New owners for WW2 museum and ex-prison camp

A well-known World War Two visitor attraction has been bought by new owners after being run by the same family for 40 years.

Eden Camp, a former prisoner of war site near Malton, was bought in derelict condition by Stan Johnson in 1985 and turned into a living history museum.

His children inherited the site in 2015 and have now sold the business to York-based Continuum Attractions so that they could retire.

Howard Johnson said the sale stirred "mixed emotions" but added: "It was the right time to pass it on to new custodians to take it forward for the next 40 years.

"There are so many happy memories. Children who have visited us on school trips and have come back as adults with their children or grandchildren,

"It's also a privilege to meet so many ex-forces people and to give them the credit they deserve - it really has been amazing."

Johnson's sister and former co-owner Paula Peace said the siblings could "walk away with our heads held high that we've made a success of Eden Camp".

"We've turned the place around, Howard and I," she said.

"It's our history, it's British history and it's important to keep it alive, but it's our time to retire."

The camp was built in early 1942 for captured Italian servicemen who were put to work on nearby farms. Polish and German prisoners were later interred there.

The original huts where they slept and ate still stand and each is themed around a different aspect of the war, from rationing to U-boats, and women's role in wartime.

Eden Camp opened as an attraction in 1987, and is visited by an estimated 125,000 people each year.

New owners Continuum Attractions manage multiple heritage entertainment locations across the UK, including York's Chocolate Story and The Real Mary King's Close in Edinburgh.

CEO Andrew Pawson said he was "thrilled" to carry on the legacy of Eden Camp.

"It's incredibly well-liked and well received in the local community and with the military as well, and we need to keep building on that and maintaining those relationships," he added.

The siblings said they were pleased the museum would be taken on by a business local to the area.

"It always give me a great sense of pride, when you're driving down the A64 and you see the Eden Camp emblazoned across the water tower," Johnson added.

"You think 'yep, I'm home'."

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.