History in Structure

BUILDING 10 (Junior Ranks Mess, former Airmen's Institute)

A Grade II Listed Building in Darwin, London

We don't have any photos of this building yet. Why don't you be the first to send us one?

Upload Photo »

Approximate Location Map
Large Map »

Coordinates

Latitude: 51.3289 / 51°19'44"N

Longitude: 0.0253 / 0°1'30"E

OS Eastings: 541199

OS Northings: 160816

OS Grid: TQ411608

Mapcode National: GBR M6.51K

Mapcode Global: VHHP9.DV6M

Plus Code: 9F3282HG+H4

Entry Name: BUILDING 10 (Junior Ranks Mess, former Airmen's Institute)

Listing Date: 1 December 2005

Grade: II

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1416723

ID on this website: 101416723

Location: Leaves Green, Bromley, London, TN16

County: London

District: Bromley

Electoral Ward/Division: Darwin

Parish: Non Civil Parish

Built-Up Area: Bromley

Traditional County: Kent

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Greater London

Church of England Parish: Biggin Hill St Mark

Church of England Diocese: Rochester

Tagged with: Building

Find accommodation in
Keston

Summary


Airmen's Institute and recreation centre, with dining room. c1926 design, built 1930. By the Air Ministry's Directorate of Works and Buildings. Brick with gabled slate roofs and brick stacks.

PLAN: Rectangular main block, with dining room, card, writing and games rooms, the kitchen and ancillary rooms linked to the rear.

EXTERIOR: 2 storeys. Gauged brick flat arches over all window openings, replacement windows to front and steel-framed windows to rear. Front has 3-window outer wings, the gable ends of which are expressed as broken pediments and the ground floors with panelled double doors with overlights set in rendered architraves with bracketed flat hoods. The central 8-window range has two inserted ground-floor doorways, the second bays in being heightened to break the eaves line with small hipped roofs. 4-window return elevations. The rear service ranges with various casements at both levels.

INTERIOR: Little original detail survives later remodelling; dog leg stairs.

Description


Biggin Hill acquired a reputation as the most famous fighter station in the world, primarily through its associations with the Battle of Britain, the first time in history that a nation had retained its freedom and independence through air power. It was developed as a key fighter station in the inter-war period, playing a critical role in the development of the air defence system - based on radar - that played a critical role in the Second World War. Of all the sites which became involved in The Battle of Britain, none have greater resonance in the popular imagination than those of the sector airfields within these Groups which bore the brunt of the Luftwaffe onslaught and, in Churchill's words, 'on whose organisation and combination the whole fighting power of our Air Force at this moment depended'. It was 11 Group, commanded by Air Vice Marshall Keith Park from his underground headquarters at RAF Uxbridge, which occupied the front line in this battle, with its 'nerve centre' sector stations at Northolt, North Weald, Biggin Hill, Tangmere, Debden and Hornchurch taking some of the most sustained attacks of the battle, especially between 24 August and 6 September when these airfields and later aircraft factories became the Luftwaffe's prime targets.

For further details of the history of the site, see advice and description for Station Headquarters.

History


HISTORY: This institute building, constructed in 1930 to designs established during the post-1923 expansion of the RAF, was one of the principal barracks buildings at this internationally renowned historic fighter base, complementing the Officers' Mess which lay across the main road that passes through the site.

Reasons for Listing


Legacy Record – This information may be included in the List Entry Details.

External Links

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

Other nearby listed buildings

BritishListedBuildings.co.uk is an independent online resource and is not associated with any government department. All government data published here is used under licence. Please do not contact BritishListedBuildings.co.uk for any queries related to any individual listed building, planning permission related to listed buildings or the listing process itself.

British Listed Buildings is a Good Stuff website.