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of the sensitivity of intelligence and covert operations during the war, the site's purpose was not made public and it operated under the guise of an RAF convalescence hospital. A number of different courses were run, teaching Air
Intelligence, Escape and Evasion, and Basic Intelligence Analysis for direct entrants to intelligence work. Most of the instruction was given by visiting specialists (from the
331:
School, formerly housed in a number of nearby houses in
Highgate, moved into Caen Wood Towers. The site, officially named Royal Air Force Station Highgate, occupied the grounds and outbuildings of the Caen Wood estate. It included accommodation, messing, equipment stores and a medical centre. Because
415:
Under
Fridman's ownership, extensive restoration work was carried out including roofing works, major structural repairs, restoration of stonework and brickwork, replacement of perished timbers, damp-proofing and replacement of all windows. The restoration was designed by architects SHH. The new roof
388:
for a reported £16 million. Planning permission to build a new house on the site was refused by Camden
Council in 2010, and the refusal upheld by the Planning Inspectorate in 2011. In 2014 the developers Athlone House Limited again appealed against the decision to the Planning Inspectorate, but this
374:
The site was acquired by the
Ministry of Health in 1951, renamed Athlone House in 1955 as part of the Middlesex Hospital Group, and converted into a pre-convalescent home for those not well enough to go to The Middlesex Hospital's Convalescent Home in Clacton. A new building was added for geriatric
370:
Following the end of the war, training continued at RAF Highgate until 1948 when the Air
Ministry decided that the School should move to the Air Ministry building as they were de-requisitioning the property. RAF Highgate (Caen Wood Towers) was handed over to the Ministry of Health in 1951 and its
269:
Cory-Wright was born in 1839; his father was
Lieutenant William Wright of the Rifle Brigade. He was educated privately and entered the firm of William Cory and Sons at the age of 21. He became Chief of the company in 1888 and was credited with the large development of this firm which followed his
383:
The hospital was closed in 2003 and the site was sold to Dwyer
Investments. The wing added in the 1940s and a 1970s extension were demolished, and three new blocks of luxury apartments built in their stead, called Kenwood Place. The original house was sold in 2006 to a Kuwaiti businessman of the
237:
Francis
Reckitt became wealthy and donated a great deal of money to establish public institutions. For example, in 1897 he paid for the Newland Homes Francis Reckitt House for infants. He also provided the funds to establish a new reference library within an existing library in Hull in 1890. The
315:
In 1904 he married Alice Violet
Beddington and the couple had two sons and a daughter. While they lived at Caen Wood they held numerous social events at the house and Lady Waley Cohen often allowed the gardens to be used for fetes and parties for girls' clubs, Boy Scouts, and to raise money for
311:
Waley Cohen was born in London in 1877. His father was Nathaniel Louis Cohen and his mother was Julia Waley, daughter of Jacob Waley, Professor at University College, London. After Waley Cohen left Cambridge University he entered the Shell Company, eventually becoming its Managing Director.
234:. He was twice widowed and had numerous children before he married Eliza Louisa Whitlock in 1877. The 1891 Census shows the family living at Caen Wood Towers and at this time there were four children still living with them. One of them was his son Francis William Reckitt who was an artist.
283:
Cory-Wright died at Caen Wood Towers in 1909. His widow remained at the house until 1911 when it was sold to Thomas Frame Thompson, who died two years later in a shooting accident. The property was then sold in 1914 to Charles Henry Watson who also owned a home called Ashmount in
157:
making up the pinnacle of the façade in front of a multi-turreted tower and with long, narrow Tudor-style chimneys on the left wing. A variety of stone and brick materials is therefore used in appropriate sections and the building is similar to the generally smaller
355:
During World War II, over 6,000 officers of the British services (including dominion and Allied Forces attached to the RAF) attended intelligence training courses at the house. A description of the training given during the war at the house is contained in the book
398:
reported that the house had been sold for about £20 million and that the new owners had contacted Camden Council "to discuss refurbishment plans", which were thought to include keeping the original house and building flats in the large gardens.
265:
Sir Francis Cory-Wright was Chief of William Cory and Sons, a large coal distribution firm. He was considered one of the best-known commercial men in the City and a chapter was written about him in "London Leaders" in 1907.
