It’s a chapel for remembrance of those who died in service, but it’s a beautiful one. Lots of military regalia fill the low-lying space and the stained glass windows are marvellous. There’s some, but it’s quite thin gruel in delivering that magical sensation you get when you stand in the presence of history itself.įortunately, there is something interesting to see, and that’s the chapel next door, which is a post-war replacement for the chapel bombed during the war - and looks the part. This is a modern building so the building isn’t that historic, and there’s very little of the actual heritage from the airfield at war on display. For the museum to be a destination to visit it needs to add that magic miasma of experience and seeing tangible objects. Telling the story of the people that make a place is critical, but if that’s all the museum is, then you are better of sitting at home and reading a good book about it. It’s mostly display boards and not much in the way of actual objects to look at. However, despite all that, the museum left me feeling a bit cold. I learned that there had been an official newspaper for prisoners of war and the meaning behind the Cock Squadron. There are a lot of very interesting stories being told here, from its use in developing early wireless communications to the first Sikh and Indian to serve in any flying service in the world - and was based at Biggin Hill during WWI. It’s mostly filled with display boards telling the history of how the airfield became such an important site for the defence of London and the stories of the many people who worked and served there. The museum is a paid venue, and although it’s attached to the chapel, the chapel and its exhibition are somewhere you can visit for free. The airfield was originally opened during WWI, but massively expanded during WWII and with its location sitting between London and mainland Europe was a critical location for the defence of London.Īfter the war, it took over civilian duties from Croydon Airport when that closed, and is now still an operational airport for private customers, and a wander around the airport perimeter is to luxury jets taking off or landing as the super rich or important avoid using public transport to get around the world.Īlthough it’s no longer a military base, there is still a patch of military land next to the airport, which is still designated as RAF Biggin Hill, and apart from housing the headquarters of 2427 Squadron of the Air Training Corps – it also contains a museum and a chapel. With eleven productions a year, there is plenty of scope for involvement in all aspects of theatre production and management.Sitting next to Biggin Hill Aiport in southeast London is a newish museum that’s recently been refurbished to tell the story of how it was one of London’s lines of defence during WWII. We are always keen to attract new people to take part in our productions and BLT offers a wide-range of opportunities for acting, costume, lighting & sound design / operation as well as set design and construction. In recent years, BLT has given a number of plays their premiere production in the UK. We also aim to present occasional new plays which our members may not normally have the opportunity to see. Our purpose is to present the best of contemporary dramas, comedies, thrillers, farces, musical productions as well as the classics. Each production begins at 7.45pm and covers an extensive eight-night run, commencing always on a Friday (with no performance on Sunday). It is, therefore, vital that our membership continues to grow and our productions achieve maximum audience levels in order to sustain our existence.īLT presents eleven full-length plays a year one a month, with the exception of August, when essential works and maintenance of the theatre is undergone. This committee is responsible for the running of the bar, coffee bar and front-of-house aspects in general.īLT receives no external financial support and derives its income solely from membership fees and profits from productions. In addition to the Board, there is a Playgoers’ Committee, representing and elected by the members. The theatre is run as a membership club and limited company, managed by a Board of Directors. Bromley Little Theatre is a vibrant 113-seat theatre which was established in 1938 on its present site and which was converted from an old Victorian bakery.
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