Finchcocks Musical Museum

World War II to Present
In the early years of World War II, Lycett Green shared the house somewhat incongruously with twenty-four evacuated schoolboys from The King's School, Rochester, and later Finchcocks was requisitioned by the army. After the war Finchcocks changed hands several times, but these were difficult years for large historic houses, and Finchcocks was no exception, losing more of its cottages and fields to a developer who intended to turn the house into flats. However, as a listed Grade I building this was prevented and Finchcocks was retained as a 'single occupation' house by James and Antonia St Clair Erskine. In 1960 it found a new role as the home for the Legat Ballet School, under the leadership of Madame Nicolaeva-Legat, and for a decade a hundred girls and a handful of boys put the place to active use. In 1970 lack of space forced the dancers to seek more ample premises and for one year Finchcocks became the property of two journalists before its acquisition in 1971 by its present owner, the pianist and collector, Richard Burnett.