Bentley Priory Appeal

Bit late maybe….

Help to save the Priory
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/BentleyPriory/

Unfortunately in this great country of ours the past is just that. The events of WW2, the people and places are of little interest to the majority. I was the resident telephone engineer at Bentley Priory during the early 1980’s, a fascinating place full of history and artefacts, shame the National Trust didn’t get involved.

anyone know wether they have been involved or contacted as such?

Unfortunately in this great country of ours the past is just that. The events of WW2, the people and places are of little interest to the majority. I was the resident telephone engineer at Bentley Priory during the early 1980’s, a fascinating place full of history and artefacts, shame the National Trust didn’t get involved.

Since the press interest for the fate of Bentley Priory has been rather shallow, here’s my humble contribution. I’ll try to involve other blogs on the web, too.

http://www.spitfiresite.com/blog/2008/01/uncertain-future-of-bentley-priory.html

Seems likely some well heeeled merchant banker may end up with the awesome view over London as featured in the BofB film, when Dowding walks out onto his office balcony..:mad:

I believe it was just such an individual that caused it to be built in the first place, the RAF coming in to the scene some time later, in 1926!

Unfortunately old buildings often become redundant in their current use and new uses need to be found for them. In the past the solution has often been to simply develop and build anew. This is a process quite familiar to Georgian and Victorian developers (ironically it is their products we now strive to preserve). The problem really is the way in which the new uses are intergrated with the need to preserve the historic fabric, contents and setting of the building. In the case of the Priory the interior, mainly by the iconic architect Sir John Soane, has, I understand, lost many of its details in a fire some years ago, although the shape and proportion of those rooms are quite intact. More important to the aviation historian are those rooms associated with the occupation of Fighter Command in WWII and this presents some difficulties to the MOD if they wish to maximise the value of the property to developers but at the same time win planning and listed building (its grade II*) consent for the development, vital if the sale is to proceed. The fact that these consents have to be obtained is the key to the preservation of the principal Fighter Command/WWII rooms, most significantly the entrance and Lord Dowding’s office. It is most unlikely in my opinion that consents will be forthcoming without the presentation of a sustainable scheme to preserve these rooms and make them available for public view.

Fortunatley the appointed architects, Robert Adam Architects are highly skilled and experienced in dealing with such treaured buildings and historic settings. I worked as a senior associate of this firm over a period of eight years and I am familiar with the excellent work they are capable of. The new houses in the grounds will, I am sure, be sensitivley and carefully designed to complement the mansion, Adam being a great admirer of Soane.

Its sad that things have to move on and change but often they must. If however the process of change is carefully managed and implemented it can be, in the case of a wonderful historic building such as Bentley Priory, vital for its long term preservation.

I shall watch the development of this sale with interest.

This mite sound a silly question but could some sort of group be set up to put money into securing the site then opeing it up as a museum of some sort?

(note: i havent read all of the texts yet so if it has been said then just ognore me)
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Just posted this in the comments following this article – only hope it helps.

“It was the foresight of the man, who led and co-ordinated RAF Fighter Command from here, Sir Hugh, later Lord Dowding, that prevented the Luftwaffe from gaining air superiority over southern England in the summer of 1940. Had it done so a Nazi invasion of Britain would almost certainly have followed and it might well have succeeded. Our world would now be a very different place. Forced, therefore to cancel the invasion of Britain, Hitler turned his full attention to the Soviet Union and took the first steps towards sealing Nazi Germany’s ultimate defeat in WWII. Thus Bentley Priory is arguably the most important building in the 20th century history of the UK. Whoever is responsible for allowing its sale in this way is guilty, I would suggest of callous ignorance.”

The article Paul F refers to can be found here, as he said quite a good read.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/main.jhtml?xml=/property/2008/01/27/pbattle127.xml

The whole thing is a real shame, the RAF have obviously iddentified a site that would generate a large amount of money fro its sale, and good old Bentley is it.
I really hope something of it gets preserved, and hopefully partly opens up to public access.

Funny, the “current” thread on the fate of B-P’s gate guardian Lightning XM173 generates interest, yet the fate of Bentley Priory itself seems of less concern?

Anyway, the body trying to negotiate and save the significant rooms as part of possible BofB museum on the site is the “Bentley Priory Battle of Britain Trust” (BPBBT), and Sqn Ldr Bamberger is one of the BofB veterans involved. Harrow Council, and VSM Estates (selling the property on behalf of MoD) are hopeful that a compromise can be found.

Paul F

Bump – Any one see the Sunday Telegraph last w/end?

The property section carried a half page photo of Bentley Priory, including the GRP Spitfire replica on a pole, and quite a good article about the current plans to develop the place into seven or eight “top end” apartments 🙁 .

Various bodies are trying to save some of the more historically significant rooms, such as Dowdings office, from the developers, with plans to open them as a permanent BofB museum. Of course, this may not go down too well with those who wish to buy the proposed apartments, they won’t want the great unwashed hordes cluttering up the areas just outside their luxury pads…..

Seems likely some well heeeled merchant banker may end up with the awesome view over London as featured in the BofB film, when Dowding walks out onto his office balcony..:mad:

Not sure what we can do, except get behind the groups trying to save some of the place as a museum.

Paul F