As part of my interest in Napoleonic prisoners of war I visited the Norman Cross Room of this museum to view their collection of POW bone models and relics.

Norman Cross (near Peterborough) was the first specially built War Prison, being constructed in 1797. It was in use until 1814, being dismantled in 1816. Nothing now remains of the prison, but Peterborough Museum contains a fascinating (and one of the best I have seen) collection of prisoner of war work.

There are many bone models of such things as violins, guillotines, houses and my favourite, a bone model of a chicken! The prisoners also produced chess sets and other gaming items, and a very impressive working model of a palace, in which figures move when a handle is turned. There are some very fine examples of straw marquetry work.

One display case contains a large collection of models of French artillery equipment of the period. These were made by French officers on parole in Oswestry, Shropshire, from 1811-14, and were originally the property of Henry Tozer, the Agent in charge of the prisoners at that Parole depot. The models are mainly of wood and represent naval guns, field artillery, caissons, mortars, all the relevant tools, powder barrels and even a sheer-hoist. The photograph shows some of the incredible detail on these models. The collection also includes items from the original prison, including the prison fire engine!

This is a fascinating collection and I recommend a visit to see it. The museum houses a large collection of historical relics from the surrounding area and is of interest to the whole family.

The address is: city Museum and Art Gallery, Priestgate, Peterborough, PEI ILF. Tel. 0733 343329. The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm, and admission is free.

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Introduction
Petersborough Museum
Books
Thoughts