John Atkin worked at Grizedale towards the end of the eighties and said of his time there:

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"I did the anniversary residency in 1987/88. There were four main artworks I produced over the four-month period and I used the old sawmill as my studio at the time. It was very run-down with only bats for company during the night and Tornado jets during the day. A lot of my ideas sprung from the location being the site of a World War Two detention camp, and the drawings and sculptures I made reference ideas to do with conflict."

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The War Office took control of Grizedale Hall during the second world war and renamed it 'No.1 POW Camp'. No.1 was reserved for the incarceration of high-ranking German officials, many rescued from sinking ships and submarines. As such it earned the nickname 'U-Boat Hotel'. Otto Kretschmer was held there, one of Germany's most successful U-Boat captains (well, until his capture, of course).

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Atkin also contributed some drawings of immense scale to Grizedale, they are pictured below. They continued the theme of conflict and as well as giving some idea of their size, the photos also give some idea of the basic nature of the studio at the time.

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Also by this artist:

Hunter Killer 1988