The Trent Park mansion houses the Trent Park campus of Middlesex University in North London. It is home to the performing arts, teacher education, product design and engineering, and biological science departments of the university.

History

Trent Park dates back to the fourteenth century, when it was part of Enfield Chase a hunting ground of Henry IV. In 1777 the site was given to Richard Jebb by George III as a reward for saving the life of the King's younger brother, the then Duke of Gloucester.

In the early twentieth century, the estate was owned by Philip Sassoon, (the cousin of the poet Siegfried Sassoon) who entertained many celebrity guests at Trent Park, including Charles Chaplin and Winston Churchill.

In 1951 the estate became the then Trent Park College, which became part of Middlesex University in 1974.

In 1973 Trent Park was opened to the public as a 3.8 km² country park which surrounds the university campus

Country Park

The country park includes publicly accessible countryside, farmland, a golf course and an equestrian centre. Some of the grounds were attractively landscaped by Humphrey Repton in the English manner (some also attribute the work of Capability Brown). Features of the original landscaping that can still be seen include an impressive avenue of lime trees, an obelisk, ornamental lakes and water features.

The original mansion and a number of statues and other structures located within the grounds are Grade II listed. The site is designated as Green Belt, and lies within a conservation area and is also included within the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

The park is open to the public (closest tube stations are Oakwood and Cockfosters). During the summer months a number of concerts and festivals take place.