History happened at Trent Park, a country house on the grounds of Enfield Chase that served as a palatial prisoner of war camp during World War II. Now reopened as a museum, it reveals how German generals were lulled into spilling secrets while Jewish refugees eavesdropped from the basement.
From Royal Hunting Ground to Spy Hub
Built after George III leased land to his doctor Sir Richard Jebb in the 1770s, Trent Park later passed to the Bevan banking family and then the Sassoon family. Mega-socialite Philip Sassoon transformed it into a suburban party palace in the 1920s, hosting Churchill and Wallis Simpson. The house has been refurbished to its Sassoon-era appearance: pastel walls, floral curtains, and plush sofas. Portraits of Philip and his sister Sibyl by John Singer Sargent flank a bookcase in the library.
Secret Basement Listening Post
Behind the bookcase lies a secret entrance to the basement. After Sassoon died in 1939, the government used the house as a POW camp for high-ranking German generals. The prisoners enjoyed comfortable surroundings, but every inch was bugged—even the rose bushes. Their conversations were recorded and transcribed by German-speaking Jewish refugees in the basement.
The listeners gathered critical intelligence. Information about German ballistics from General Ludwig Crüwell helped the Allies counter the V2 rocket. Details about German aircraft communication beams were also intercepted and neutralized. The basement has been faithfully recreated, complete with a mannequin at a listening station, headphones on, pen poised.
Mixed Legacy
Not all intelligence was used. Listeners heard about German atrocities, but authorities did not act on the information or submit it to the Nuremberg trials, fearing exposure of their secret technology. The museum presents this history with era-appropriate trinkets and decoration, though it lacks original artworks, relying on copies.
The museum focuses on the war period, highlighting what sets Trent Park apart from other stately homes. But the layered history—from Georgian to Victorian to wartime austerity—reflects England's changing fortunes, wealth, immigration, and the impact of war. Trent Park House of Secrets opens in London on 21 July.
