The Glenn Miller Museum is at Twinwood Control Tower on the historic RAF Twinwood Airfield in Clapham and this is where the legendary WWII bandleader disappeared from during WWII.
Twinwood Arena holds various outdoor music festivals throughout the year. The most notable is the Glenn Miller Festival, always held over the August bank holiday weekend, to commemorate the actual concert performance that Glenn Miller gave at Twinwood Airfield during August 1944.
Brief History
During World War Two Glenn Miller was based at Milton Ernest Hall which is a couple of miles from Twinwood Arena and Airfield.
It was at this Hall that Glenn gave performances with his orchestra and in nearby Bedford they played at the Corn Exchange. This building still looks very much the same as it did then.
Glenn turned the Co-Partners Hall in Bedford into his Radio Station and here the bulk of his recording was done along with many famous stars such as Bing Crosby and Bob Hope.
On August 27th 1944 at RAF Twinwood Airfield Glenn Miller performed a concert for the aircrews using two trailers as a stage next to Twinwood Control Tower. It was at the Control Tower that Glenn Miller was last seen alive on a bleak day in December 1944. From here he flew to his death with two others in a Norseman - a small single engine aircraft en route to Paris to lead his orchestra.
John Miller, Glenn's nephew now hosts the Twinwood Festival. The John Miller Orchestra is the only Big Band performing the music of Glenn Miller with direct family links to the great man himself.
In 2001 Twinwood Events took on the task of transforming the Tower back to its original condition. On June 2nd 2002, the newly restored and refurbished Control Tower was opened to the public by Beryl Davis, Glenn's wartime singer. To celebrate this a Glenn Miller Concert was held, and this was the forerunner of what is now the annual Twinwood Festival.
Over the years thousands of people have visited the Control Tower to pay homage to this legendary musician and band leader and it has become somewhat of a shrine to his fans from around the world, and of course it is now the focal point of the incredible International Twinwood Festival which is held over the three days of the August Bank Holiday.
Please visit our website for more information on events, by clicking the web link above.
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Every effort is made to make sure that all the information is correct but we strongly recommend that you call Twinwood Arena and The Glenn Miller Museum before you set off on your day out to confirm opening times and admission prices.
Please also note that the position on Google maps for Twinwood Arena and The Glenn Miller Museum is a rough estimate using their postcode in the database and might be slightly out.
It may also be worth clicking the web link for Twinwood Arena and The Glenn Miller Museum to see if there are any special events coming up or currently on.
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