Over 300 people showed their support for the building of a museum at a public meeting tonight (Thursday, June 16).

There was significant backing for the proposed World War Two exhibits, which would be built in Trent Park, Cockfosters, which was used as a prisoner of war camp for top ranking German officials.

The meeting, chaired by Enfield Southgate MP David Burrowes at Christ Church Cockfosters, was significantly better attended than the previous evenings EU hustings in Tottenham – perhaps a sign of where the public’s interest truly lies.

Mr Burrowes called Trent Park, which was allowed to fall into neglect by former owners Middlesex University before being purchased by Berkeley Homes, “a jewel in the crown of our borough and our nation”.

Berkeley have offered half of the ground floor and a third of the mansion house’s basement for the museum, with the rest to become flats, however campaigners say is an “unacceptable” amount of space in which to record the house’s colourful history.

Mr Burrowes said: “It’s an illustration of the great interest in Trent Park by the numbers in attendance today. We all have a mutual interest in Trent Park.

“I remember when we met back when the group was Save Trent Park, and the house was in a state of disrepair. What a difference a year makes.”

Cllr Jason Charalambous, who has led the campaign for a museum, said there was room to feel positive about the future of Trent Park for the first time in years.

He said: “We have succeeded in raising the historical profile of this site. Do a google search and you will find pages and pages, a year ago it would have been like finding a needle in a haystack.

“Berkeley have a good reputation as a heritage developer, however what is concerning is they are providing a pitiful amount of space to educational facilities.

“Our campaign for a museum has received significant media traction across the world, and from leading public figures and those in the military community. The list is growing almost daily.

“We want to deliver a sustainable future that we can all be proud of. For me, establishing a museum at Trent Park highlighting its history during WW2 and before is about more than just education, it is about putting this borough on the map for all the right reasons.”

In response, Piers Clanford, managing director of Berkeley in north east London, said he had not been so excited about a development in a 20 year career.

He said: “We want to create a long lasting legacy for Enfield, after having sat there for so long with so much neglect and no investment, getting it back to its former glory would be something special.

“We have already started work on the house and grounds, but there is so much more work to do. Forums like this will shape the future of Trent Park, and you have been clear all the way through that a museum is a key part of what is going to be delivered.

“There are going to have to be some compromises along the way, but the key focus of the museum has to be quality, something people are going to want to visit and recommend to your friends, no whiz around in 20 minutes.”

Plans for the museum as well as the rest of the house will be finalised over the summer, with plans to submit them for planning permission in September.