Theatre Hut at Harperley Prisoner of War Camp

• Theatre ID
  3685
• Built / Converted
  1943
• Dates of use
  • 1943 - 1948:
• Current state
  Extant
• Current use
  disused
• Address
  Harperley Camp, Craigside, Crook, County Durham, DL15 8DX, England

Details

During the Second World War, the estate lands of Harperley Hall were used to house low security risk Prisoners of War who were employed in local agriculture. Working Camp 93, Harperley Camp, was established in January 1943. It was made up of 49 huts, and housed up to 1,000 people at a time. The camp was disbanded by the summer of 1948, and the land returned to its private owner, with many of the buildings used for storage and as poultry sheds. In 2001 the land was purchased by a couple who hoped to restore the huts as a tourist attraction. In 2002 the rarity of the site was acknowledged by English Heritage and the Government as a place of significant interest, assigning it Scheduled Monument status. Of particular interest are two huts in the uphill part of the site. The first is the canteen, whose walls are decorated with beautiful paintings of German scenery. The second hut is the theatre. Externally, the theatre hut is the same structure as the others. Internally, however, the level concrete floor is replaced by a built up stage, orchestra pit, and a stepped floor for the auditorium section. In here, too, some of the decorated panels survive. After devoting several years and over £1m on the project, the owners tried to sell the camp without success. In December 2011, English Heritage committed to donating £500,000 towards further repairs at the site.

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• Events
  • 1943 Design/Construction: Huts created as Prisoner of War camp.
  • 1943 - 1948 Use:
  • 2001 Owner/Management: J McLeod, owner
• Listings
  • Grade Scheduled Ancient Monument