BENTLEY PRIORY, STANMORE, GREATER LONDON
reopen, possibly partially, in the late summer. nationaltrust.org.uk/hughenden
“A vital place to visit. It tells the story of Hugh Dowding, who was the commander of everything in the Battle of Britain, and also how he interacted.
“Bentley Priory is a vital node in the system of air defence for the UK. It’s in a glorious position, set above London, and you get to see Dowding’s office as it was. It’s a place to understand how the decisions he made affected the wider battle.”
Bentley Priory reopens on July 18, initially only on Saturdays, 10am-4pm. An 80th anniversary exhibition, Battle of Britain Illuminated, features colourised photographs. bentleypriorymuseum.org.uk
SHUTTLEWORTH, BIGGLESWADE, BEDFORDSHIRE
“Shuttleworth is fun. There will always be flying there, as it is a private aerodrome, so if you want to see warbirds flying, it’s the place to be.
Richard Shuttleworth, in whose memory the collection was founded, was killed in an RAF night training exercise during the Battle of Britain.
“He was in the Volunteer Reserve, and is the sort of character early aviation is riddled with – these motor car enthusiasts, these playboys – and many of them went on to play roles in the Battle of Britain.”
SPECIAL EVENT:
‘Bomber Command are the forgotten heroes of the battle. They flew dangerous, unequal missions’
Shuttleworth Drive In Airshow, July 18 – display to include a Spitfire. shuttleworth.org/the-collection
KENT BATTLE OF BRITAIN MUSEUM, FOLKESTONE
“A great favourite of mine; it is one of the biggest collections of Battle of Britain artefacts and memorabilia in the UK. I’ve been down there a fair bit this winter. They’ve got pieces of almost every single plane shot down in the Battle of Britain that has been recovered in that museum. And they’re on a vital airfield – RAF Hawkinge – so they have original Battle of Britain buildings dotted around.” kbobm.org
BLETCHLEY PARK, MILTON KEYNES, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
“I find the ‘Sigint’ [signals intelligence] war completely terrifying because it was so complicated. I’d go to the main house at Bletchley, it was there that the Battle of Britain work was done. The lower-grade encryption system was broken early in the war, so Luftwaffe communications were quite insecure, and Bletchley was still mainly running from the main house. Hut 6 went on to specialise in Luftwaffe messages. You can also go and look at the stable yard and garages, where Alan Turing was sitting in his