Page 18 - Jigsaw Sept 2021

A GLANCE AT THE PAST
A visit to our local wildlife park – Lilford Hall
This month I am travelling a bit further afield, some five miles towards Oundle where, just off the A605 is Lilford. We moved to Thrapston in 1982 and during the latter years of the decade, discovered Lilford Hall and Park, somewhere we visited at the end of the school summer holiday until it closed to the public in 1990. No doubt there are many people locally who still remember going there and enjoying the extensive grounds, aviaries and animals.
The Hall was built during the 1600’s, with later additions. The original owner was William Elmes and passed to Thomas Powys in 1711. His great grandson was created the first Lord Lilford in 1797. The estate consisted of 240 acres of grassland and woods. The 7th Baron Lilford restocked the many aviaries built during the 1800’s in 1970 and opened the park to the public. Amongst the many attractions were these aviaries with a large variety of birds, including eagles and owls, a pinetum with a
wildfowl lake which included flamingos and cranes (shown below), a children’s farm area with, as well as the usual lambs, kids and ponies, wallabies. During the early 1900’s, there was even the Lilford Bear looking rather despondent in a very wet cage (from the Daphne Winsor Archive).
During World War 2, Lilford Hall served as quarters for 75 nurses from the USAAF 303rd Station Hospital which was opened in the park in September 1943 to treat up to 750 wounded servicemen. The size was doubled after D-Day and remained open until May 1945. The buildings were used briefly after the war as a Polish Technical School. This aerial view of the hospital in 1944 (opposite page) was forwarded to me by Richard Reed, who contacted me as
a result of my December article requesting comments and help, to whom I give thanks.
In 1990 the estate produced a leaflet advert- ising various events for the year, shown with
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