Thatched Barn

The Thatched Barn was a two-storey mock-Tudor hotel built in the 1930s on the Barnet by-pass in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England.

It was bought by holiday camp founder, Billy Butlin, before being requisitioned as Station XV by the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in World War Two, and used to train secret agents.

[2] In 1927, the Thatched Barn was commissioned by a Mrs Merrick and opened in 1934 as a "roadhouse",[3] and a place where film stars could meet a lady.

[4] In 1939, Billy Butlin purchased the Thatched Barn as his first hotel; however, like his camps, it was requisitioned (this time by the SOE) before he could develop it further.

[1] In June 1942, the Inter Services Research Bureau [5] part of the Special Operations Executive moved its Camouflage Section and main workshops to the Thatched Barn,[6] developing a research facility to create camouflage, explosive devices,[7] and coding equipment.