The Firs, Whitchurch

The Firs is a country house in Whitchurch, Buckinghamshire.

History

The house was built in 1897 for Charles Gray, an officer who fought with the Imperial Yeomanry in South Africa.[1] By the 1930s the house was owned by Major Arthur Abrahams from whom it was requisitioned by the War Office in 1939.[2] During the Second World War the house was used by MD1 for the development and testing of various weapons[3] including time delay fuses, depth charges and PIAT guns.[4] The house, which was known locally as "Winston Churchill's Toyshop", accommodated some 250 people at this time.[5] Meanwhile Abrahams was knighted for his services to the British Red Cross in June 1942.[6]

In around 1953 the house became the Central Research Laboratories for Richard Thomas and Baldwins, iron and steel producers.[7] This use continued until 1967 when Richard Thomas and Baldwins was nationalised as part of British Steel.[7] The house has since been converted into offices[4] and is now owned by Christopher Mann, Chairman of Plenham Publishing.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Whitchurch: funeral". Buckinghamshire Herald. 6 September 1902. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  2. ↑ MacRae, Stuart (2011). "Winston Churchill's Toyshop: The Inside Story of Military Intelligence". Amberley. ISBN 978-1445603704.
  3. ↑ "Whitchurch Historic Town Assessment" (PDF). Buckinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Vale's role designing WWII weapons for 'Winston Churchill's Toyshop' – or how one man was arrested at gunpoint for throwing bazooka shells around". Buckinghamshire Herald. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "The Firs, Whitchurch". Buckinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  6. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 35586. p. 2475. 11 June 1942. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  7. 1 2 "The Firs Veterans Day 16 July 2010". Whitchurch. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  8. ↑ "Village History". Whitchurch. Retrieved 23 October 2016.

Coordinates: 51°52′36″N 0°49′59″W / 51.8768°N 0.8331°W / 51.8768; -0.8331

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