Building record 0944600000 - The Firs, Whitchurch
Summary
Late nineteenth century country house built in 1897 in an Arts and Crafts or Domestic Revival style and used during the war for experimental development of munitions and known as 'Churchill's Toyshop'.
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Map
Type and Period (1)
- COUNTRY HOUSE (Built 1897, 19th Century - 1800 AD to 1899 AD)
Description
'The Firs' was built in 1897 on the site of an earlier building of the same name. Between September 1940 and October 1946 it was a workshop of MIR(c) [Military Intelligence Research] (later MD1) and produced 26 different types of weapons including Sticky Bombs, the Blacker Bombard and PIAT (B2).
On the curve of the High Street at the s end, The Firs is a half-timbered Domestic Revival house built in 1897 for Charles Gray. Prominent but uninspired (B5).
Sources (6)
- <1>SBC22299 Digital archive: Council for British Archaeology. 2002. Defence of Britain database. Non ant- invasion record ID 5633.
- <2>SBC22380 Bibliographic reference: Ian Beckett & Ron Adams. 1989. Whitchurch in Camera. pp10,14.
- <3>SBC22808 Article in serial: 1946. A Whitchurch Diary.
- <4>SBC22809 Article in serial: 1947. Westcott Establishment Rumours.
- <5>SBC19664 Bibliographic reference: Nikolaus Pevsner & Elizabeth Williamson. 1994. The Buildings of England: Buckinghamshire. pp748-749.
- <6>SBC26867 Bibliographic reference: Stuart Macrae. 2012. Winston Churchill's Toyshop: The Inside Story of Military Intelligence (Research).
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SP 80418 20465 (1m by 0m) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | WHITCHURCH, Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (1)
Related Events/Activities (0)
Record last edited
Aug 12 2024 2:31PM
