Trent Park House of Secrets

Trent Park House of Secrets A new London museum opening Summer 2026. From glittering 1930s social hub to WWII surveillance centre - an untold story of espionage and deception

Our aim is to create a world-class visitor attraction to highlight the vital role played by the Secret Listeners who were behind some of the most important intelligence discoveries of World War Two. Visitors will travel through magnificently restored and furnished rooms – Sir Philip Sassoon’s socialite and political world – to reveal the later clandestine operation against Hitler’s top military co

mmanders. The highly secretive, yet fascinating role the house played in WWII is what really sets it apart. Its role was so secret in WWII that the official files have only been released in the last few years. Trent Park was requisitioned by the War Office (and run by MI19, a branch of MI6) to be used as a very special prisoner of war camp for some of the most senior captured German officers – including 59 German Generals. Highly sophisticated room-bugging, eavesdropping and passive manipulation techniques were used for the very first time to gain vital intelligence to assist the war effort. The results of this clandestine operation were highly successful and intelligence gained included valuable information on German U-boat tactics, bombing raid radar system technology and some of the first evidence of war crimes and atrocities, including the mass killing of Jews. Intelligence discovered for the first time changed the course of the war when the German generals discussed amongst themselves Hitler’s “secret weapons” programme – the V1, V2 rocket, and his atomic bomb programme. Little did they know that the secret listeners were recording their conversations. Much of the historical significance of Trent Park has only recently come to light with the declassification of documents as recent as 2004 – the importance of this site is only going to grow over time as the nation realises its significance for winning the war alongside Bletchley Park.

14/06/2026

Thank you to everyone who came this morning to mark the official opening of the Trent Park House of Secrets Café, celebrated with guests including local councillors, heritage supporters, members of Sir Philip Sassoon's family, trustees and community members.

The ribbon was cut by actor, writer and comedian Helen Lederer, whose grandfather Ernst Lederer was among the wartime Secret Listeners who gathered intelligence at Trent Park during the Second World War.

Remarks were given by Museum Director Giuseppe Albano, founding trustee Jason Charalambous, Enfield Council Leader Councillor Alessandro Georgiou, Deputy Mayor Councillor Chris Joannides, and Deputy Chairman Alan Perkin.

Thank you also to Whitewebb's Museums of Transport for arriving in a Ford Model A Roadster from 1931! ✨

A wonderful start to what promises to be a very exciting summer. ☕🏛️
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Trent Park House of Secrets Café is open ahead of the museum’s full opening later this summer! The café sits in the beau...
11/06/2026

Trent Park House of Secrets Café is open ahead of the museum’s full opening later this summer!

The café sits in the beautiful Blue Room - a grand historic space with restored 1930s murals by Rex Whistler, once a favourite painting spot of Sir Winston Churchill himself.

Run by the team at Blends & Beyond (familiar faces from the Oakwood station café), it will be open Tue–Sun, 9am–5pm, with a terrace overlooking the parklands.

The first chance to step inside Trent Park House ahead of the full museum opening this summer.

The café will be open Tuesday to Sunday, 9am–5pm, and has its own outdoor terrace.

More news on the museum opening date soon! ✨

📍 Trent Park House, Daffodil Crescent, Enfield, London EN4 0PS
🚇 Oakwood (Piccadilly line)
🔗 trentparkhouse.org.uk

05/06/2026

Decorative Painter Alasdair Peebles has completed work on creating a cloud ceiling in what was known as the Chinese Drawing Room (or Sir Philip Sassoon’s Drawing Room).

The ceiling has been recreated in sepia tones to match the panels of original hand-painted Chinese wallpaper which have been carefully conserved and are currently being carefully reinstated ready for our public opening. ✨

Yesterday, as part of Volunteers’ Week, Trent Park House was delighted to welcome some of our volunteers and local resid...
01/06/2026

Yesterday, as part of Volunteers’ Week, Trent Park House was delighted to welcome some of our volunteers and local residents for a community preview of our new café ahead of its public opening tomorrow.

It was wonderful to see Sir Philip Sassoon’s historic Blue Room once again filled with conversation, laughter, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Guests enjoyed a first look at the new Trent Park House of Secrets Café while sampling coffee, cake, and refreshments served by our local Enfield café operator, Blends & Beyond.

With Volunteers’ Week celebrating the invaluable contribution volunteers make to communities across the country, it was fitting to share this preview with the dedicated team helping bring the story of Trent Park House to life.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us yesterday and helped make the community preview such a success, and to Blends & Beyond for creating such a warm and inviting atmosphere.

The Trent Park House of Secrets Café opens to the public tomorrow. We look forward to welcoming visitors through our doors and sharing more exciting updates as we prepare for the opening of Trent Park House of Secrets later this summer.

Socialite Sir Philip Sassoon had a passion for aircraft, purchasing his first aeroplane in 1919 and serving two terms as...
27/05/2026

Socialite Sir Philip Sassoon had a passion for aircraft, purchasing his first aeroplane in 1919 and serving two terms as Under-Secretary of State for Air between the two World Wars. This photo is from the archives at Houghton Hall, part of a collection of photos from Sassoon’s visit to Italy in the 1920s.

Our director recently spent an afternoon with the CAMEO group at Christ Church Cockfosters, talking about the story of T...
21/05/2026

Our director recently spent an afternoon with the CAMEO group at Christ Church Cockfosters, talking about the story of Trent Park House of Secrets, the work currently underway, and what to expect when the museum opens.

CAMEO ("Come And Meet Each Other") is a long-running group that brings people together for talks and conversation. Thanks to Glenda Hunter for the invitation and to Ruth Taylor for the warm welcome.

One of the highlights was meeting Arthur, now in his 90s, who shared his boyhood memories of wartime Cockfosters — including encounters between local people and German prisoners of war held in the area. A good reminder of the living history right on our doorstep.

If you haven't explored Cockfosters, it's worth a visit - Chalk Lane in particular feels like it's from another era, and the church is only a 20-minute walk from Trent Park House. 🏛️

A sneak peek at one of our sign painters busy at work down in the basement hand-painting a sign for what will become the...
19/05/2026

A sneak peek at one of our sign painters busy at work down in the basement hand-painting a sign for what will become the Playback Room - where the Secret Listeners, the teams of mainly German-Jewish refugees hidden in the basement, sat to play back and transcribe the Generals' chatter from the rooms above.

You'll have to come and visit us when we open to discover what the fully restored room will look and feel like!

Great to see Londonist include a book signing in  this weekend with author Sue Elliott for her new book Trent Park House...
15/05/2026

Great to see Londonist include a book signing in this weekend with author Sue Elliott for her new book Trent Park House!

Top events in London this Saturday and Sunday.

11/05/2026

Shhhhhhh! A quiet moment at the museum during installation, as we look towards what was once Sir Philip Sassoon's Drawing Room, which will be fully restored for the opening of the museum.

One of our key sources is an article published in a 1931 edition of Country Life magazine, in which the key rooms were described in detail, and accompanied by a series of black and white photographs.

05/05/2026

One of the most iconic photographs in Trent Park House's fascinating history pictures Sir Winston Churchill strolling through the beautiful 'Wisteria Walk' - a Grade II listed pergola first installed in 1912, set within the grounds of Trent Park.

We recently took a wander to retrace Churchill's footsteps, and were treated to the first cascades of blooms beginning to emerge. We’ll try and get some more photos over the coming weeks!

Address

Trent Park, Enfield
London
EN40PS

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