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A North Yorkshire visitor attraction based at a former Prisoner of War camp is up for sale after the founding family announced plans to retire.

Specialist leisure property adviser, Christie & Co, has been instructed to sell one of the º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s most iconic, award-winning visitor attractions: Eden Camp Modern History Museum in North Yorkshire. Originally a prisoner of war camp, Eden Camp was built on the outskirts of Malton, North Yorkshire, in early 1942 to accommodate POWs, the majority of whom were not Nazis but ordinary men conscripted into the German forces.

The site was bought 40 years ago by Stan Johnson, who invested £750,000 investment into a two-year project to turn it into Eden Camp Modern History Museum, opening it to the public in 1987.

Today, the museum tells the story of The People’s War, the social history of life in Britain from 1939 to 1945, as well as its historic background as a POW camp. The museum tells its story through moving figures, authentic sounds and even smells to transport visitors back in time.

Over the last few years the owners has invested over £1.25m in renovation and restoration works to the fabric of the buildings, while also adding a new 'Blitz Experience', a remodelled entrance, new exhibition spaces and the Heritage Exhibition Hall, which displays Eden Camp’s collection of unique and rare military vehicles and equipment.

The business works closely with veterans groups and over the years its archive has become a resource of national historical and educational importance. The museum attracts around 125,000 visitors each year, and is popular with school groups, with around 25,000 children visiting in 2023. For many years the museum has also received both TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice and Certificates of Excellence awards.

After nearly 40 years in the same family ownership, Christie & Co is marketing the business for sale as its owners look to retire, and the property company is seeking “substantial” offers for the business to include the valuable freehold property.

Howard Johnson, son of the late Stan Johnson, said: “Since our father passed away in 2015, my sister and I have continued as custodians of this incredible business. We have consistently invested in improving the facilities and customer experience and have a fantastic team we work with here, but we too are at that time in our lives where it makes sense to pass the reins to new owners. I’ve been contacted a number of times over the years asking if we would sell and so this tremendous opportunity now becomes a reality.”

Jon Patrick, head of leisure and development at Christie & Co who is overseeing the sale process, said: “There are many people, particularly those from Yorkshire, who will have visited Eden Camp as a child and returned with their own children, parents and even grand-parents as there is something here for everyone. With over 105,000 items of memorabilia we can see Eden Camp appealing to a national and even international buyer audience, such is the interest in the subject matter.

“From a tourist perspective, it also benefits from the vast majority of its displays being undercover and so would provide a great hedge against inclement weather for visitor attraction operators with primarily outdoor facilities. We can also envisage Eden Camp being of interest to other museums, collections and collectors and whilst not forming part of the operating business itself, our clients own a number of rare and valuable military vehicles outside the company structure on offer, which could be made available to purchase or lease by way of separate negotiation.”