Urgent works carried out on the only Scheduled Prisoner of War Camp in England
Key elements of Harperley Prisoner of War Camp in County Durham, a unique survival of Britain’s wartime past, are being saved from further deterioration at a cost of £0.5 million. English Heritage is carrying out urgent works on two buildings before they are lost forever. The works will ultimately lead to the repair of the canteen and the theatre huts, both of which have seen significant damage over the last ten years and are now at extreme risk.
Harperley is a site of national significance that must be protected for future generations. One of the highest priority Heritage at Risk sites in the North East, it is the only scheduled prisoner of war camp in England.
Built in 1943 to house low risk Italian, and later German, prisoners of war until 1948, over three quarters of the buildings shown on a plan of the site from June 1946 still survive. By mid 1948, the camp had become a hostel for agricultural workers and displaced people awaiting new housing. The camp is remarkably complete and includes both the prisoner and guards' compounds. Harperley has recently been back in the public eye after it was featured in BBC 2’s “Restoration” programme.
Working closely with the owner, and as a last resort to protect the site from immediate loss, English Heritage has begun a programme of work on site that will continue over the next two years. Work has already started and temporary enclosures have been built over the buildings, to protect against further weather damage. This will ultimately be followed by a programme of repair.
The site provides a rare insight into the life of a British prisoner of war camp during the Second World War. The unique, purpose-built theatre has a stage, orchestra pit and stepped auditorium, all built in concrete and brick. The canteen was the main communal building and was decorated by the inmates who painted idealised scenes of the German countryside on the walls. From paintings of forested mountain ranges to grazing stags, the prisoners clearly used these areas of the camp to remind them of home.
As well as providing a link to the past for many British and international servicemen and their families, Harperley also provides an insight into the social history of the Weardale area both during and after the Second World War. The prisoners played an important role in the wartime and post-war economy of the area. They took part in agricultural food production, made toys for children’s Christmas presents and painted commissioned art work. In nearby Wolsingham’s Catholic Church the Stations of the Cross, painted by an Italian prisoner of war and later framed by a German inmate, still hang. Once released after the war many former prisoners moved in to the community, marrying local women and raising families who still live in the area to this day.
English Heritage has worked with the current owners since the site was designated a Scheduled Monument in 2002. As part of English Heritage’s responsibility to protect national heritage, the repairs will be carried out with the full support of Durham County Council and the Department for Culture Media and Sport.
Under the terms of the management agreement accompanying the repairs, the owners will be obliged to carry out the maintenance of the site for fifteen years after the work is completed. English Heritage will also provide guidance and a small amount of grant money to ensure that maintenance is carried out to an agreed standard. This will protect the investment of public money and make sure the buildings are preserved for the future. English Heritage and Durham County Council want to hear from people who are interested in helping with the future management of the site.
Stressing the importance of the site, Dr Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said: “Harperley Prisoner of War Camp is a rare survival representing aspects of one of the most important periods in recent British history. English Heritage exists to protect sites such as this and these urgent works to prevent an imminent loss of nationally important heritage are at the very core of what we do as an organisation. The site is a testament to our wartime past and must be preserved.”
Ptolemy Dean, presenter of BBC’s Restoration and architect involved in the repair work said; “The architectural challenge that faces us at Harperley is how best to preserve the physical fabric of what are essentially low-cost and short-life huts. These were constructed of thin and often poorly mixed concrete with crumbly asbestos sheet roofing that alone protects the very vulnerable, delicate but moving prisoner of war painted decorations within them. A wider challenge is how the site overall will be conserved, with its melancholy but very meaningful sense of empty abandonment and decay which is so powerfully evocative of the bleak remoteness of this site, and the quality of life that its interned occupants must have experienced during wartime.”
Margaret Nieke, whose father Reinhard Nieke was interned in the camp, said: “Harperley Camp and the people associated with it made a very significant impact on 20th century history in Weardale and beyond; all are well remembered by local folk to this day. My father’s life totally transformed during the brief years he was there as a German prisoner of war; as a result he remained in England. Emotions in the camp always ran high as the prisoners tried to make sense of the developing war story and get news from their families and loved ones at home. It is this strong raw ‘sense of place’ which makes the Harperley story so important. I am delighted that English Heritage is able to step in and help preserve the site for the future.”
Mr McLeod, owner of Harperley said: “As the owner of Harperley, I’ve been working closely with English Heritage to make sure the site doesn’t fall in to further disrepair. Now there’s a long term future for Harperley we can all move forward in the knowledge that this important site is preserved for years to come and the North East’s role in the Second World War is not forgotten.”
