Grendon Hall, HM Prison Springhill, Grendon Underwood

Image: © Andy Gryce Taken: 29 Apr 2007

This country house was built in 1880 in the Jacobean style by Revd Randolph Piggott, Rector and Squire of Grendon Underwood, for his brother. The brother never lived there, so it was used as a rectory. When World War Two began in 1939, the Government bought the house for use by the Special Operations Executive (SOE) (which became independent of MI6 in 1942) as one of four home based receiving stations for messages from overseas agents. Known as Station 53a, the wireless station had Nissen huts in its grounds and was home to 400 signallers and coders, mostly women belonging to FANY, the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry. Later the hall and its grounds were used as a fire training centre. In 1953 the property was converted into a prison and named Springhill Prison, and the building is now used for education and administration. The Transport Archive has a photograph of servants outside the hall http://www.transportarchive.org.uk/getobject.php?rnum=L2533&searchitem=Grendon&mtv=L3&pnum=1. This hall should not be confused with the Grendon Hall between Northampton and Wellingborough, which is an outdoor activity centre.

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