# chicken farm/polish refugee camp January 2013



## Stealthstar79 (Jan 13, 2013)

I took my dogs for walk here today and thought I would take some snaps. I really should have done this years ago when it first became empty! 
It's been abandoned for many years now and when the chicken farm closed all those years ago it still had all the paper work, offices and equipment left behind. 
Now it is a burned out, smashed up shell of buildings that have caused lots of trouble for the local authorities, who have dubbed it a death trap! 
Planning applications have been turned down but recently talks of a new chicken farm have had petitions started up against the idea.
The site is immediately adjacent on two sides to a nationally important Scheduled Ancient Monument, a medieval leper hospital. 
Interestingly on looking for history today I found that the buildings were initially part of a RAF base and the Polish were housed here during the war and it was part of a refugee camp. 

I found this info-
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, having married and established families the Poles were confronted with the same scarcity of private and public housing that constituted an enormous problem for the British population. Unable to integrate the Poles into the towns and cities in the early fifties, the British government decided instead to settle them on the disused air-bases and army encampments. One of these old airfields was located south of Melton Mowbray. The Polish men and women who lived on these various refugee camps went out to work in local industries, commuting by train, bus and bike to the urban areas. The children were sent to the local English schools. During the day only the old remained on the camps. It should be pointed out that although the Poles lived in drafty, damp barracks without running water, or heating and had to use communal sanitary arrangements, they were, nonetheless, expected to pay rent for these barely adequate facilities. They also had to pay for their own electricity. In addition, they paid taxes and national insurance just like the British population. Only the old and disabled Poles received a minimum amount from the National Assistance Board, about eight to ten shillings a week (50p in modern terms), since they had never contributed to the government pension scheme. Out of this small sum they had to pay for rent and fuel, as well as food and clothes.





DSCN3511 by stealthstar2012, on Flickr





DSCN3485 by stealthstar2012, on Flickr




DSCN3483 by stealthstar2012, on Flickr




DSCN3486 by stealthstar2012, on Flickr





DSCN3495 by stealthstar2012, on Flickr




DSCN3496 by stealthstar2012, on Flickr




DSCN3497 by stealthstar2012, on Flickr




DSCN3502 by stealthstar2012, on Flickr




DSCN3501 by stealthstar2012, on Flickr




DSCN3503 by stealthstar2012, on Flickr




DSCN3505 by stealthstar2012, on Flickr




DSCN3499 by stealthstar2012, on Flickr




DSCN3510 by stealthstar2012, on Flickr


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## urban phantom (Jan 13, 2013)

shame it been trashed looks good though thanks for sharing


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## steve2109 (Jan 13, 2013)

Looks like it could have been good in its day, looks like the dogs enjoyed it !


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## Sshhhh... (Jan 13, 2013)

Aww, cute dogs, looks like they had a good mooch! Thanks for sharing


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## shot_in_the_dark (Jan 13, 2013)

still has charm, thanks for sharing


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## flyboys90 (Jan 13, 2013)

Very interesting report,great photos thanks for sharing.


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## leftorium (Jan 13, 2013)

a pug and a bull terrier is an interesting combination


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## Stealthstar79 (Jan 13, 2013)

leftorium said:


> a pug and a bull terrier is an interesting combination




Luckily they are both boys
can you imagine!


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## Stussy (Jan 13, 2013)

Looks a pretty miserable place to be if you were a refugee, maybe not so much for a chicken  Looks a good mooch though, thanks for sharing!


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## MrDan (Jan 13, 2013)

Wouldn't have fancied being a refugee there, looks mighty depressing.. Seems like you've had more frost than us in London, added something to the mood of the site I think. 
I like photo #4 and the last one a lot.


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## Stealthstar79 (Jan 14, 2013)

MrDan said:


> Wouldn't have fancied being a refugee there, looks mighty depressing.. Seems like you've had more frost than us in London, added something to the mood of the site I think.
> I like photo #4 and the last one a lot.





It was a small dusting of snow, looked lovely!


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## ricasso (Jan 14, 2013)

The Polish "refugee's" were in fact ex RAF personnel who fought for this country and decided to stay on in Britain and raise families after the war.
there were many such camps dotted around Britain at the time, usually established on old WW11 airfields or ex POW camps.


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## Stealthstar79 (Jan 14, 2013)

ricasso said:


> The Polish "refugee's" were in fact ex RAF personnel who fought for this country and decided to stay on in Britain and raise families after the war.
> there were many such camps dotted around Britain at the time, usually established on old WW11 airfields or ex POW camps.





Information for this report was sourced from the internet.
I personally have no idea of the history of this site.
Thanks for the info!


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## ricasso (Jan 14, 2013)

no probs, hope it helps!


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