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Biggin Hill
Name from hilltop ‘bigging’. 1960s Bromley council thought this was just the spot to build lots of houses. Not much in the way of planning control. Marked thus on Bowen's map ofc.1762 and on the Ordnance Survey map of 1871, earlier ‘Byggunhull’ 1499, that is 'hill with or near a building', from Middle English ‘bigging’ and ‘hull’ - "hill". The element bigging is much rarer in the South of England than in the North, since it derives from a Scandinavian word meaning 'to build' introduced by the Vikings. The aerodrome here, particularly famous for its vital role in the Battle of Britain during the Second World War, had already become known affectionately as 'Biggin on the Bump' by ilots and ground staff in the First World War.
Churchill Road
Airport ‘Biggin on the Bump’ – Spitfire station which was attacked many times. Non-operational by 1958 and RAF left in 1975. Battle of Britain open days are annual and there is a Biggin Hill International Air Fair. The airport benefited from the closure of Croydon Airport. Private contract aeroplanes and cargo, groups and spotters, restaurant. famed from the early days of the SecondWorld War,
First World War radio unit, Wireless Testing Park.
518 Scott Aviation Centre. Surviving Battle of Britain features include entry pillbox, aircraft blast shelter, bomb proof sleeping quarters.
officer's mess in Chaste Neo-Georgian. 1930 and looks like a large country house. The most conspicuous building.
St. George’s Memorial chapel.Features 12 stained glass windows each telling a story of the airfield's history. The foundation stone was laid by Air Chief Marshall Lord Dowding on 25th July 1951. 455 aircrew were killed during the Second World War while serving in the Biggin Hill Sector. Their names are inscribed on the oak panels on either side of the altar. Twelve flags represent the Allied Nations who mounted squadrons from the Sector. Twelve stained glass windows commemorate Fighter Command, the Squadrons, the Station and the two planes principally associated with the Hurricane and the Spitfire. Rev. Vivian Symons, the former Vicar of St. Mark’s and First chaplain of this church designed the aluminium font in 1951. the building is shaped like an aircraft hangar. Architects Beasley, Harper and Williams, 1951.
Spitfire and a Hurricane flank the entrance gates and were dedicated as a memorial in 1954.
Aperfield Court. Lord Stanhope
Cedar Tree
Aperfield Court House was the control tower from 1917. Demolished 1920 and sold
Married quarters – Ashford, Brenzett, Halden, Headcorn, Kingsnorth, Lashenden, Romney, Staplehurst, Swingfield – names of short-lived Advanced Landing Grounds. Romney is the commander’s residence but the airfield was at New Romney.
Cudham Lodge
Cudham Lodge Farm
Flat field used for airport
Cudham Lodge and the old Manor of ‘Bertray’ were owned by Earl Stanhope of Chevening. Robert Whyffyn built the first Cudham Lodge in Tudor times, and traces of this manor house and its moat could still be seen until the last house, built in the 18th century Georgian style was demolished in 1950s to make space for the main runway at the airfield.
Jail Lane
Old Jail pub
Costains farm. William Wallis and his wife lived here in the 1870's. They were devoted Baptists and saw the need for a meeting place in the district. They made available a small room on the first floor of a granary outbuilding, which was approached by a narrow timber staircase. The first service was on the 20th September. 1871. Later a timber chapel was built on adjacent site.
Lunar Close
Site of Lunar Cottages
Main Road
Central Hall was built in 1925. Baptist.
Black Horse Inn The original village centre was in the vicinity of the Black, Horse Inn, near the junction of Jail Lane and Westerham Rood. The Inn, was one of the coach stages on the road to Westerham and Kent
Smithy was further along on the opposite side of the rood under the traditional "spreading Chestnut tree"
Melrose Avenue
Named by developer Dougal after a road in Wandsworth
Norheads Lane
Ivy Cottages These were the only two cottages in the valley in 1900. They were covered in ivy and stood on the site of the present roundabout at the bottom of Stock Hill. Subsequently they were numbered 5 and 5 Norheads Lane. Mrs W. Paine. who lived in the cottage on the left, wrote about her early days in the valley. A copy of her article is in the Scrapbook of the Aperfield Women's Institute produced in the 1960's.
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