Rest Homes, ''Flak Farms'' of the Eighth Air Force.

The Henley Standard of today's date reports that Coombe Park at Whitchurch on Thames, Oxfordshire is on the market for £10 million. During the war it was a USAAF Rest Home that went under the name Pangbourne House to avoid confusion with Coombe House near Shaftesbury.

The place hasn't been properly maintained for about 30 years, so the house is in very poor condition and the gardens overgrown. But the Thames-side location is magnificent and the estate runs to about 125 acres. The agents are Knight Frank in Henley.

Any Euromillions winners out there?

Mike O

The day that I managed to get in there, only to be told ''You can't take any photographs here, goodbye'' I can confirm that it was in a very sorry state, I did think about taking some sneaky shots as I left, but didn't. Wish I would have now. Perhaps whoever buys it will get some kind of recognition on display for it's former use as a rest home..

If you google "Coombe Park Estate" you will now find lots of pictures of the place. The write-up in the Henley Standard mentions the Flak House period and the fact of its having been called Pangbourne House for that period to avoid confusion with the place near Shaftesbury. Pangbourne is across the Thames from Whitchurch and would have been the railway station used by "guests".

I have been driving past Bucklands, on and off, for over 40 years without realising it's significance, so I was pleased to find this thread last night. The link in the original posts is no longer active, but the following one goes directly to Mark Brotherton's photographs - some interesting docs reproduced there.

www.gallery.mighty8thaf.preller.us/v/Gue...ir-Force-Rest-Homes/

During my research on RAF Hampstead Norris, one of the sources has been AIR 29/587 recording the glider pilots ORTU located there in 1944. It was particularly well documented, and a quick scan through this morning revealed at least 5 occasions when Liberators or Fortresses flew in delivering crews for the Pangbourne House rest home. The named bases that they flew in from were Bungay, Glatton, Eccles and Wendling

Here is my 2012 post about Flak Farms including Eynsham Hall.

another HE image, showing Coombe Park. and a collection of huts  in the grounds. (Top centre of the image).   historicengland.org.uk/images-books/arch...tos/record/EAW030837