993:
17:
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was the Managing Director of the Shell Company. He was the longest and most prominent resident of Caen Wood Towers, living there for more than twenty years between 1919 and 1942.
273:
In 1868 he married Mima Owen, the youngest daughter of Sir Hugh Owen. They had two sons and three daughters. Cory-Wright was very interested in local affairs, particularly in the
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previous role remained an Official Secret until 2005 when files (such as the unit's Form 540) were declassified and made available to the public in the National Archives.
719:
608:
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73:
and John Philpot in an intricate style, particularly as to shape and brickwork, blending Dutch and classical influences. It lies on the northern edge of
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In 1877, Brooke's first wife, Jane, died and in the following year he married Frances Amyand Bellairs, daughter of the Reverend Henry Walford Bellairs.
983:
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Lady Waley Cohen died in 1935 but Sir Robert continued to live at Caen Wood Towers until about 1942 when it was taken over by the RAF.
389:
was rejected in June 2015 after objections from The Highgate Society, which raised a 5,000-signature petition to preserve the house.
188:. He was also one of Her Majesty's Commissioners for the Lieutenancy of the City of London. A book published in 1880, entitled
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192:, included a colour engraving of Caen Wood Towers and a descriptive article about Edward Brooke and the house.
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Brooke left Caen Wood Towers in about 1885 and Francis Reckitt and his family came to live in the house.
585:
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486:"A series of picturesque views of seats of the noblemen and gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland"
80:
It was home to several important industrialists until the early 1940s, when it was acquired by the
798:
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in 1832. He married Jane Emily Alston in 1857; they had many children. He also owned Pabo Hall in
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A series of picturesque views of seats of the noblemen and gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland
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142:. Shortly after, he had the house, originally named Caen Wood Towers, built on this property.
39:
27:
For the former seat of the Earls of Mansfield known to contemporaries as Caen Wood House, see
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area. He led the movement to save for public use the area then called Churchyard Bottom, now
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Reckitt Convalescent Home (now demolished) was built in 1907 with money donated by Francis.
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Reckitt left Caen Wood Towers in about 1900 and Sir Francis Cory-Wright became the owner.
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won an award for Best Use of a Heritage Roof at the Pitched Roofing Awards 2021.
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Francis Reckitt was a partner in the company of Reckitt and Sons. His father
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Obituary of Sir Francis Cory-Wright, The Times (London) 31 May 1909; pg. 9
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Brooke was a partner in the firm of Brooke, Simpson and Spiller, who were
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were directors of the company at the time he lived at Caen Wood Towers.
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115:.1880) of Caen Wood Towers shortly after it was built by Edward Brooke.
762:"Billionaires sell mock-Elizabethan mansion after losing planning war"
789:"Oligarch to pay £65m for derelict London mansion | The Sunday Times"
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177:
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In September 1942, the house was acquired by the Air Ministry. The
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The Yorkshire Herald, and The York Herald, 5 November 1890; pg. 5;
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bought the house and restored it for use as a modern family home.
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Plans for £80m London mega-mansion rejected after six-year battle
518:"Francis William Reckitt looking over Dunster Village, Somerset"
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causing damage to the buildings and injuring a number of staff.
230:
where the Reckitt and Sons company was based and later moved to
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135:
63:
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Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom
288:; in 1919 he sold Caen Wood Towers to Sir Robert Waley Cohen.
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124:
459:
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463:
North Wales Chronicle (Bangor), 18 October 1890, Issue 3280
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The house was built for Edward Brooke, who was born in
586:"London Leaders: Historic Families, Ancestral Estates"
322:
18:
Athlone House (formerly Caen Wood Towers), Highgate
36:Large Victorian house near Hampstead Heath, London
363:In late 1944, the school was hit twice by German
970:
611:. L'abeille de la Nouvelle-Orleans. 6 April 1911
215:had founded the firm and he and his brother Sir
92:until 2003, when it was left derelict. In 2016,
127:, which still has his portrait in the hallway.
932:Reroofing of Athlone House - Dreadnought Tiles
412:had purchased Athlone House for £65 million.
