Battle of Britain House

Last updated

Battle of Britain House
Battle of Britain House.jpg
View of the house from the garden
Greater London UK location map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Greater London
General information
Location Ruislip
Town or city Greater London
CountryEngland
Coordinates 51°35′39″N0°26′14″W / 51.594158°N 0.437222°W / 51.594158; -0.437222
Completed1905
Demolished1984
ClientJosef Conn

Battle of Britain House, also known over time as Franklin House and Kokyo, was a private mansion in Ruislip that was used by the United States military to train agents for undercover missions in occupied France during the Second World War. After the war, the house was dedicated as a memorial to the Royal Air Force squadrons involved in the Battle of Britain, and became a residential college and headquarters to the Ruislip & District Natural History Society. The house was destroyed by fire in 1984 and demolished; in 1993 the site was cleared to allow it to be reclaimed by nature.

Contents

History

The house was built by Josef Conn in 1905, after he had received a lease from King's College, Cambridge, the owners of much of the land in Ruislip, to build within Copse Wood. At the time of building, it was possible to view the reservoir of what would become Ruislip Lido, and the church of Harrow on the Hill, St. Mary's. [1]

Meyer Franklin Kline, an American shipping magnate, took over the lease from Conn in 1920. He first renamed the house "Kokyo" to reflect his company's presence in Asia, followed by "Franklin House", after President Franklin D. Roosevelt. During his ownership, Kline had various ornaments from the Far East placed around the gardens, and had furniture built for the house using wood taken from the luxury cabins of his ships. [1]

At the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Kline was in America and leased the house to a German national. The unnamed German was forced to relinquish his ownership due to regulations brought in by the British government. [1] It was provided to the United States military to enable agents of the Clandestine Operations Division to be trained before embarking on sabotage missions in occupied France, its location within Copse Wood making it ideal for this purpose. [2]

The house was planned to be purchased as part of a war memorial scheme in which young people from Britain and the Empire would take part in exchange visits. Due to financial problems, the scheme could not buy the house, and it was instead purchased from King's College in 1948 by Middlesex County Council to become a welfare centre for young people. The house was renamed the Battle of Britain House, as had been part of the original plan, and featured plaques in the dining room with the badges of each Royal Air Force squadron active in the battle. The house was officially opened on 1 March 1949 by Air Chief Marshal Sir James Robb. [2]

The house continued as a residential college run by Victor Stanyon, and from 1951 housed the headquarters of the Ruislip & District Natural History Society. It was destroyed by fire in 1984 and the ruins were demolished. Following a number of attempts to sell the site for development, it was agreed in 1993 to allow the ground to be returned to nature. [2]

Related Research Articles

Ickenham Human settlement in England

Ickenham is an area centred on an old village in Greater London, forming the eastern part of Uxbridge and within the London Borough of Hillingdon.

Northwood, London Human settlement in England

Northwood is an area in the north-west of Greater London, England. It is located within the London Borough of Hillingdon and the historic county of Middlesex, on the border with Hertfordshire, and is 14.5 miles (23.3 km) from Charing Cross.

Ruislip Human settlement in England

Ruislip is an area in the London Borough of Hillingdon. Ruislip lies 13.8 miles (22.2 km) west-north-west of Charing Cross, London.

RAF Northolt Royal Air Force station in Greater London, England, United Kingdom

RAF Northolt is a Royal Air Force station in South Ruislip, 2 nautical miles from Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, western Greater London, England, approximately 6 mi (10 km) north of London Heathrow Airport. The station handles many private civil flights in addition to Air Force flights. Northolt has one runway in operation, spanning 1,687 m × 46 m, with a grooved asphalt surface.

South Ruislip Human settlement in England

South Ruislip is an area of west London in the London Borough of Hillingdon, south-east of Ruislip, north-west of Northolt, and west of South Harrow. A 2017 estimation put the population of South Ruislip ward as 13,150 residents.

Eastcote Human settlement in England

Eastcote is an area in northwest London situated in the London Borough of Hillingdon.

Ruislip-Northwood Urban District

Ruislip-Northwood was an urban district in west Middlesex, England, from 1904 to 1965. From its inception Ruislip-Northwood fell within the Metropolitan Police District and from 1933 it was part of the London Passenger Transport Area.

Ruislip Manor Human settlement in England

Ruislip Manor is an area of Ruislip in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It is located approximately 13 miles (20.9 km) north west of Charing Cross.

Ruislip Lido

Ruislip Lido is a reservoir and artificial beach in Ruislip, within the London Borough of Hillingdon, England, situated between Ruislip Common, Ruislip Woods, and Poor's Field.

