Bentley Priory Museum

February Half-Term: Pilot and Plotter Puppets
2020-02-17 11:00 - 15:00, 2020-02-15 11:00 - 15:00 UTC
Create you own Battle of Britain themed puppets – pilots, plotters and aeroplanes.
Available on our open days between Saturday 15th – Saturday 22nd February, 11am – 3pm.
Included in Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Drop in session, no need to book.

Volunteer Open Day
2020-02-11 11:00 - 15:00
Love history? Passionate about engaging people of all ages?
Or perhaps you’re green-fingered or simply mad about scrumptious cakes!
Whatever you enjoy, we have a volunteering opportunity for you!
Volunteering is a great way to get involved with your local community, make new friends, learn new skills and develop your passion!
Come along to the Museum on Tuesday 11th February 2020 to meet our volunteers and find out what volunteering at Bentley Priory Museum is all about!
We are running a morning (11am-12.30pm) and an afternoon (1.30pm-3pm) drop in session, click here to book your place now!
Volunteer opportunities available include:

Hospitality Volunteer in our popular vintage cafe
Reception Volunteer
Garden Volunteer
Family Activities Volunteer
Room Steward
Tour Guide

FULLY BOOKED: Friday Morning Talks: The Siege of Malta
2020-02-07 11:00 - 12:00
Join us for another Friday Morning Talk, when speaker Aldon Ferguson will share the story of the assault, defence and ultimate relief of the Siege of Malta by November 1942.
Malta was located in a strategically vital location in the Mediterranean in WWII, disrupting the Axis routes to North Africa. The Axis resolved to bomb or starve Malta into submission, by attacking its ports, towns, cities, and Allied shipping supplying the island.
Malta was one of the most intensively bombed areas during the war suffering a total of 3,000 bombing raids, dropping 6,700 tons of bombs on the Grand Harbour area alone.
By Aldon Ferguson
Included in Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Reserve Your Place

Friday Morning Talks: Evolution of a Family Home: Bentley Priory through its architectural alterations
2020-01-24 11:00 - 12:00
Please note: Due to unforeseen circumstances, the speaker and subject for this Friday Morning Talk has changed.
We will now be joined by Natasha Brown, architect and Museum Trustee, who will explore the varied history of Bentley Priory through its evolving architecture.
By Natasha Brown
Included in Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Reserve Your Place

Winter Closure
2019-12-16 - 2020-01-19
The Museum will be closed from Monday 16th December 2019 for the winter period.
The Museum will reopen on Monday 20th January 2020.

FULLY BOOKED: Harrow Apollo Male Choir Festive Concert
2019-12-08 14:00 - 17:00
Please note that the Festive Concert is now fully booked. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
We will be welcoming back Harrow Apollo Male Choir on Sunday 8th December for their annual Festive Concert at the Museum.
Harrow Apollo Male Choir will perform festive favourites in the Museum’s spectacular Operations Room.
Tickets include mince pie and mulled wine/juice at the interval.
Ticket costs:

Adults: £16
Concessions: £13
Children (Aged 6-16) £7
Under 5’s: £4

£1 from each ticket supports Harrow Apollo Male Choir.
The concert starts at 3pm. The Museum will open at 2pm to allow time to look around the Museum galleries.
Book online here or call 020 8950 5526.

FULLY BOOKED: Meet Father Christmas
2019-12-07 11:00 - 14:00
Please Note: This event is now FULLY BOOKED.

Drop into the Museum between 11am – 2pm and get into the festive spirit with a visit to meet Father Christmas!
Child ticket: £9
Each ticket includes meeting Father Christmas, receiving a gift, seasonal art & craft activities, and free admission to the Museum for 1 child & 1 accompanying adult.
Advanced tickets required by Tuesday 3 December 2019.
Book online here or call 020 8950 5526 to book.

Friday Morning Talks: Combat Stress 100th Anniversary Commemorative Film
2019-12-06 11:00 - 12:00
Join us this Friday for a unique opportunity to see a film made by British veterans in 2019 about their experience of living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Founded in 1919, Combat Stress, the UK’s oldest military mental health charity, marks its centenary this year by partnering with the reminiscence charity Age Exchange.
Together they have travelled across the UK and worked with veterans who have received treatment by Combat Stress for PTSD. With great courage and commitment, veterans have shared their story of combating mental illness, their treatment and support by Combat Stress and their families.

