There has been an ongoing fight against Bromley Council who have made the decision to demolish the Vestry at Biggin Hill airfield, to make room for a new museum.
Concerns are not with the museum itself, in fact there have been calls for one for over 30 years, but they are with the current design of the building which campaigners say, “is not sympathetic to the original building”.
The Grade 2 listed Chapel was built under instruction from Winston Churchill in 1951 as a dedication to those who fought in the great Battle over southern England.
A petition was recently set up by local people, which so far, has reached nearly 21,000 signatures, and was handed to the Government earlier this month. Protesters also say that once open, visitors to the chapel will not be able to view the existing stained glass window without payment of the museum entry fee, predicted to be £7.50.
Since then, the Vestry, a building of around 70 sq metres and adjoining the Chapel, has been completely demolished at a cost of £25,000.
It is thought that the Chapel itself will be closed to visitors for around a year whilst the new building is erected.
If you want to know more the petition can be found at:
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/protect-biggin-hill-st-george-s-raf-chapel-of-remembrance
You can also see footage of the news reports though the Downe Village website by scrolling down the front page.
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