Randlord who made his fortune in gold in South Africa, and his wife Ella. Their daughter Gwen was a noted cellist. During the Second World War, Chicheley Hall was used by the Special Operations Executive as its Special Training School No. 46. From 1942 until 1943, it was used for training Czechoslovaks for SOE parachute missions. The hall was later used as a base to train Polish agents, and then became a FANY wireless telegraphy school. Fortunately, the fine interior was protected by hardboard. The house was purchased from the Chester family in 1952 by David Beatty, 2nd Earl Beatty. Beatty, son of Admiral Lord Beatty, began a large restoration programme and finally employed the renowned interior decorator Felix Harboard, famed for his work at Luttrellstown Castle near Dublin. Harboard's classical colour schemes accentuating moulding and panelling perfectly suit the house. Chicheley Hall remained the home of the 2nd Earl's fourth wife, Diane, after his death. She remarried, to Sir John Nutting, and was later the chairman of the Georgian Group. Together, they ran the house as a venue for weddings and conferences, and as a filming location. The house represented Bletchley Park in the 2001 film Enigma. 21st century In 2007, Chicheley Hall was offered for sale, with a guide price of £9 million. It was bought by the Royal Society for £6.5 million, funded in part by the Norwegian philanthropist Fred Kavli. The Royal Society spent £12 million renovating the house, and adapting it to become the Kavli Royal Society International Centre, a venue for science seminars and conferences. Outside of these scientific events the hall may be hired for corporate and social events. Chicheley Hall was operated by De Vere Venues until June 2020, when it closed 'permanently' following (initially) a temporary closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Later that year, it was again listed for sale. Writing in Country Life, Penny Churchill noted that the Royal Society had restored the mansion and converted the stable block to a hotel with 48 bedrooms and a conference centre. The hall was sold in March 2021 to Pyrrho Investments. Architecture and description The principal, south, facade of the house is of nine bays and three storeys above a raised basement; the central section of three bays projects. Massive fluted Corinthian pilasters flank the central three bays. These are repeated at each termination of the facade and again divide the