This film is part of a new Living Archive of veterans interviews which will rest with Combat Stress and serve as a resource for all those wanting to learn about military service related PTSD in future years.
As part of the screening, Age Exchange Project Director for Combat Stress 100, David Savill, will introduce the film and participate in a Q & A with the audience.
Please note: The film lasts 1 hour, and there will be additional time available for questions afterwards.

By David Savill
Included in Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Reserve Your Place
https://www.age-exchange.org.uk/combat-stress-commemorates-centenary-by-launching-living-archive-project-with-age-exchange/

FREE Entry with NLHF #ThanksToYou Campaign
2019-11-30 10:00 - 17:00, 2019-11-29 10:00 - 17:00, 2019-11-27 10:00 - 17:00, 2019-11-25 10:00 - 17:00
We’re delighted to announce that we will be opening for FREE on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday of the week 25th – 30th November 2019 as part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund #ThanksToYou initiative. Terms & Conditions apply.
Free admission will apply to those who have a valid Lotto ticket/scratchcard.
We’re proud to be joining many National Lottery funded visitor attractions across the UK in saying “Thanks To You” to people who’ve raised so much for good causes by buying a National Lottery ticket.
Terms and Conditions:

Visitors must present one valid Lotto ticket/scratchcard per person.
Tickets for Lotto, Euromillions, Thunderball and HotPicks are all valid. Tickets for any other Lottery do not apply.
Tickets/Scratchcards must be valid for the week of the 25th – 30th November 2019.
Scratchcards must be unused.
Lotto tickets must be original. Photocopies are not valid.
Digital tickets are valid. Please present an email confirmation or receipt of purchase.

Friday Morning Talks: James Nicolson VC
2019-11-22 11:00 - 12:00
Join us for a talk from Jim Nicolson, whose uncle, James Nicolson, was the only Fighter Command pilot in the whole of the Second World War to be awarded the Victoria Cross.
The talk will focus on James Nicolson’s early war experiences; the action which merited the award of the Victoria Cross; and then life for him and his wife after the award.
By Jim Nicolson
About Jim Nicolson
Jim served for thirty years as a police officer, serving most of his time in Soho, Stoke Newington, Hackney and Holloway, before moving to Hertfordshire from where he retired in 2002, as the Assistant Chief Constable. He then worked in Thurrock, Essex, for the local Council supervising the multi-agency response to drug and alcohol addiction; gang crime; modern day slavery; and domestic and sexual violence. He now chairs the Thurrock Safeguarding Adult Board.
He has been a keen student of military history, particularly aviation and the Great War for many years and regularly takes groups of up to 50 people around the battlefields of the Somme.
Included in Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Reserve Your Place

Friday Morning Talks: The Jewish Contribution to the Royal Flying Corps during WW1
2019-11-08 11:00 - 12:00
Join us for another Friday Morning Talk, commemorating the Jewish contribution to the RFC during WW1, by Dr Ronnie Fraser.
This timely talk, taking place just before Armistice Day, will explore the involvement of British Jews with the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War.
Of the 50,000 Jews who served in the British Armed Forces, approximately 2000 Jews served with the RFC and RNAS.
The Jewish experience of the war was both glorious and inglorious, full of bravery and the mundane, and, in common with other communities within British society, suffered the loss of many of their young men.
By Dr Ronnie Fraser

About Dr Ronnie Fraser
Dr Ronnie Fraser is a researcher for the website ‘British Jews in the First World War – We Were There Too’.

Included in Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Reserve Your Place

October Half-Term: Things That Go Bump in the Night
2019-11-02 11:00 - 15:00, 2019-11-01 11:00 - 15:00, 2019-10-30 11:00 - 15:00, 2019-10-28 11:00 - 15:00, 2019-10-26 11:00 - 15:00, 2019-10-25 11:00 - 15:00, 2019-10-23 11:00 - 15:00, 2019-10-21 11:00 - 15:00 and 1 more date
Get crafty with our Halloween bat themed activity, suitable for children of all ages.
Available on our open days between Saturday 19 October – Saturday 2 November, 11am – 3pm.
Included in Museum Admission or Annual Membership. Drop in activity, no need to book.

