Trent Park House of Secrets, a new museum in a historic country house in Enfield, North London, opened to the public this week.
The stately home served as the backdrop for some of the most pivotal events of the 20th century, but its stories of espionage and creative deception have remained largely untold for more than 70 years.
Before the second world war, Trent Park was the residence of Philip Sassoon, of the Sassoon banking family. A close friend of the future Edward VIII and Winston Churchill, Sassoon hosted influential political figures and the royal family at the stately home, alongside famous artists and entertainers of the day. When Sassoon died in 1939, Trent Park was requisitioned by the government as a centre for intelligence operations.
Between 1939 and the end of the war, the house played a central role in Britain's intelligence battle with Germany. Senior German officers, including 59 generals, were held captive in opulent surroundings, treated with unusual privileges but unaware that their conversations were being recorded. Vital information was harvested by a network of bugging devices hidden in the house's decor, furniture and building materials.
Concealed in the basement below the house's state rooms, teams of ‘Secret Listeners’ – many of whom were German-speaking Jewish refugees – worked to record conversations between the captured officers and produce intelligence that gave the Allies an advantage.
The museum space unites these two contrasting eras of Trent Park's history. The state rooms on the ground floor have been restored to their 1930s appearance, with artwork and furnishings belonging to Sassoon returning for the first time since 1939. In the basement, visitors can see the listening stations, offices and working rooms of the Secret Listeners.
Using original transcripts of recorded conversations, the museum has developed a learning and engagement programme for visitors, community groups and schools, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Clore Duffield Foundation. The programme will link to the second world war strand of the national curriculum and provide an immersive on-site experience that brings the house's history to life.
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Giuseppe Albano, director of Trent Park House of Secrets, said: “Most people will come to Trent Park to discover the covert intelligence operation that took place here during the second world war. What I hope will surprise them is that there is so much more to discover.
"Before the war, these rooms played host to conversations between politicians, royalty, writers and artists at a moment when Europe stood on the brink of conflict. We have taken great care to reveal the full significance of the house, weaving together stories from some of the most colourful and turbulent years of 20th-century British history.”
Trustee Helen Lederer, a writer and comedian, reflected on her grandfather's role as a Secret Listener: “The fact that my grandfather was a Secret Listener was a secret he took to the grave. It means so much that this chapter of little-known history can be told through the museum.
“To imagine what the Secret Listeners may have felt as they listened to the captive generals upstairs is as important as it is humbling.”
Tickets cost £14 for adults but Museums Association members can visit for free.
