Churchill famously said of the nation's art treasures: "Hide them in caves and cellars, but not one picture shall leave this island." By the time war was declared on the 3rd September 1939, the majority of the Wallace Collection had been carefully packed for transport and was already safely out of London, away from the risk of damage or destruction from German air raids. It would remain so for the duration of the war. The collections new homes were a closely guarded secrets, with a large portion of the works from the collection being initially stored at Balls Park. When the property's current owner, Sir Lionel Faudel-Phillips died in 1940 the house was put up for sale. This made it necessary for the Wallace's artworks to be moved to West Wycombe Park. The estate was sold in 1946 and converted into a teacher training college, and served in an educational capacity for over 50 years, before closure in its final educational incarnation as the Hertford campus of the University of Hertfordshire in 2002. City & Country acquired Balls Park in 2001 from the University of Hertfordshire. In 2003, planning permission was granted for a comprehensive redevelopment of this highly sensitive site according to English Heritage Enabling Development Guidelines that allowed the minimum new build possible to ensure the repair of the listed buildings and park. The scheme included commercial use for the listed buildings, the demolition of unsightly 1960s college buildings and the development of 132 new homes that were designed to respect the setting and context of the listed buildings and the historic park. Several years later it was concluded by English Heritage that ‘the optimum viable use’ for this important Carolean country house was into residential apartments. Planning permission was granted in 2010 and The Mansion, Coach House and Stables have been restored and converted into 40 apartments by City & Country. Balls Park cricket Balls Park is a cricket ground in the grounds of the Balls Park estate. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1865 between Hertford and a United South of England Eleven. In 1901, the ground hosted its first Minor Counties Championship match which was between Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. From 1901 to present, the ground has hosted 70 Minor Counties Championship matches and 2 MCCA Knockout Trophy matches. The ground has played host to two List-A matches, the first of which was