2017 – 045 Desecration of Biggin Hill Memorial Chapel

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Please keep your emails going to the Heritage Lottery Fund (who are financing this travesty) and also Bromley Council. But now please copy in Historic England as well.

I know some of you have received ‘nonsense’ replies from the London Borough of Bromley. If you have any doubts about what we have said, please google the official Historic England Listing for the Memorial Chapel, Entry No 1391588. The detailed description of the North Chapel or Vestry starts: ‘The large Chapel to the N is detailed in a more complex way….’ The ‘oculus’ it then goes on to mention is the Air Crew Association stained glass window.

The Chapel has only been listed once, that being in 2005 and the Listing is for the COMPLETE building, comprising the Main Chapel, the St George’s Room and the Vestry, which is a fine brick building designed by acclaimed Architects Purcell Miller Tritton. It covers some 70 square metres, the largest component of which is described on the plans as the ‘Choir Vestry’. It was completed at the time of the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain and was built because it had been noted that the Chapel was lacking in its facilities and it incorporates a small boiler room to make the Chapel independent heating wise. The complete Chapel is ‘modern’ in Listed Building terms, as it is all post war, and demolition of the Vestry is part demolition of the Listed building.

The Leader of the Council has also made comments to emailers on the matter of the ‘filibustering’, perhaps he should contact his own Mayor on the subject, who has emailed us on this matter and is in no doubt as to what happened.

I hope you all agree that the demolition of the Vestry and replacing it with an ugly inadequate building, despised by the public, is misappropriation of Lottery funds.

CAN YOU HELP US GET THIS INTO THE PRESS ?!?

With your help we can still get this madness stopped and convince the Council to give us a Museum building ‘Worthy’ of the most famous RAF Station in the world, Biggin Hill, the ‘Strongest Link’.

Email addresses:  StuartH@hlf.org.uk  and  Breda.Daly@historicengland.org.uk

Copy to:  Colin.Smith@bromley.gov.uk  and  doug.patterson@bromley.gov.uk

Please feel free to email me:  rcr.knockholt@btinternet.com

Kindest regards

Rita Radford

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/protect-biggin-hill-st-george-s-raf-chapel-of-remembrance

Last night we were were denied asking on your behalf our pre-booked oral questions at a Full Council Meeting of London Borough of Bromley. The newly appointed Deputy Leader deviously ‘filibustered’ us, by waffling on and using up all the available time responding to questions on another matter. The Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive appeared to be complicit in this manoeuvre, making no attempt to curb his ramblings.

One of the important issues we were to raise was whether it was morally correct that Heritage Lottery money should be used to demolish part of the Listed Chapel. The Council have been granted nearly £2M of Heritage Lottery money for this divisive scheme. If you think that this is wrong, as I do, will you please email the Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund, Stuart Hobley, and copy in the Leader of the Council, and his Chief Executive. Just a sentence or two and if you don’t get a reply, please send it again. Their email addresses are:

StuartH@hlf.org.uk

Colin.Smith@bromley.gov.uk

doug.patterson@bromley.gov.uk

Scaffolding was erected yesterday around the Vestry and stripping out of the interior has started today, despite the Local Government Ombudsman not having received the information he requested from the Council to start his investigation into their planning procedures!! 

So sorry to bring such bad news, but please do email the people above to show your disapproval.

Rita

www.https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/protect-biggin-hill-st-george-s-raf-chapel-of-remembrance

Rita Radford started this campaign on the 38 Degrees Campaigns by You website. If there’s an issue close to your heart that you’d like to campaign on, you can start your campaign here.

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