Rumours are that this camp was used as a POW Camp but that is definitely not the case and there wasn’t any evidence of this that I saw.
This camp was established in around 1923 for training of prospective Canadian emigrants in industrial / agricultural skills with 55 huts being built on site. During the Depression unemployment problems worsened. Accent still very much on self-sufficiency. With this in mind, the Ministry of Labour announced plans for an emigration camp to be built at Brigstock in 1928. The intention was to provide training for 300 men in the art of turning a remote piece of unpopulated Canadian land into a workable farm – quite a feat when each course was to last only three months! Ministry bought the land and scheme was to run for 3byears. Training to include ploughing, fencing. Flu raged through the Camp in its first winter, killing one. Camp became focus for trouble locally – fights etc. In Oct 1930 its closure was announced.
In August 1939 it was announced that the Brigstock Camp was to be refurbished for use as an army camp. Later it would be used as accommodation for ATS and Land Army girls as well.
In 1950 the Home Office announced plans to turn Brigstock Camp into a borstal. Proposal, and a later one to use it as an open prison did not come to anything and in 1951 a US Army Training School moved in instead – as a US Anti-Aircraft Artillery School, as part of the 32nd American Brigade, on October 1st 1951 until 1955.
In 1960, Stewarts & Lloyds Steelworks purchased the site for £23,000 at an auction. One hundred people moved from Scotland to work at the Steelworks and used Brigstock Camp for their living quarters, paying between £2 to £4-a-week in rent. They were allowed to stay up to nine months to allow them to find suitable accommodation, with many moving into the newly expanding Corby.
It has remained relatively empty since the 1960s except for a brief spell as a lorry park.
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Last explore of the day as it was staying to get dark. It was a good explore as well. Originally thought it was a POW Camp but after looking at the history that wasn’t. A few of the huts remain but they have all pretty much collapsed now unfortunately. There couple of trailer that we noticed on the the way out to. All in all a good little explore to end of the day.
