If these walls could talk

ANYONE who has driven along the road between Burnsall and Grassington, perhaps on their way to visit the Dales, will have noticed a collection of derelict buildings near the pretty village of Linton-in-Craven. The first impression is of a prisoner-of-war camp or a neglected war-time barracks. In fact Linton Camp was a residential school attended by thousands of Yorkshire children – sometimes for only a few months, sometimes for several years – between its opening in 1940 and its closure in the mid 1980s.

Closed now for 25 years, the camp will briefly be coming back to life during this year’s Grassington Festival. Leeds-based theatre company Slung Low will be presenting a specially commissioned piece of theatre on the site based on the stories of some of the children and adults who lived and worked at the camp during its operation. Built in 1939 by the National Camps Corporation ( one of 50 such camps planned for around the country), its original purpose was to provide a countryside experience for city children. However, the Second World War intervened and in July 1940, 228 evacuees from 43 schools across Bradford became the first residents at Linton Camp.

“The camp has a very special place in the hearts of the people of Grassington,” says Lucy Hind, lead artist on the project. “We were approached by the festival organisers to produce a piece of theatre in and about Linton Camp. We did a lot of archive research and spoke to lots of people who were evacuees during the Second World War or who came here when it was a residential school in the 1950s and 60s as well as people who were welfare workers and teachers here. The place is full of atmosphere and memories.”

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Slung Low’s exciting theatrical adventure, The Correct Frequency for Stories, takes the form of a narrative drama partly based on research and partly devised by the company in collaboration with writer-actor Dominic Gateley. The audience will be picked up by bus in the car park at Grassington and brought to the site where they will be led through the grounds and meet various characters.

“Our remit was to breathe life back into this place, so we are not doing a historical gallery piece,” says Lucy. “It is not overly nostalgic or romanticised. We want to respect people’s memories and be true to their stories but we also want the piece to mean something to people who know nothing about the camp, so the stories are universal and about being human.”

Each member of the audience will be issued with a pair of headphones through which, using state-of-the-art technology, they will hear the voices of the actors as well as background music and sound effects – all mixed live during the performance. “We want to create a film soundtrack for every single member of the audience,” says sound designer Matt Angove.

“The headphones completely cover the ears so it focuses the sound. It allows the audience to experience a really intimate relationship with the actors and the action. Combining the technology with the magic of the site means it’s going to be phenomenal for the audience; it’s as if the place is speaking to you anyway.”

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Walking around the site, there is a sense that the walls of the now slowly-decaying buildings – intended to last only 20 years, but still standing – have many stories waiting to be liberated. The atmosphere feels positive – much of which is created by the energy and enthusiasm of the Slung Low team – and it seems that overall people’s experiences at Linton Camp were very happy. “Most of the people I have spoken to had a wonderful time at the camp,” says producer-researcher Kate Beard who has been in contact with many ex-residents of Linton.

“There were a mix of children here – some from problem homes, some who only had one parent or were orphans; some came because of behavioural or health issues. Many came from homes where there were a lot of children and they just needed a bit of help – to give the children a chance.”

“I have spoken to so many people who have said ‘it saved my life’, ‘it changed my life’ or ‘it made me a better person.’”

The school was quite progressive in its approach to caring for the children. When they arrived at the camp, each child was assigned to a family group which included other children and two members of staff. At mealtimes, the family groups would eat together in the dining room to replicate a family meal at home and when walks were organised, children generally would go with their family group.

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“They were given the opportunity to learn all sorts of important and useful social and practical skills,” says Kate. “All the children – boys and girls – learnt how to knit and sew, to make and repair their own clothes. And a local cobbler even used to come up to the camp to show them how to repair their own shoes.”

Another skill considered essential at Linton camp was ballroom dancing – no child left the school without being able to dance. “That really appealed to me,” says Lucy. “The Christmas dance at the school was the hottest ticket in town! Local people would come along – anyone associated with the school was invited – and preparations began in October with the children making all the decorations and their outfits.”

Many of the actors and crew are being hosted in the homes of local families during the rehearsal and performance period, so as well as being totally immersed in the history of the camp, they are part of the local community.

“It’s great, because you’ll go into a pub in Grassington in the evening and someone will come over and tell you another story about the place or share a memory with you,” says Lucy. “We know those stories are precious and we want to do them justice.”

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No story will be told verbatim and none of the children will be named, but there has been plenty of inspiration for the actors. Stories include: tales of daring escapes; building sledges and skis in the winter; a teacher who walked for four hours through the snow to get to school in the bitter winter of 1947; being without heating for six weeks with icicles on the blankets; two boys during the Beatles’ heyday making themselves guitars from scratch; putting on shows; watching Will Hay films in the dining hall; and being taken to the panto at the Alhambra by Freddie Truman.

A lot of the memories involve the kindness of people who lived nearby, such as the farmer who, when deep snow prevented him from delivering the milk, carried the churn to the school on his back.

“I’ve been struck by how the place was embraced by the local people,” says Kate. “I grew up near here and the camp was always just here – it was part of the community. A lot of local people I have spoken to said that they were sad when the camp closed down. They used to be able to hear the voices of the children over in Linton, it was a place that was full of life and activity, and they said that it was sad when it fell silent.” Slung Low are now bringing those voices – and the camp itself – temporarily, at least, back to life.

Slung Low’s The Correct Frequency for Stories will be performed today at Linton Camp, Saturday 25 at 9.15pm, 10.15pm and 11.15pm. Tickets £10. It lasts approximately an hour. www.grassingtonfestival-festival.org.uk

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