912:Photographs outside and inside Athlone House
884:"Re-roofing Athlone House Dreadnought Tiles"
647:The Times (London), 25 January 1935; pg. 16;
638:The Times (London), 29 November 1952; pg. 8
629:The Times (London), 9 October 1919; pg. 13
507:United Kingdom Births Deaths and Marriages
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244:
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43:Caen Wood Towers (south view) circa 1900.
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253:Caen Wood Towers (east view) circa 1900.
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984:Houses in the London Borough of Camden
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660:. The Camden New Journal. 25 June 2009
402:In April 2016, it was reported in the
69:Built around 1872, it was designed by
759:
750:, The Highgate Society, January 2014.
536:"Newland Homes Francis Reckitt House"
172:manufacturers in London. He became a
138:and bought Lord Dufferin’s estate at
989:Houses completed in the 19th century
551:
428:, borders Athlone House to the east
261:Sir Francis Cory-Wright circa 1900.
24:
753:
658:"How Athlone helped Defeat Hitler"
300:Sir Robert Waley Cohen circa 1920.
198:
145:The house is chiefly a mixture of
25:
1005:
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344:, Central Interpretation Unit at
475:(London) 24 December 1877, p. 1.
323:Royal Air Force Station Highgate
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520:. Francis Frith. Archived from
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838:"Athlone House, London – SHH"
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226:. He lived for some years in
77:, from which it can be seen.
918:Painting of the conservatory
738:, The Guardian, 8 June 2015.
609:"Ancient Country House sold"
222:Reckitt was born in 1827 in
7:
927:Athlone House, London - SHH
888:www.dreadnought-tiles.co.uk
538:. British Listed Buildings.
419:
10:
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863:The Pitched Roofing Awards
566:. Lost hospitals of London
408:that the Russian oligarch
130:In 1869, Brooke came from
26:
914:, 2009 (Highgate Society)
707:"RAF Intelligence School"
564:"Royal Northern Hospital"
102:
682:Shot Down and on the Run
358:Shot Down and on the Run
379:2003 to the present day
245:Sir Francis Cory-Wright
86:National Health Service
54:, is a large Victorian
720:Athlone House decision
451:England Census of 1861
301:
292:Sir Robert Waley Cohen
262:
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147:classical architecture
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724:Planning Inspectorate
679:Pitchfork, G (2003).
524:on 10 September 2012.
392:In January 2016, the
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207:Francis Reckitt 1892.
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110:
88:home for people with
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767:The Evening Standard
709:. National Archives.
174:Justice of the Peace
50:, formerly known as
951: /
186:County of Carnarvon
151:neo-Gothic crenular
955:51.5714°N 0.1589°W
760:Alexander, Stian.
306:Robert Waley Cohen
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176:for the County of
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801:on 25 April 2016.
498:UK Census of 1891
348:and Station X at
84:. It was later a
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410:Mikhail Fridman
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97:Mikhail Fridman
82:Royal Air Force
75:Hampstead Heath
71:Edward Salomons
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111:An engraving (
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813:"Its a wrap!"
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217:James Reckitt
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29:Kenwood House
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891:. Retrieved
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866:. Retrieved
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841:. Retrieved
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820:. Retrieved
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799:the original
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771:. Retrieved
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568:. Retrieved
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279:Queen's Wood
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224:Lincolnshire
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184:and for the
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153:with a tall
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125:Conwy, Wales
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958: /
920:, 1944, by
170:aniline dye
155:dutch gable
66:, England.
973:Categories
943:51°34′17″N
773:20 January
664:7 November
615:7 November
570:7 November
439:References
180:, for the
132:Manchester
121:Manchester
946:0°09′32″W
316:charity.
286:Hampstead
178:Middlesex
979:Highgate
420:See also
275:Highgate
140:Highgate
90:dementia
62:, north
60:Highgate
893:3 March
868:3 March
843:3 March
822:3 March
588:. 1907.
160:follies
722:, The
689:
375:care.
232:Hessle
136:London
103:Origin
64:London
213:Isaac
56:house
895:2022
870:2022
845:2022
824:2022
775:2016
687:ISBN
666:2015
617:2015
572:2015
304:Sir
228:Hull
149:and
352:).
342:MI9
338:MI6
134:to
58:in
975::
886:.
861:.
815:.
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553:^
456:^
360:.
340:,
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897:.
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668:.
619:.
574:.
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31:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
