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By: - 12th June 2018 at 22:55 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The whole sag is disgusting. I fear for the long term future of the airfield, as its price must be colossal.
By: - 13th June 2018 at 00:54 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Have just tried to sign the petition. Unfortunately being in Perth, Western Australia, it wasn't accepted. As a boy went to the Biggin Hill Air Fair 1968 and visited the Chapel. This isn't progress. Regards SteveJ
By: - 13th June 2018 at 04:48 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
So sad.
By: - 13th June 2018 at 11:14 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
There are times I feel ashamed to be British when I read articles like this.
By: - 13th June 2018 at 11:42 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Being a bit of a late-comer to this issue and coming from an Architectural background, I should like to say that Rita's pictures illustrate what I would expect to see when I visit a site. The part demolished structure I note, is a later 1990s addition to the original listed structure. I have been fortunate to work on a few churches over the years and have dealt with the preservation and restoration of historic stained and painted glass as part of that experience. I am sure that as the demolition of the vestry appears to have been done with care, course by course, the window will have been carefully removed and stored. Should repairs be required, I can assure you that there is a healthy body of professional stained glass restorers around the country and that, incidentally, there is also a good number of younger people training in historic building practices for the future.
The thing that I find utterly despicable, is the fact that a place of remembrance, respect and quiet reflection (building and grounds), is being turned into part of a tourist attraction in the first place - surely, there would have been an alternative place to site a museum, not too far away?
By: - 13th June 2018 at 12:17 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I’m sure that I’ll be unpopular for saying this but isn’t a bit late for a petition? The demolition work for the redevelopment has pretty much happened, I presume the building work is about to begin and the chapel should be reopening in later in the year.
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I can understand that some people may not like the redevelopment but I’m bet there were people who looked at the plans for of the 1950s or 1990s structures and didn’t like what they saw.
I’m now donning my battle bowler in preparation of the inevitable incoming.
Anne
By: - 13th June 2018 at 12:22 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I quite agree Anne. I actually think that the contrast between the new and old structures will work quite well, I just think it was insensitive that the siting of the museum was to be there in the first place?
Edit: Having just read through some the planning documentation, I now understand that the museum is a memorial museum, in which case the siting would seem appropriate (although the description memorial museum is a little woolly). It would also lead one to believe that the stained glass window would have been treated carefully and, will hopefully be preserved in the museum?
By: - 13th June 2018 at 13:10 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
From Mayhem Marshy
"The thing that I find utterly despicable, is the fact that a place of remembrance, respect and quiet reflection (building and grounds), is being turned into part of a tourist attraction in the first place - surely, there would have been an alternative place to site a museum, not too far away?"
There is a much better location on the other side of the airfield with original wartime structures, one quite unusual and one slowly rotting away. This could be turned into a bigger and better museum at less cost than the memorial museum.
By: - 14th June 2018 at 09:51 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The online petition has been going much longer. What is also sad is how few people could be bothered to sign it. If people had visited the chapel, as was, they would have been compelled to sign it. I spent several visits, sat in silent contemplation of the giants who were commemorated there and on whose shoulders our past, present and future lies.
Posts: 4
By: Doctor Rita - 8th June 2018 at 13:13 - Edited 2nd October 2019 at 11:40
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Hi All,
I am taking the opportunity to update everyone as to what has happened at the Chapel over the last six months and to ask everyone to still sign the petition in disgust if you have yet to do so. I think the series of pictures tells the story, keep clicking on each image to enlarge it. The first is the Vestry, part of the Grade II listed Chapel and the flowering Cherry both now gone. Then the AirCrew Association stained glass window in the Vestry, its condition and fate is currently unknown to us, we can only hope it was removed without damage. The third picture is the demolition in process and the next is how the Chapel looks now since the cutting down of all the trees and shrubs during April 2018, even the Irish yews have been removed. Since 1951 the RAF Community had planted many of these trees and shrubs in memory of the pilots that died during World War 2, creating an oasis of tranquility on the Airfield. The final photo is how we will all remember the Chapel, it is actually the image the Council and their BHMM Trust used to fraudulently promote their plans! Please click here for additional information and to sign my petition:
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/protect-biggin-hill-st-george-s-raf-chapel-of-remembrance
Kind regards, Rita