Trent Park House of Secrets

Trent Park House, one of England’s great country houses, will open to the public for the first time as a museum in summer 2026, uncovering a remarkable secret history. The stately home witnessed some of the most pivotal events of the 20th century, and this extraordinary story of espionage, courage and creative deception has remained largely untold for over 70 years. During the war, Trent Park played a key role in Britain’s intelligence battle with Germany, comparable in importance to Bletchley Park. Senior captured German officers held at Trent Park in luxurious surroundings were unaware that their conversations were being recorded by a complex network of miniaturised listening devices hidden in every corner – from light fittings to garden benches. Hidden in the basements below, teams of Secret Listeners, many of whom were German-speaking Jewish refugees, secretly transcribed the conversations producing intelligence breakthroughs that gave the Allies a crucial advantage in the war. Before 1939, Trent Park had been one of the great houses of the interwar years owned by Sir Philip Sassoon of the Sassoon banking family, one of the wealthiest men in England. Sassoon was a close friend of the future Edward VIII and Winston Churchill, an MP and a minister for aviation. Political friends and members of the Royal Family were entertained at luxurious weekends where they mixed with artists and entertainers such as Rex Whistler, George Bernard Shaw, Noel Coward, Charlie Chaplin and Fred Astaire. When the museum opens in Summer 2026, the two strands of Trent Park’s history will be brought together as an immersive visitor experience. The state rooms on the ground floor have been restored to their 1930s grandeur, while in the basement the listening stations, offices and working rooms of the Secret Listeners will be shown in operation. For more than 70 years, this astonishing story of espionage, courage and creative deception remained largely untold. Now, for the first time, visitors will be able to discover the hidden role Trent Park played in shaping the outcome of the war. Trent Park House of Secrets will open in Summer 2026, Tuesday to Sunday, 10am–5pm and will include a café, gift shop and Clore Learning Space on site. The nearest Underground stations are Cockfosters and Oakwood, both on the Piccadilly line.