Trent Park House of Secrets in Enfield, north London, is launching its first ever family trail this October half term 2026. The free Amazing Creatures Explorers trail is designed for under-8s, and it sits alongside a hands-on WWII basement where young history detectives can find out how captured German generals were secretly overheard during the Second World War.
The museum only opened in July, and it tells two very different stories under one roof. Upstairs, the state rooms have been restored to how they looked in the 1930s, when Trent Park was home to Sir Philip Sassoon. He entertained royalty, politicians and Hollywood stars including Charlie Chaplin and Fred Astaire. Downstairs, the basement listening stations and working rooms of the Secret Listeners are shown as they were during the war.
The Amazing Creatures Explorers family trail
The new trail is a playful way for little ones to explore the glamorous state rooms and the interwar years. It is free with admission, and you can pick up a copy at the ticket desk or download it before your visit.
At the end of the state rooms, children can take a look at a scale model of the House, frozen in time in 1942.
WWII secrets in the basement
From there, families head down to the basement. This is where the Secret Listeners recorded the generals’ conversations using microphones hidden all over the House, including in light fittings, plant pots and even the billiard table.
There is plenty for curious kids to get hands-on with:
- Pick up a phone to hear extracts from an officer’s diary
- Test your ears in the Playback Room by listening, recording and spotting keywords in English and German
- Watch films that use AI to bring historic photographs to life
- Try out the air-raid siren
- Peek into the 1940s kitchen and storerooms
- Finish with a photo in Secret Listener uniform
Make a day of it
Trent Park House sits within 400 acres of parkland, so there is room to run off steam among the autumn leaves after your visit. When little legs need a rest, the café serves coffee and cake, and families are welcome to bring a packed lunch to eat in the Clore Learning Room.
If you are visiting in the last week of October, the café is also adding a limited-edition Halloween menu from 26 October to 1 November, with ghost brownies, Halloween cookies and pumpkin shortbread.
The museum has space for buggies, accessible spaces and a family ticket discount.
Trent Park House of Secrets: tickets and visitor information
- Where: Trent Park House of Secrets, Daffodil Crescent, Enfield, London
- When: October half term. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm
- Adults (18+): £14
- Students: £12
- Juniors (5 to 17): £12
- Under 5s: free
- Family discounts: available, and the family trail is free with admission
- Getting there: the nearest station is Oakwood on the Piccadilly line
The museum is closed on Mondays, and it will close earlier, at 4pm, in November and December.
For more information and to book tickets, visit trentparkhouse.org.uk.
