You can now own a piece of Battle of Britain history, though it comes at a cost: £1.5million.
The Garth, now up for sale, once served as the officers’ mess at RAF Kenley
The Garth was once used as officers’ accommodation at RAF Kenley, the old aerodrome which is now the focus of so much attention as the most intact Battle of Britain airfield and which, with the help of the Heritage Lottery fund, is undergoing a special history exercise to preserve and maintain its history, including staging next month’s Sky Heroes event.
This year marks the centenary of RAF Kenley, which was at the centre of some of the fiercest, most deadly aerial combat during the Battle of Britain in August and September 1940. Many of the young pilots flying the Hurricanes and Spitfires from Kenley would have spent what little down-time they had in and around the officers’ mess.
The house, on Welcomes Road, is being marketed by Hamptons estate agents, who describe the The Garth as “a handsome late Victorian property surrounded by mature and colourful gardens. With period features still in evidence, the substantial accommodation is arranged over three floors together with cellars and is of generous proportions, retaining features of architectural interest such as 19th century fireplaces, large sash windows, tall ceilings, solid wood doors and deep skirting boards”.
These also include a “reception hall which features a hand-painted frieze in the Art Nouveau style”.
Oh, and that £1.5million price tag? That’s just a guide price.
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It’s bad enough there are property ads in the news section of the Croydon Advertiser without seeing them here. If I wanted to buy a house I would go on a property website. I thought this was a news website?