Nestled high on the North Yorkshire Moors is the popular Eden Camp.
Just outside the village of Malton, it was formerly a prisoner of war camp, now transformed into an outdoor themed museum.
The original huts where the German prisoners lived are still on site, each one now containing a different exhibit.
It was one of my favourite places to visit as a child, both with my parent and on school trips, but this was my husband’s first time visiting.
The exhibits cover a range of different things, from military history to local events. There are also a number of atmospheric interactive exhibits. One hut is decked out like the inside of a submarine; another is a Blitz era street, complete with rubble and smoking ruins.
As a child, I was fascinated and a little bit scared as I explored some of these scenes. Today, it’s just as interesting, although the mannequins that feature in many of the exhibits are starting to look a little dated and could do with an upgrade. Still, the attention to detail is amazing.
The museum takes a personal look at what life was like during World War Two, with photographs and letters from soldiers and their families alike. There’s a section dedicated to women at war, which seems timely and I found it quite moving, as my gran was a driver in the army during the war.
There’s also plenty of detail on the day-to-day lives of the prisoners who lived at the camp and their individual stories. Apparently they were often taken out to work in the fields of nearby farms, mixing with the local community. This is in contrast to some of the darker parts of the exhibit, which tell the story of PoWs in subsequent wars who weren’t treated so well by their captors.
There’s so much to see and learn that it would be impossible to get through it all in one trip.
Eden Camp is a fascinating little museum and is a fun place for families to visit, with its prison themed play area and military trucks for kids to scramble over. It’s set in some stunning countryside, so you can combine a trip there with a stop on the moors, or at one of the nearby seaside towns.
Tickets cost £6.50 for adults.
Find out more about Eden Camp on the museum’s website.
Natalie K. says
This looks so fascinating, Amy! I’ll have to visit if I’m ever back in England. 🙂
Amy Lord says
Hope you make the trip one day, Natalie!
Bree @ The Things We Read says
Interesting. I’m researching WwII memorials now as I plan my winter trip to Poland. It is a fascinating period of history. Fascinating but terrible.
Amy Lord says
We visited Warsaw a few years ago, although we didn’t go to any of the main war museums in Poland. I can imagine they would be powerful places to visit.