Designating Stobs Camp

Closed 2 Mar 2023

Opened 9 Feb 2023

Feedback updated 31 Mar 2023

We asked

From 9 February to 2 March 2023, Historic Environment Scotland (HES) sought views on our proposal to designate Stobs Camp and associated sites as scheduled monuments.

The sites are nationally important monuments that were found to meet our criteria for designation. Stobs Camp is a site that makes a significant contribution to our understanding or appreciation of the military heritage of Scotland, in particular the history of early 20th century military training and First World War internment and imprisonment.

Further details can be accessed on our Heritage Portal: Stobs Camp - Portal.

You said

We received 87 responses which contributed to our knowledge of the monument and also provided insight into how the Camp and associated sites are valued.

An overwhelming majority of the responses were in favour of designating Stobs Camp as a scheduled monument. The following table is a brief summary of the survey results, with focus on the key three questions related to our assessment of the site using the selection guidance for scheduled monuments to decide whether the sites were of national importance.

To what extent do you feel the report is an accurate account of the intrinsic characteristics of the monument?

  • strongly agree or agree – 83 (96%)
  • neither agree nor disagree – 2 (2%)
  • disagree or strongly disagree – 2 (2%)

To what extent do you feel the report is an accurate account of the contextual characteristics of the monument?

  • strongly agree or agree – 83 (95%)
  • neither agree nor disagree – 4 (5%)
  • disagree or strongly disagree – 0 (0%)

To what extent do you feel the report is an accurate account of the associative characteristics of the monument?

  • strongly agree or agree – 82 (94%)
  • neither agree nor disagree – 4 (5%)
  • disagree or strongly disagree – 1 (1%)

 

We received additional comments, the overwhelming majority were supportive of the proposal and recognising the importance of the Camp. The Report on Handling on our Heritage Portal (linked above) provides the responses where a query was raised, along with our answers and information. Some comments from respondents did not raise a query but offered their insight and opinion. Some of these comments include:

  •  "The site is not only of national but also of international significance; possibly the best preserved WWI POW camp in the world."
  • "Have visited the site and feel it is an important reminder of history of the area."
  •  "Stobs is unique as a record of Scotland’s contribution to two world wars. It has a completeness that needs to be preserved and more widely shared."
  • "Comprehensive and accurate account of Stobs Camp."
  • "The site is of huge historic significance. Many thousands of troops trained here and they also contributed to the economy of Hawick."
  • "It should be scheduled because of its historical significance and state  of preservation."
  • "The report shows how the remains of the camp make Stobs a rare survival among military sites."
  • "I was impressed at the work already done to investigate and preserve.  I feel that scheduling the site will help to consolidate the (largely) voluntary effort already undertaken on the ground."
  • "The camp is of great importance to descendants of internees." 

We did

After considering the comments received during the consultation, we have now scheduled Stobs Camp and associated sites as nationally important monuments.

Download the Report of Handling from our Heritage Portal: Stobs Camp - Designation

Results updated 24 Mar 2023

The Citizens Space survey responses were overwhelmingly in support of our proposal to schedule Stobs Camp and associated sites. A report (in PDF format) providing statistical analysis of the responses to the survey has been produced. The Citizens Space Statistical Report can be downloaded from this page.

Files:

Overview

We are proposing to designate Stobs Camp as a scheduled monument, an expansive archaeological site that makes a significant contribution to our understanding and appreciation of the military heritage of Scotland, and its contribution to the history of the British war effort particularly in the First World War. Stobs Camp is most well-known for the period when it operated as the main First World War prisoner of war camp in Scotland. We are also proposing to schedule several other related sites in the Stobs Camp environs. These include training trenches, firing ranges and a tracked target tank range. 

Stobs Camp, panoramic image of the prisoner of war camp areaPanoramic view of Stobs Camp © HES

We have launched this public consultation to gather views on our proposal to schedule this important site.  Find out more about scheduled monuments.

Stobs Camp, view of the prisoner of war internee accommodation hut View of the surviving prisoner of war accommodation hut at Stobs © HES

 

Stobs Camp, view of practice trenches and pre-WW1 storage hut behind View of practice trenches and pre-WW1 storage hut behind © HES 

Find out more about why we think Stobs Camp and the nearby related features meets the criteria for scheduling by downloading our Report on Handling from the Documents section on the HES Portal.

Why your views matter

We’d love to hear your thoughts and whether you agree with our proposal. You can do this by completing the short questionnaire below. We are also keen for any more information that you might have about the sites, which will enhance our understanding of its significance and our record. 

This questionnaire usually takes 5-10 minutes to complete.

Find out what comments we consider and what happens next in our consultation guide or watch our designations video on YouTube.