Nazis, spies and high society: In the heart of Cockfosters

“Had it not been for the information obtained at Trent Park House, it could have been London not Hiroshima that was devastated by the first atomic bomb”

Trent Park House, in Cockfosters, is a historic mansion at the heart of Trent Park.
It was as important as Bletchley Park in winning the Second World War. Bletchley was famous for its crack team of Enigma code breakers, mathematicians and early computer scientists, led by Alan Turing. Trent Park House was home to the ‘Secret Listeners’, who recorded conversations with captured German Generals, when they were imprisoned and questioned. These sessions were overseen by the Intelligence Services, and helped enormously in the war effort.
There is currently a campaign to create a national museum by 2022. The campaign is approaching donors and sponsors, and plans to create a world-class showpiece landmark attraction that will make it a major educational, cultural, and historical location. It will create jobs in the local area, and bring in visitors, not just from across the UK, but from around the world. The Trent Park Museum Trust is chaired by solicitor Jason Charalambous, who is spearheading efforts to establish the museum. It began as a public campaign when Jason was a Local Councillor.
One of the British spies was Fritz Lustig (1919 – 2017). A WWII Veteran and former Secret Listener, he says that his work there was “so top secret that we didn’t really know whether it had any effect on the outcome of the war, as we never got any feedback. Now that the files are declassified it is possible to appreciate that the work of the Secret Listeners played a crucial role in the secret war.”
These Secret Listeners were almost all German émigrés, and the majority were Jewish. They had escaped Nazi persecution, and signed up for British military service. They were then transferred from the British Army’s labour unit, the Pioneer Corps, for vital intelligence duties. With German as their mother language, they were able to understand every nuance of German colloquial conversation.
But even before the war, it was an intriguing house. Every Prime Minister from Lloyd George to Winston Churchill used to go there. Her Majesty the Queen, when she was a young Princess Elizabeth, visited often. As did celebrities like Charlie Chaplin, George Bernard Shaw and T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia).
The fundraising programme has approached many other trusts and foundations. It has huge value to local people and schools – at an educational level, by preserving a captivating history for future generations. The vision is to create an immersive learning experience using creative, engaging and innovative exhibition design.
The aim is to highlight the vital role played by the ‘Secret Listeners’ who were behind some of the most important intelligence discoveries of World War Two. So far the venture has attracted funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Wolfson Foundation and the Architectural Heritage Fund, among others.
Through learning and outreach programmes, the Trust is committed to forming meaningful partnerships with local groups. The Trust is currently trying to secure the funds needed to deliver the project, working towards strict deadlines set by the site’s freeholder, Berkeley Homes.
Following the success of the public campaign, Berkeley Homes agreed to offer the Trust the unique, once in a lifetime opportunity to develop a museum within the ground floor and basement areas of the Grade II listed House.
Those wishing to donate can visit https://www.trentparkhouse.org.uk, to make this dream real.
The house has a colourful, vibrant, compelling story to tell.

James Neophytou