What goes on in Room 617 at Cotswold Conference Centre?

A War Hero remembered at Farncombe Estate

Military heroes past and present were honoured in a moving ceremony at Cotswold Conference Centre, Broadway, yesterday [Thursday.]

Maudslay Court, a new £3.5m Cotswold-stone building constructed at Farncombe Estate, was officially opened by Victoria Trevelyan, niece of the Dam Busters’ hero Henry Maudslay. The Maudslay family lived on the Estate during WW2 when Henry was tragically killed in raids on six German hydroelectric dams.

To commemorate the connection with 617 Squadron, the Dam Busters’ unit of which Henry Maudslay was B Flight Commander, a plaque was also unveiled by Wing Commander Keith Taylor, currently Officer Commanding 617 Squadron.

“This beautiful building has given us a fantastic opportunity to honour an earlier resident of the Estate,” said Cotswold Conference Centre’s MD Mark Philip-Sørensen. “We would like to thank the Maudslay family and Wing Commander Taylor for making our opening ceremony so special.”

The large new wing of 32 en-suite bedrooms, constructed by skilled local tradesmen, boasts a number of ecological features, including a ground-source heat pump and solar panels. The Cotswold stone building even has its own tower.

One deluxe room - Number 617 – is themed with prints that tell the Dam Busters story, including a picture of the Lancaster Bombers in action in May 1943.

Emotional tribute

The Grand Ceremony began with the Celebration Reed and Brass Band of Hampton playing stirring renditions of the Dam Busters theme and the RAF March Past, while 80 guests and staff assembled in Maudslay Court.

The historic afternoon was completed with traditional afternoon tea – in the Estate’s dining room decorated with gingham and bunting, to the strains of Vera Lynn.

Keith Taylor spoke about 617 Squadron’s heroic history, including recent tours of Afghanistan and Libya, while Victoria Trevelyan gave an emotional tribute to Henry Maudslay, the uncle she never knew. She presented Farncombe Estate with a rarely-seen portrait of her uncle – Henry had been just 21 when he died on his return from the Dam Busters’ raid.

In the 1954 film The Dam Busters, Henry Maudslay’s role was played by actor Richard Thorp, later known as Alan Turner in “Emmerdale”. A remake of the film, with a script by Stephen Fry, is expected to premiere soon.