Bentley Priory
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Bentley Priory by Marathon as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Bentley Priory
Image: © Marathon Taken: 11 Apr 2022
The original Priory housed a cell of Augustinian Friars believed to be founded by Ranulf de Glanville in 1170. He was the first Englishman to be killed in the Crusades. The Priory was dissolved in the 1530s. After 1766, the house was built on higher ground to the north of the site of the original Priory. In the late 18th century, Sir John Soane was brought in to extend and refurbish the house. At the end of the 19th century it was converted into a hotel but this failed financially and from 1908 until 1924 the building was a girls' boarding school. From 1926 until 2008 it was owned by the Royal Air Force and during the Battle of Britain it was the headquarters of Fighter Command. The Air Chief Marshal, Sir Hugh Dowding, was based here as was the Operations Room. In 2013, Bentley Priory Museum was opened, focusing on Bentley Priory's pivotal role during the Battle of Britain and Sir Hugh Dowding, as well as many others.
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
51.626588
Longitude
-0.333239