Building record 728/0/11 - Former Land Army and PoW hostel

Built as a land army hostel, by 1943 the largely timber-framed building was in use as a PoW hostel for italian prisoners from Boughton Park PoW Camp. By 1945 it held German PoWs and was closed in 1948. It later became a Youth Hostel.

{1} From a photo in his possession, Lowry identifies brick building as a shower/ ablutions block; suspects it may have been Land Army hostel or similar.

{2} Single storey brick building and adjoining timber shed, the whole with a T-shape plan. Brick water tower at south end of building. Northern part demolished with only concrete and brick foundation base surviving. Buildings subsequently utilised as Youth Hostel and latterly as industrial unit. Conjectured to be of c.WWII origin. Function not identified.

{3} Similar buildings at Yelvertoft and Corby and also at Naseby. May have originally been built as Land Army hostels and as war drew to a close were then used as POW hostels, "possibly as late as 1948 to house prisoners working on local farms". The parent camp for this and 8 other POW hostels was at Byfield, camp 87.

{5} Location of the PoW camp not determined.

{6} "There was also a PoW camp in the village, firstly Italian and then Germans. The men were employed on the local farms."

{7} Built as a hostel for the Women's Land Army. The building was mainly timber-framed with a brick-built ablution block. In 1943 it was listed as a hostel for Camp 35 (Boughton Park) with about 35 Italian POWs. By 1945 it was listed as a hostel for Byfield Camp 87 when it held German POWs. It closed in April 1948 and became a Youth Hostel- now Greens Norton Community Centre.

<1> Lowry B., 1998, Oral Report to SMR, (unchecked) (Oral Report). SNN108180.

<2> Cadman, G. & Ellison, M., 1998, Possible POW hostel, Greens Norton, (checked) (Note). SNN108181.

<3> Armishaw, A., 2002, Possible POW hostel at Green Norton, (unchecked) (Letter). SNN108182.

<4> Armishaw, A., 2002, Land Army/ POW Hostel, Greens Norton, (checked) (Photographic prints (COL)). SNN108726.

<5> Northamptonshire Women's Institute, 1992, Northamptonshire Within Living Memory, p.189-90 (unchecked) (Chapter). SNN39673.

<6> Cadman G., 2014, 20th Century Military Archaeology in Northamptonshire: Logs 1, 2 & 3, v.11 p.12 (unchecked) (Report). SNN104868.

<7> Sanders, Malcolm, 2008, WW2 POW Camps in the UK, https://www.ww2pow.uk/home/camplist/ - site 98 (Accessed 14/04/2023) (Website). SNN115038.

Record last edited

Apr 14 2023 3:49PM