Gaynes Hall
Encyclopedia
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
mansion set in 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) of parkland in the heart of the Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
countryside. Located in the village of Perry
Perry, Cambridgeshire
Perry is a small village in Cambridgeshire, England. It lies on the shore of a reservoir, Grafham Water, just a few miles from the market towns of St Neots and Huntingdon....
, Huntingdon the building was requisitioned during the Second World War and was also residence of Sir Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
for 21 years.
Currently it is the base for the Angela Malik
Angela Malik
Angela Malik, is a chef and entrepreneur. She runs the Angela Malik Cook Schools, 'New Flavours of the Eastern World' which are based in Gaynes Hall, Cambridgeshire and Acton, London. Angela was a finalist of the search for a British female chef which was run by the T.V show 'The F-Word'on Channel 4...
School of Food and Wine Ltd; A food and lifestyle company.
History
Gaynes Hall takes its name from the family of Engaine, the original house was likely built as the hall of their manor of Dillington. In 1238 Viel de Engaine was living there when he had licence to have his private chapel at his manor of Dillington. Only small fragments of the moat remain from the original Engayne dwelling.Sir Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
of Hinchingbrooke was a tenant of the Gaynes Hall estate for 21 years who then sublet it to his brother Richard Cromwell from 1599.
Gaynes Hall was requisitioned during the Second World War from the Duberley family and used by the Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
(SOE). The SOE was set up by Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
in 1940 to conduct warfare using sophisticated techniques which didn’t involve direct military contact.
Gaynes Hall was given the code name of ‘Station 61’. It was the headquarters of the Air Liaison Officers and the ‘hotel’ at which agents were kept and comforted through the last ordeal of waiting for weather conditions to be right before they were air dropped into occupied Europe.
Post 1945 Gaynes Hall was used as the administrative office and governor’s house for Gaynes Hall Borstal. The borstal stood on the site of Littlehey Prison
Littlehey (HM Prison)
HM Prison Littlehey is a Category C men's prison, located in the village of Perry in Cambridgeshire, England. Littlehey Prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
. The boys maintained the grounds and gardens of Gaynes Hall until the borstal closed in 1983. The site was surrounded with what were referred to as "Moats." They were literally teeming with Carp but became rat infested and were eventually filled in sometime in the 1970s
In 1985, Gaynes Hall was purchased by AIM Cambridge (later AIM Technology) a technology consulting company. The building was renovated and adapted to the needs of the company. During the renovation, some of the original fittings were stolen and not recovered. Within two years, AIM Technology closed and the building became empty.
Gaynes Hall was sold by the Ministry of Defence to a private company in 1990 and the restoration of the house has been ongoing since 1994.
Previous owners
- 1116–1322 Engaine Family
- 1322–1421 Barnack Family
- 1421–1607 Stonham Family
- 1599 – let to Sir Oliver Cromwell
- 1664–1797 Handasyde Family
- 1797–1940 Duberley Family