On Tuesday the 21st of May 2019 there was a Trent Park Museum Fundraising Launch at the House of Lords where there was over 200 people in attendance and where the last surviving ‘Secret Listener’, 96 year old Eric Mark,  spoke so powerfully about his experiences at Trent Park during the war (pictured below with Trustees).

The reception,was hosted on the Trust’s behalf by Lord Sassoon and Damian Collins MP, and sponsored by Berkeley Homes and the Marquess of Cholmondeley, who showcased the proposed museum which has been described by Historic England as being ‘on a par with Bletchley Park‘ for its war-time significance. It was at Trent Park where teams of ‘Secret Listeners’ bugged the conversations of captured German Generals in World War Two, gathering intelligence that helped turn the tide of the war.

As part of the scheme, the suite of reception rooms will be restored to their 1920s grandeur, when the house and gardens were redesigned for Sir Philip Sassoon.

Other speakers at the event were Damian Collins MP, Dr Helen Fry Historian and (member of the Trent Park Museum Trust), Jason Charalambous (Chairman of the Trent Park Museum Trust) and Helen Lederer Comedian, Actress and writer (member of the Trent Park Museum Trust).

The Trust has come a considerable way towards the establishment of the Museum (in Cockfosters, North London), together with a team of award-winning museum designers and architects, and with a target opening in 2022.

If you would like to learn more about the project, discuss how you could support them, or for any other enquiries, please do not hesitate to get in touch. For more regular updates, their website is HERE

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Trent Park took on a role that would propel its importance on a par with Bletchley Park. But no one would learn about it for 70 years… 

As the former home of the Bevans and Sir Philip Sassoon, Trent Park was at the centre of some of the most defining moments of the 20th century as well as entertaining famous guests and royalty…

From late 1939, the house played a critical role in the ‘secret war’ against Nazi Germany. It was here that British Intelligence bugged the conversations of German prisoners-of-war, and from 1942 exclusively held Hitler’s Generals and high ranking officers. In a clever deception plan, whilst they enjoyed the luxurious stately rooms and roamed the gardens, their conversations were secretly recorded by teams of secret listeners in three ‘M Rooms’ full of the latest technology.

The secret listeners were hidden in the basement of the house and recorded every word… every day of the war. It gave the Allies vast amounts of intelligence about the Nazi war machine and its military capabilities on land, at sea and in the air.

This site’s war-winning intelligence worked alongside Bletchley Park and other clandestine units to shorten the war and save lives.

‘Had it not been for the information obtained at this centre, it could have been London and not Hiroshima

that was devastated by the first atomic bomb.’ Lt. Col. St. Clare Grondona

Artist’s impression of the arrival of General von Arnim, captured in North Africa, May 1943

The vision is for the transformation of these historic spaces into a museum that engages with the history and heritage to as wide a public audience as possible….

This unique place in wartime espionage was set against the backdrop of an extraordinary  pre-war history. The pre-war years reveal an opulent life as a socialite’s retreat, where royalty such as a young Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth II) and the Prince of Wales (later the abdicated king, Edward VIII), politicians from David Lloyd George to Winston Churchill, and celebrities like Charlie Chaplin and Lawrence of Arabia revelled during the ownership of the enigmatic Sir Philip Sassoon.

The museum will be developed across the restored stately rooms on the ground floor and the atmospheric basement of the Grade II listed mansion house at Trent Park. Its future is assured after its new owners Berkeley Homes recognised the historical significance of the site and planning was granted for a museum to be run by the Trent Park Museum Trust.

The Trust is working closely with Berkeley Homes, the owners of this 50-acre Green Belt site, and is extremely grateful to the professional team at Berkeley for its dedication to the museum and commitment to deliver the highest quality redevelopment of this much-loved site. The Trust has a number of professional experts on board to realise the vision of something extraordinary for the nation, including the Prince’s Regeneration Trust which has been advising our team on the establishment of the Museum.