Oral Histories Project

In February 2023 Trent Park Museum Trust launched an oral history project, funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund. The aim of the project was to capture the rich history of the house through the collection of stories and memories from those with personal connections to Trent Park House. We also heard from those in the local community with their own experience of migration, conflict and resettlement, just as many of the Trent Park House secret listeners fleeing war and persecution were compelled to find new lives in this country.

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Oral Histories Film Project

A film project by Christina Wheeler.

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Volunteer Research Project

In a companion project also funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund, the historian and author, Dr Rachel Pistol, escorted a team of research volunteers to the National Archives at Kew to explore the recently declassified archive holdings on Trent Park’s wartime intelligence programme.

The information our volunteer team gleaned from the many hours spent poring over sheafs of typed and annotated files, has provided some brilliant insights into the complex running of Trent Park House at this time, and the many interesting characters incarcerated there. With Dr Pistol’s help, the volunteer team were also able to pick up useful skills when it comes to the handling, reading and researching of fragile archive collections.

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Shared Migration Stories Education Project

The project consisted of six one-hour sessions which explored the topic of migration within a local context. The children, as ​‘Living History Detectives’, took the lead on gathering oral histories from members of the wider school community who have lived experience of migration.

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