Wooler is a former Land Army Girls' hostel, built during WWII, and the wartime spirit still survives. In those days, it was "dig for victory". Today we're still into "Keep Calm and Carry On" so visitors will find peace after walks in the country has replaced working the land.
The land girls who stayed here are not forgotten. Their names, pictures and stories live on through interpretation boards within the building.
In 1943, Wooler Hostel was purpose-built to accommodate the Land Army Girls. According to the Women's Land Army magazine, Wooler was one of nineteen hostels opened that year, about half of which were purpose-built.
It was managed by the Young Men's Christian Association until 1946, when county officers took over.
It became a YHA hostel in the Fifties, and when threatened with closure and demolition in the Noughties, it was rescued by the Glendale Gateway Trust who operate it today.
Refurbishment under community ownership is continuous and ongoing, as the Trust works to offer ever better facilities whilst maintaining what is a genuinely historic building.
