea rescue equipment!
*Maximum two children per paying adult.
Children must be accompanied by an adult
