Nene Park Trust Buys Norman Cross Napoleonic POW Camp in Cambridgeshire

Nene Park Trust has purchased the Norman Cross prisoner of war camp near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, recognized as the world’s first purpose-built POW camp, to preserve it as a historic site and green public space. The camp, operating from 1797 to 1814, housed around 7,000 French prisoners during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and included a self-contained town with barracks, offices, a hospital, school, marketplace, and banking system. It was strategically located far from the sea to hinder escapees returning to France. Prisoners crafted intricate models from bone, wood, and straw, about 800 of which are displayed at the nearby Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery. The trust secured £200,000 from Historic England and £50,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund after years of negotiations, with the acquisition championed by local advocate Derek Lopez, who passed away before the sale was complete. Historic England’s chief executive highlighted the camp's significant role in European heritage, while the Nene Park Trust aims to share this history with the public.