RAF Biggin Hill's aviation history dates back to the early 1900s when it was used as a base for early aviation pioneers. The Royal Flying Corps established a station there in 1916, and after the First World War it became a civil aerodrome before being reactivated in the 1930s as the threat from Nazi Germany became undeniable. By 1938, the airfield had been rebuilt and re-equipped as a Fighter Command station, and its proximity to London made it strategically vital.

During the Battle of Britain in the summer and autumn of 1940, Biggin Hill was at the very centre of Britain's air defence. As part of Fighter Command's No. 10 Group, the station fielded multiple Spitfire and Hurricane squadrons in almost constant action against the Luftwaffe's efforts to achieve air superiority over Southeast England and London. The airfield was subjected to heavy bombardment — the Luftwaffe recognised that destroying Biggin Hill would severely degrade the RAF's ability to defend the capital. The attacks were so persistent that the station earned the nickname "The Hill of Hell." Despite the bombing, operations continued almost without interruption, a testament to the determination of ground crew and the resilience of the hardened underground sector operations room.

The underground operations room at Biggin Hill — a massive bunker built into the chalk hillside — was the nerve centre of the station's air defence. From here, controllers coordinated squadron scrambles, tracked incoming raids using radar and observer reports, and directed fighters into combat. The operations room could accommodate hundreds of personnel and was equipped with the plotting tables and communication systems of the era. Its survival through the Battle of Britain and the subsequent decades makes it one of the most important tangible heritage assets of any RAF station.

Following the Battle of Britain, Biggin Hill continued as an active RAF station through the Cold War, operating progressively from fighter aircraft to more modern jets, and eventually to serving as a base for communications and training aircraft. As London's urban expansion reached Kent, the station's operational future became increasingly constrained, and RAF Biggin Hill closed as an active military airfield in the early 2000s. Today, the site operates as Biggin Hill Airport — a civilian aerodrome with significant heritage status — and the underground operations room is preserved and open to the public.