St Michael Cornhill
City of London, Greater London
The church lies over the remains of the Basilica, the northern most part of the great Roman Forum built in the first century AD.
The original St George’s Chapel was located on the south side of the Biggin Hill airfield in three temporary army huts. It was created in 1943 to remember the aircrew who were killed on operations from the Biggin Hill sector.
The original chapel was sadly destroyed by fire in December 1946. When Winston Churchill heard of the destruction of the chapel, he was extremely distressed and immediately contacted Padre King to see what could be done to rebuild it. He felt that a permanent memorial chapel should be built, for, as he observed 'as a nation, we have short memories'. Churchill and Padre King set about raising funds through a national appeal.
The new chapel’s foundation stone was laid by Air Marshall Lord Dowding in July 1951. It was dedicated by the Bishop of Rochester in the November, and the first chaplain was Revd Vivian Symons, Church of England Vicar of Biggin Hill. The chapel houses 17 stained glass windows designed by artist Hugh Easton, which commemorate RAF squadrons. Onsite is the newly opened Biggin Hill Memorial Museum.
The Museum tells the story of RAF Biggin Hill through the personal experiences of those who served there, and the community who supported them.