Eden Camp Modern History Museum

Eden Camp was built in 1942 as a prisoner-of-war camp on the edge of Malton. Italian prisoners arrived in 1943, and German prisoners were held here from 1944 until early 1949. The huts they lived in still stand, with new roofs, and the museum now counts 21 exhibition huts covering British history from the First World War to the conflicts since 1945.

Stan Johnson bought the site in 1985 and opened it as a museum on 21 March 1987. His children Howard Johnson and Paula Peace ran it after his death in 2015, and in February 2026 the family sold it to Continuum Attractions. It draws about 125,000 visitors a year. Grandparents and grandchildren make a good pairing here, because the huts deal with the home front as much as the battles, and half a day passes easily.

From Tea Time Cafe at 87 Market Place, Eden Camp is about 55 minutes by car. Use YO17 6RT in a satnav. The museum is just off the A64 on the edge of Malton, with brown signs on the approach. Parking is free, with room for up to 400 cars, accessible spaces by the entrance and cycle parking.

Car-free takes longer but works. Take the train from Thirsk to Malton, which means one change, with the fastest journeys at 53 minutes and about 23 trains a day. Malton station is a little over 2 miles from the museum. The museum suggests a taxi or the Coastliner 840 bus from there. It says the 840 stops at the museum. We could confirm only the York to Malton part of the route on the timetable listing, so check the museum stop with the operator before you rely on it.

Start at Hut 10, which tells the story of the camp itself and the men held here. Then work through the home front: the blackout and air-raid shelters in Hut 4, A Street at War in Hut 7 and women's war work in Hut 8. Hut 5 recreates a Blitz raid, loud and in the dark, and it is the one to think about if you have young children with you.

The war front huts cover the Battle of the Atlantic in Hut 3, the air war in Hut 9 and the Great Escape in Hut 18. Hut 11 holds the First World War, with a reconstructed trench. Hut 13 covers every British conflict since 1945, and Hut 20 tells the story of the Bevin Boys. Outside there is a Dig for Victory prefab, a reconstruction from 1992, and the Heritage Hall, added in 2021.

The cafe and its kitchen are original 1942 camp buildings. The cafe opens 10am to 4.45pm with hot food until 3pm, and there are picnic benches if you bring your own. There are play areas for children.

What makes Eden Camp different from other war museums is the ground itself: you walk between the prisoners' own huts on the ground where they were held. The home front huts are the strongest for a family, because they show what the war meant for families at home. The whole site is flat and on one level, and dogs on leads can go into the huts.

Eden Camp is closed from Saturday 14 November 2026 until it reopens on Monday 8 February 2027, so a trip planned between 14 November and early February needs to move to February or later. The museum's own page gives last entry as both 4pm and 4.30pm, so arrive by 4pm to be safe. Booking online saves 3 on an adult ticket, less a 1 booking fee. Most huts are unheated in winter and you walk outside between them, so dress warmly early in the season. Play areas close in wet weather. Hut 5 can be too much for small children, so decide before you go in. Malton is 2 miles away for food shops and a Saturday market, and Castle Howard is close enough to make a full day of it.