World’s first prisoner of war camp in Cambridgeshire to open to the public
Tourists could soon visit this former prisoner of war camp
- Nene Park Trust has acquired Norman Cross, the world's first purpose-built prisoner of war camp, located in Cambridgeshire, from a private farmer to preserve it as a site of historical significance.
- The site, near Peterborough, contains the remains of approximately 1,770 French, Dutch, and German soldiers captured during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
- The trust aims to conserve the area and open it to the public, offering a historical and green space for visitors.
- The camp, which operated from 1797 to 1814 and housed around 7,000 French prisoners, functioned as a self-contained town with barracks, offices, a hospital, school, marketplace, and banking system.
- The acquisition was made possible through £200,000 of grant funding from Historic England and £50,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, with the goal of sharing its green space and unique stories for generations to come.