Bentley Priory Museum

Friday Morning Talks: Intelligence, Events and Organisations - With Ron Koorm
2025-05-02 11:00 - 12:00 (Europe/London) | Bentley Priory Museum, Mansion House Drive, Stanmore, HA7 3FB, United Kingdom
Join us at the Museum for our Friday morning talk, where following last year’s fantastic talk on Intelligence People and Places, Ron Koorm will return to talk about some of the Intelligence Events and Organisations during the the 2nd World War.
Ronald Koorm is an established author on military history, codebreaking and intelligence, currently finalising a WW2 Codebreaking Glossary in three volumes, covering worldwide people, places, events, organisations, deception, equipment, and systems. The Talk will focus on certain selected, specific Events and Organisations which had an impact on the outcome of the war. From the largest engineering factory in Europe during WW2, to how Allied codebreaking machines were designed and built. The contribution of women in wartime and their achievement across different parts of the world.
We have to acknowledge that while the UK was established in intelligence gathering and processing, we also relied on many external organisations and people around the world to help defeat the enemy, and provide invaluable support. With his extensive research the speaker located some relevant wartime photos which had never been seen before by the Museum archivist at GCHQ. Some of those will be published in volume two of the author’s glossary.
The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
Reserve Your Place
Images courtesy of The National Cryptologic Museum, USA ©

Ad Astra
2025-05-03 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-05-07 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-05-09 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-05-10 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-05-14 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-05-16 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-05-17 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-05-21 10:00 - 17:00 and 11 more dates
‘Ad Astra’ features photographs by Anastasia Taylor-Lind, as part of an IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund commission, a national partnership programme of over 20 artist commissions inspired by the heritage of conflict.
Taylor-Lind’s photographs capture women in the RAF today, with the project taking inspiration from women who served within the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force during the Second World War.

VE Day 80 Commemorations
2025-05-10 10:00 - 17:00
Join us on Saturday 10 May for themed family activities and live music to commemorate 80 years since Victory in Europe Day.
Music and family activities included in Museum Admission or Annual Membership. Pre-booking not required. Museum open 10am – 5pm (last entry 4pm).
We are delighted to be hosting performances from:
–Philip Barnett & Bryan Kesselman between 11.30am – 12.30pm
-The Harrow Apollo Male Choir between 2pm – 3pm.

Friday Morning Talks: Hello Stanmore Dover Calling New Raid - with Sharon Ward
2025-05-16 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday Morning Talk, where Sharon Ward will be taking us through how the use of RDF (later known as Radar) was a key component of the integrated air defence system during the Battle of Britain.
Personnel working at coastal radar stations & in the filter room gave Fighter Command essential warning of the approach of enemy raids during the Battle of Britain. This non-technical presentation will cover their work; what they did & how they did it. No knowledge of radar or physics required!
About the speaker
Sharon has been a volunteer tour guide at Bentley Priory Museum since it opened. She has studied archived original sources researching the technologies & inner workings of the air defence system at the time of the Battle of Britain with the thoroughness and attention to detail of an experienced Systems Analyst. She is also a local historian and has contributed towards several of the Harrow Heritage Trust plaques around the area.
The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
Reserve Your Place

Friday Morning Talks: Battle of Britain 85th Anniversary Model Project - With Dom Pound
2025-05-23 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday morning talk, where model maker and Battle of Britain enthusiast Dom Pound will be talking to us about the Battle of Britain 85th Anniversary Model Project he has spearheaded across a number of Battle of Britain linked sites across the South East (including Bentley Priory Museum).
The models will help Bentley Priory Museum to share the story of Lock and Neil’s meeting in the sky during the summer of 1940.
Dom has been fascinated by the Battle of Britain since he was a child and describes it as a “life-long passion”.
He explains: “At the age of five I attended my first Battle of Britain reunion at RAF Kenley, back when there were still numerous veterans to still tell the story… by my late teens the numbers of the ‘Few’ had reduced drastically, but my appreciation for that vital summer of 1940 has grown and I am now dedicated to preserving the memory of the Few however I can.
“Encouraged by watching my father make kits for me as a small child, I began building my own at the age of 12. As the years passed, I took my skills to a new level, spending many hours making my models as realistic as possible and adding every ounce of spare detail I could. In late 2021, having used social media to share my builds, I received my first commissions, a catalyst for what is now a small, part-time business.
“I am now using my skills to create displays for key Battle of Britain sites in time for the 85th anniversary in 2025. I aim to create displays that are interactive and informative but that also inspire commemoration and tell stories. In total I will be creating 17 models that will be displayed at seven sites.
“I dedicate this project to the memory of the ‘Few’ and the memory of the Battle of Britain 1940.”
Further updates on this project can be found on our webpage here:
https://bpm.takeoff-dev.co.uk/battle-of-britain-85th-anniversary-model-project/
The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
Reserve Your Place

May Half-Term: Portrait Collages
2025-05-24 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-05-26 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-05-28 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-05-30 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-05-31 10:00 - 17:00
Take inspiration from our “Ad Astra” photo portrait exhibition and create your own portrait collage.
Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Included in Museum Admission and Annual Membership.
Drop-in activity available all day on our open days, including Bank Holiday Monday, 26 May.
Museum opening days and times: Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays + Bank Holidays, 10am – 5pm (last admission 4pm).

Friday Morning Talks: Seaborne Observers - With John Shere
2025-06-06 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum on the anniversary of D-Day for our Friday morning talk where 81 years on, John Shere of the ROCA (Royal Observer Corps Association) will be talking to us about the unusual story of the ROC Observers who became enrolled in the Royal Navy and sailed with the allied invasion forces.
At a conference held at the Air Ministry on the 5 April 1944 it was agreed that Royal Observer Corps personnel, experienced in aircraft recognition, would be deployed to merchant vessels, wearing Royal Observer Corps uniform with the shoulder flash SEABORNE, and a Royal Navy brassard with the letters RN.
In total, 796 Observers became enrolled in the Royal Navy with the rank of Petty Officer / Aircraft Identifiers and sailed with the allied invasion forces taking part in Operation Overlord – the codename for the invasion and liberation of occupied Europe.
The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
Reserve Your Place

Father’s Day Weekend Lunch Friday/Saturday
2025-06-13 12:00 - 16:00
Come and enjoy a hearty Father’s Day ploughman’s lunch this Father’s Day weekend on Friday 13 June and Saturday 14 June 12 – 4 pm (including Museum admission).
£20 Per adult – Includes a glass of Spitfire ale or Wine. (Soft drink alternatives available)
£10 Per Child
Pre-booking required by Tuesday 10th June. Please contact Jackie on groupbookings@bentleypriorymuseum.org.uk or call 0208 950 5526 (Option 4), to book and discuss any dietary requirements.
The Museum will be open from 10 – 5. Please note that this not available on the Father’s Day Sunday when the Museum is closed.
