Napoleonic Prisoners of War at Norman Cross
The prison at Norman Cross near
Peterborough was constructed for the custody of French and Dutch
prisoners taken captive during the Napoleonic Wars between 1797 and
1815. Most of the prison-of-war work, on display here, consists of
objects of carved bone and ivory, including model ships (many of
the prisoners were sailors), guillotines, needle-work boxes and
playing cards; and articles of straw marquetry. It is the largest
and finest collection of such items in the world.
The Norman Cross collection of prisoner of
war craftwork has been in Peterborough Museum for many years. Some
of the delicate items have deteriorated over time and are now
showing signs of decay.In 2002 Peterborough Museum launched the Norman Cross
Conservation Project to care for the items in most need of
conservation. The project was only possible through generous grants
awarded by the Pilgrim Trust and the Garfield Weston Foundation,
with generous contributions from the Museum Society and the Friends
of Peterborough Museum.