Imber Village, a small settlement in Wiltshire, has stood eerily empty for more than 80 years after residents were ordered to leave during the Second World War. Today, the deserted village opens to the public for only a few short days each year.
Once a thriving community, Imber Village was home to approximately 150 residents. It featured quaint cottage homes, two schools, a pub, a church and a farm, offering all the essentials for those who lived there. Many residents had never ventured beyond its boundaries.
Evacuation in 1943
On 1 November 1943, the inhabitants received letters from the War Office instructing them to vacate their properties. They were given 41 days to secure new lodgings, and many faced homelessness, needing to apply to the local authority for shelter.
The move was prompted by the village's location within the windswept Imber ranges, north of Salisbury Plain. The hamlet was requisitioned as a preparation ground for American forces ahead of the D-Day invasion. Villagers believed they would return once the conflict ended, but it has remained unoccupied ever since.
Military training ground
Few original structures survived. Numerous thatched dwellings dating to the 1920s were demolished and replaced by military training facilities. Heaps of rubble and box buildings with red, green and yellow roofs now mark the site.
The former settlement is governed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), with notices declaring 'Warning: troops training' and 'Danger: no public access'. Original brick buildings have hollow doorways, boarded-up windows and towering spiked fences. On the three-and-a-half-mile track from the A360 near Gore Cross, between Salisbury and Devizes, blown-up tanks lie blanketed by foliage, and remnants of discarded bullets are not uncommon.
Limited public access
While the village remains under the MoD, members of the public are granted access on select days throughout the year. Imberbus Day draws hundreds of people arriving aboard classic red buses, while private vehicles are permitted entry on only a limited number of dates each year.
St Giles Church, one of the few untouched buildings, welcomes visitors on select occasions despite being surrounded by a high-wire security fence. It usually opens for three days during Easter, on Imberbus Day in August, throughout the August bank holiday weekend, for a remembrance service in November, a carol service near Christmas, and several days thereafter.
Certain parts of the village remain strictly off-limits due to military training with live ammunition, but visitors can view it relatively close from the roadside. For more details on visiting St Giles Church in Imber village, visit the church website.
