CHOIRS sung Christmas carols at a historic Stanmore airbase as part of a series of winter tours last night.

Residents were shown around the Grade II* listed mansion house, at RAF Bentley Priory, where Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding planned the country’s air defence during the Battle of Britain.

The base was out of bounds to the public during the 80 years the Ministry of Defence (MOD) owned the site, but residents were allowed in for an open weekend in September.

Seasoned tour guides from those events led the latest batch of people around the house, describing its history before the RAF moved in, as well as its wartime past.

The base was the home of Fighter Command during World War Two, making it one of the most important locations in the country throughout the Battle of Britain, when the RAF repelled a prolonged assault by the German Luftwaffe.

The airforce withdrew in May under plans by the (MOD) to re-organise its bases, bringing numerous squadrons at RAF Northolt and closing down a number of now vacant site.

Plans for the future of Bentley Priory will involve building 103 houses and flats, including a number built in some of the less historically significant rooms of the house.

The remaining rooms will be turned into a commemorative museum about both the base itself and the Battle of Britain.