Project MoDEL

Project MoDEL is a project run for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) by the ministry's Defence Infrastructure Organisation and VSM Estates, a joint venture established between Vinci PLC and St. Modwen Properties to bid for the contract. The project involves the consolidation and sale of surplus Ministry of Defence properties around Greater London into around £180m of new developments at RAF Northolt. A total of 80% of the existing buildings at RAF Northolt were demolished and replaced by the newly built facilities.

RAF South Ruislip

RAF South Ruislip, also known as South Ruislip Air Station, was a non-flying Air Force station located in South Ruislip near London, England. Located close to RAF Northolt, the station was used by the United States Air Force's Third Air Force from 1949 until 1972, when the headquarters were moved to RAF Mildenhall.

Ruislip Woods

Ruislip Woods is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and national nature reserve covering 726 acres (294 ha) in Ruislip in the London Borough of Hillingdon. The woods became the second national nature reserve in an urban area of England in May 1997, receiving the Green Flag Award in 2006. Ruislip Local Nature Reserve at TQ 090 899 is part of the national nature reserve.

RAF West Ruislip

RAF West Ruislip was a Ministry of Defence site, located in Ickenham within the London Borough of Hillingdon. The base was originally built as a depot for the Royal Air Force (RAF), split by what is now the Chiltern Main Line. North of the railway was RAF Blenheim Crescent, which housed the RAF Records Office and the depot's original personnel accommodation.

RAF Eastcote

RAF Eastcote, also known over time as RAF Lime Grove, HMS Pembroke V and Outstation Eastcote, was a UK Ministry of Defence site in Eastcote, within the London Borough of Hillingdon, northwest London.

Manor Farm, Ruislip

Manor Farm is a 22-acre (8.9 ha) historic site in Ruislip, Greater London. It incorporates a medieval farm complex, with a main old barn dating from the 13th century and a farm house from the 16th. Nearby are the remains of a motte-and-bailey castle believed to date from shortly after the Norman conquest of England. Original groundwork on the site has been dated to the 9th century.

Swakeleys House

Swakeleys House is a Grade I-listed 17th-century mansion in Ickenham, London Borough of Hillingdon, built in 1638 for the future Lord Mayor of London, Sir Edmund Wright. Originally the home of the lords of the manor of Swakeleys, writer Samuel Pepys visited the house twice. The property changed hands many times over the years and at one time was home to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Sports Association. Large sections of the grounds were sold off in 1922 and developed as suburban housing.

Highgrove House, Eastcote

Highgrove House, also known as High Grove House or High Grove, is a Grade II listed mansion in the suburban area of Ruislip, within the London Borough of Hillingdon. Originally built in 1750 by the Reverend John Lidgould, the house was rebuilt in 1881 by Sir Hugh Hume-Campbell following a catastrophic fire. Along with Haydon Hall and Eastcote House, Highgrove was one of the three main houses of Eastcote and eventually became a residential hostel for homeless families, run by the local council from the 1960s until 2007. An area of the estate was sold to the local council in 1935 by the then-owner Eleanor Warrender to become what is now Warrender Park. In 1975, the house was granted Grade II listed status on account of its special architectural character.

St Martins Church, Ruislip Church in United Kingdom

St Martin's Church is a church in the town of Ruislip, within the London Borough of Hillingdon. It has been designated since January 1950 by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. The present chancel and nave date back to the 13th century. The church stands at the northern end of Ruislip High Street, near the Manor Farm site.

Eastcote House Gardens

Eastcote House Gardens is an area of public parkland in Eastcote, within the London Borough of Hillingdon. The site covers 3.63 hectares and incorporates the walled garden, dovecote and coach house of Eastcote House. The house was demolished in 1964 by the Ruislip-Northwood Urban District Council (RNUDC), the predecessor of the London Borough of Hillingdon. At the public's request, the garden and outbuildings were retained and are now maintained by a group of volunteers, the Friends of Eastcote House Gardens, in partnership with the local authority.

Haydon Hall

Haydon Hall was one of the three main houses of Eastcote, within what is now the London Borough of Hillingdon. The house was built in 1630 as a home for Lady Alice, Dowager Countess of Derby who had been living in Harefield. The house remained in the ownership of Lady Alice's descendants for several years, on the side of her eldest daughter. For a time the house was renamed "Eastcote Park" though was returned to the original name.

References

Citations
  1. 1 2 3 Bowlt 1994, p.135
  2. 1 2 3 Bowlt 1994, p.136
Bibliography
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.