Gunby Hall

Gunby Hall by the Lincolnshire Wolds is a rather fine country house built in 1700 for some minor aristocrats, the Massingberds. The house was all very typical, with National Trust functionaries positioned in every room, regaling visitors with their scripted anecdotes of the various family members who once lived here.

Curiously, the house was nearly destroyed in the Second World War, but not by the Luftwaffe, but the RAF. The War Office had determined to expand a runway in order to accommodate the new Lancaster Bombers on their way to return Britain’s compliments to Herr Hitler. The house’s owner was allegedly first made aware of this by seeing men measuring up his gardens. That owner was Field-Marshal Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd, who must still have had some clout at Whitehall and the military establishment, whose immediate train journey down to London resulted in the plans being redrawn. It seems strange that the feckless, incompetent or plain spiteful London bureaucrats would have destroyed so beautiful a house, as though they wanted to do the Nazis’ work for them.

Judging by the attitudes and actions of certain people who claim to be Christians, who divide churches, who damage ministries, who distract from gospel priorities, Satan sometimes need not lift a finger, and still his ghastly work is done.