Hill forts · Scottish Lowlands
Harperley POW Camp 93
Harperley POW Camp 93 — world War 2 prisoner of war camp in England.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1 h–2 h
- Nearest railway station
- Witton-le-Wear · 4.8 km
- Free entry
- Dog-friendly
About
Harperley POW Camp 93 is a hill fort in the United Kingdom. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Wikidata describes it as: "world War 2 prisoner of war camp in England". Coordinates: 54.7135°, -1.8042°.
Photo gallery
From the Wikipedia article
Harperley POW Camp 93 is a surviving purpose-built World War II Prisoner of War (PoW) camp built to accommodate up to 1,400 inmates at Fir Tree near Crook, County Durham in the northeast of England. A work camp for low risk PoWs, it was built on a hillside overlooking Weardale and across the valley from Hamsterley Forest. It was built, initially, in 1943 by Italian PoWs to similar plans of other existing Ministry of War Standard Camps of World War II in Britain and was typical of many military installations around the country. It is the main camp for a number of satellite camps, also numbered 93. Nearby Bishop Auckland used Harperley PoWs and Oaklands Emergency Hospital was another installation numbered Camp 93. There were approximately 1,500 camps of varying categories and sizes in World War II Britain, and of those, about 100 were reported as 'purpose-built', such as Harperley.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
{| class="wikitable" !Camp Status !Camp Name !Location !World War II County |- |Headquarters |Harperley |Fir Tree, Crook |County Durham |- |Satellite |Oaklands Emergency Hospital |Bishop Auckland |County Durham |- |Satellite |Bedburn |Bedburn |County Durham |- |Satellite |Consett |Consett |County Durham |- |Satellite |Hamsterley Hall |Hamsterley, Rowlands Gill |County Durham |- |Satellite |High Spen |Gateshead |County Durham |- |Satellite |Lanchester |Lanchester |County Durham |- |Satellite |Langton Grange |High Hulam, Nr Staindrop |County Durham |- |Satellite |Mount Oswald |South Road, Durham |County Durham |- |Satellite |Usworth |nr Washington, Tyne and Wear |County Durham |- |Satellite…
Architecture
The original 50 plus buildings were constructed from normal house brick and concrete foundations with reinforced concrete posts and frameworks. All the buildings are of the same width, 18 ft, the approximate height being 12 ft at the roof apex and of varying lengths dependent on the intended use of the building. The wall sections were either prefabricated reinforced concrete panels or vented square-shaped clay brick construction, including a window in alternate sections. The roofs were made from corrugated asbestos sheeting and are said to be currently in a stable condition. The original interior and exterior paintwork remain extensive throughout; their composition is reputed to have a high…
Description
Structurally, this building is no different from the others within Harperley. However, its interior, constructed entirely by the PoWs, is a remarkable achievement. It shows the successfully converted interior of a MoW (Ministry of War) Standard Hut incorporating a Stage (with Prompt Box and Orchestra Pit) and tiered auditorium flooring. It is believed none of the materials were requisitioned or issued to them and it is possible that the bricks, sand, cement and gravel were 'acquired' almost certainly 'on permanent loan'. It was decorated in the style of the day using painted Hessian sacking with accompanying adapted wall lighting. The facia above the stage was adorned with theatrical masks…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 54.7135, -1.8042
- District
- County Durham
- Parish
- Wolsingham
- Postcode
- DL15 8DX
- Parliamentary constituency
- Bishop Auckland
- Nearest railway station
- Witton-le-Wear — 4.8 km
Sources
- wikidata: Q15223074 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Harperley POW Camp 93 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Harperley looking West.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Harperley POW Camp 93?
- Harperley POW Camp 93 is in the Scottish Lowlands, United Kingdom (postcode DL15 8DX), in the parish of Wolsingham.
- Is Harperley POW Camp 93 a listed building?
- Harperley POW Camp 93 is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
- Is Harperley POW Camp 93 free to visit?
- Yes, Harperley POW Camp 93 is free to enter.
- How do I get to Harperley POW Camp 93?
- The nearest railway station is Witton-le-Wear, about 4.8 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode DL15 8DX.