FULLY BOOKED. FMT: Wg Cdr George Melville-Jackson, Battle of Britain Pilot & Beaufighter Ace
2019-10-18 11:00 - 12:00
Please note that this talk is now FULLY BOOKED. Places cannot be guaranteed for drop in visitors without a reservation. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Join us for another Friday Morning Talk, by Sqn Ldr (rtd) Andrew Melville-Jackson.
Discover the story of Wing Commander George Holmes Melville-Jackson, fighter pilot, sailor and historian – from his German girlfriend, to joining the RAF Volunteer Reserve, flying in the Battle of Britain, to how he became a Beaufighter ace and the turn of events that led to him joining the ‘Most Secret Squadron’ and the exciting story behind Barnes Wallis and 618 Squadron in the North Atlantic and Pacific.
By Sqn Ldr (rtd) Andrew Melville-Jackson
Included in Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Reserve Your Place

FULLY BOOKED. Friday Morning Talks: Women Pilots of the Second World War
2019-10-11 11:00 - 12:00
Please note that this talk is now FULLY BOOKED. Places cannot be guaranteed for drop in visitors without a reservation. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Join us for a talk from historian and author Melody Foreman, who will explore the history of women in flight, from those who flew in combat during the First World War, the female aviators who broke flying records in the 1920s and 1930s, to the Air Transport Auxiliary and the role of women pilots and engineers, many from overseas, who ferried up to 186 varieties of aircraft to the RAF airfields across Britain. The talk will also explore four regiments of women pilots who were permitted to fly in combat with the Luftwaffe.
By Melody Foreman
Included in Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Reserve Your Place

FULLY BOOKED. Friday Morning Talks: 'No.11 Group of RAF Fighter Command'
2019-09-27 11:00 - 12:00
Please note that this talk is now FULLY BOOKED. Places cannot be guaranteed for drop in visitors without a reservation. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
This week, we welcome back David ‘Dai’ Lawrence SNCO, who will share a definitive account of the precise intricacies and workings into RAF Fighter Command’s best kept wartime secret, No.11 Group, and the Bunker that ensured victory for Britain and the Royal Air Force in our defining moment, the Battle of Britain.
By Dai Lawrence
Included in Museum admission, Annual Membership, or £5 donation.
Reserve Your Place

Heritage Open Day Tours (FULLY BOOKED)
2019-09-19 11:00 - 14:00
Please Note: These tours are now Fully Booked.

Join us for a free tour of Bentley Priory Museum as part of Heritage Open Days 2019!

Come along on Thursday 19th September 2019 for a free Museum tour: Bentley Priory: From Where The Battle of Britain Was Won
This tour is available at 11am and 2pm. Please choose a time slot when booking.
How to Book: Book online here, or call 020 8950 5526.
Tour attendees for the 11am tour will have access to the Museum between 10am – 1.30pm.
Tour attendees for the 2pm tour will have access to the Museum between 1.30pm – 5pm.
The Museum galleries, gardens, temporary exhibition, shop and cafe will be available to visit during your booked timeslot.
Tour size: Max. 25 people.
Pre-booked tickets required. Places are booked on a first come, first served basis.

Battle of Britain Film Screening
2019-09-15 11:00 - 17:00
Come along to a special screening of the 1969 film Battle of Britain!
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain classic film, featuring Laurence Olivier as ACM Hugh Dowding and partially filmed at RAF Bentley Priory.
Screenings at 11.30am and 2.30pm. Please select your preferred time when booking your ticket.
Entry to 11.30am screening from 11am.
Entry to 2.30pm screening from 2pm.
Tickets
Adults: £14
Concessions: £12
Children: £9
Film Rating: PG. Film Duration 2 hrs 12 mins.
Advance tickets required. Book online, by phone on 020 8950 5526 or at the Museum Reception.
Ice cream, snacks and drinks will be available to purchase on the day.

FULLY BOOKED: Battle of Britain Commemorative Day
2019-09-14 10:00 - 17:00
Please note, we have been advised that the flypast is now planned for 3.00pm on Saturday, subject to weather conditions and operational changes.

Join us for our annual commemorative Battle of Britain Day on Saturday 14th September 2019.
There will be 1940s themed entertainment and activities for all the family, including:
– Spitfire flypast at 12.00 midday* 3.00pm*
– Operations Room Re-enactment Performances
– Royal Observer Corps Historical Display
– Fighter Dispersal Historical Display
– ‘Pop up’ Talks
– Family Activities
– Navigation and flight planning activities from The Aviatrix Project
– Outdoor Games**

*Operations & Weather permitting. Please note: the timing is set by the BBMF and is subject to change.
**Weather permitting
Please download the Programme here.
Special reduced prices for the Commemorative Day:
Adults: £7
Concessions & Military: £6
12-16 year olds: £3
Children 11 and under: Free
Advance tickets required.
