Leave a legacy

Thank you for considering leaving a legacy to Bentley Priory Museum in your will.

Your legacy will support the Museum to share the internationally important history of Bentley Priory across generations, ensuring that that leadership and bravery of the The One, The Few and The Many are remembered.

Every legacy kindly left to Bentley Priory Museum makes a invaluable impact.

Where your legacy will go
Legacies are most beneficial when they are gifted to be used by the Museum to meet our charitable objective to educate people about Bentley Priory and its  pivotal role during the Battle of Britain as Headquarters of Fighter Command.

The Museum meets this objective through innovative and inclusive interpretation and visitor engagement and maintaining the Grade II* listed building the Museum resides in. One legacy funded a commemorative stained glass window in memory of ACM Sir Hugh Dowding, which is seen by  thousands of visitors to the Museum each year.

Legacies & inheritance tax 
As Bentley Priory Museum is a charity (1115243) legacies made to the Museum are exempt from inheritance tax.

Since April 2012, if you decide to leave 10% or more of your estate to charity, the amount of inheritance tax paid on the estate may be reduced. More information can be found on the Government’s website: Tax relief when you donate to a charity: Leaving gifts to charity in your will – GOV.UK

Different types of legacies

Residuary Legacy: A residuary legacy is a gift of a percentage or all your estate, after expenses and other legacies have been paid. Residuary legacies do not lose value over time.

Pecuniary legacy: A pecuniary legacy is a gift of a specific amount, for example £10,000. Fixed sums decrease in value over time.

Specific Legacy: A specific legacy is a gift of an item of value, for example property. You may wish to donate an item to our collection. Please discuss this with our Collections Manager, Chloe Marley, before before making your Will, as the Museum has a collections and acquisitions policy. [email protected]

Nomination of Pension Funds: As it is no longer compulsory to buy an annuity
on retirement a pension fund can be dealt with as a person wishes. Any capital remaining in a pension fund is not treated as being part of an estate and it is not covered by a will. Gifting from a personal pension fund will require a
‘letter of wishes’ or nomination form.

If you are considering leaving a legacy to Bentley Priory Museum and wish to discuss it with the Museum, please contact the Museum’s Director Eleanor Pulfer-Sharma via [email protected] or on 020 8950 5526.