A new museum dedicated to Britain’s clandestine wartime eavesdropping operations will open to the public for the first time next year, revealing intelligence activities kept secret for more than seven decades.
Trent Park House of Secrets, located within the 413-acre Trent Country Park in Enfield, North London, will open its doors in June 2026, operating from 10am to 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday.
The Secret Listeners: Unseen Architects of Victory
During the Second World War, the house was transformed into a top-secret prisoner of war camp codenamed ‘M-Rooms’. Here, captured senior German officers, including 59 generals, were held in deceptive comfort. Unbeknown to them, an extensive network of hidden microphones picked up their every word. Devices were concealed in light fittings, plant pots, garden benches, walls, under floorboards, and even within the billiard table and trees.
The covert operation, led by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Kendrick of MI19, turned these conversations into an intelligence goldmine. The work was conducted in a concealed basement by teams of ‘Secret Listeners’, predominantly German-speaking Jewish refugees who had fled Nazi persecution. Their linguistic skills and understanding of German dialects were vital.
Operating in squads of six across three bugged rooms on two shifts, they ensured constant surveillance. Up to seven minutes of conversation could be recorded at a time, with an estimated 3,000 prisoner-of-war conversations secretly captured and transcribed.
The intelligence gleaned was of monumental significance, often compared to that produced at Bletchley Park, though it relied on human eavesdropping rather than codebreaking. It yielded crucial details on German military strategy and secret weapons, including the V-1 and V-2 rocket development at Peenemünde—intelligence that prompted Allied bombing raids. The transcripts also provided some of the earliest Allied accounts of the Holocaust, insights into war crimes, internal German politics, and the resistance movement, including the lead-up to the 20 July plot against Hitler.
A House of Two Worlds: Sassoon’s Glamorous Pre-War Stage
The museum will also peel back the layers to the house’s glittering pre-war existence. Before its requisition in 1939, Trent Park was the country estate of Sir Philip Sassoon, a prominent society figure and politician. From 1923, he remodelled the Victorian mansion into a luxurious retreat, famed for its lavish weekend parties that attracted a who’s who of British society.
Politicians, royalty, and cultural icons including Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin, and Noel Coward were regular guests. The museum’s restored state rooms, featuring original furnishings and artworks, will recreate this opulent 1930s world, creating a striking contrast with its clandestine wartime role.
Exploring the House of Secrets
Upon opening, visitors will be able to explore reconstructed listening rooms and hidden workspaces, with displays explaining the sophisticated bugging techniques. Original transcripts of the recorded conversations will be exhibited, offering a direct window into the prisoners’ unguarded discussions.
The site will also feature a café, gift shop, and a Clore Learning Space. A new schools programme for children aged eight to eleven will use immersive drama and historical investigation to teach the story of the Secret Listeners, linking to curriculum requirements and exploring refugee experiences.
The museum’s development, led by director Dr. Giuseppe Albano MBE since April 2025, follows a public campaign launched in 2014 to save the house. The Trent Park Museum Trust, established in 2016 to operate the museum, counts writer and comedian Helen Lederer—whose grandfather was a Secret Listener—among its trustees. The project has received funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for outreach and education.
The museum is accessible via the Piccadilly Line, with Cockfosters and Oakwood tube stations the nearest. A shuttle bus service will operate from Oakwood station for visitors.
