Over the recent bank holiday weekend, Wiltshire’s infamous ‘lost village’ of Imber welcomed hundreds of visitors who arrived by car, motorbike, bicycle, and even in iconic red buses to explore its haunting streets.
Nestled seven miles from the nearest town, Imber was once an isolated farming community. However, in the late 19th century, the War Office began acquiring land across Salisbury Plain for military exercises, surrounding the village with army grounds.
By 1943, with D-Day preparations in full swing, villagers were given just 47 days to vacate their homes to enable American troops to practice urban warfare. Though most residents left without resistance, expecting to return after the war, they were ultimately never allowed back.
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Among them was Albert Nash, Imber’s blacksmith for over 40 years, who was famously found weeping by his anvil, deeply distressed by the forced evacuation. Nash later became the first former resident to die and be returned to Imber for burial, with his death reputedly attributed to a “broken heart.”
Following the evacuation, many buildings were demolished, and the area was transformed into a training ground featuring mock streets to prepare soldiers for combat duties, including in Northern Ireland. The parish was formally abolished in 1991 and merged with nearby Heytesbury. Today, although uninhabited, Imber remains officially represented in local and national government.
The village and surrounding parish are still owned by the Ministry of Defence as part of the Salisbury Plain Training Area. With the MoD’s permission, Imber opens its gates to the public on select days—typically around Christmas, Easter, and the August Bank Holiday.
Originally, open days were held so former residents and their families could tend to graves. Over time, Imber has grown into a unique tourist attraction, with events like the annual ImberBus Day, where classic Routemaster buses ferry visitors from Warminster, helping restore the village’s place on the map.
Finding Imber is no easy task—it lies four miles from West Lavington and six from Warminster without directional signs or even a postcode, leaving GPS devices and mobile reception useless. Still, the village buzzed with activity when I visited, especially around the historic St Giles’ Church.
During my visit, the Salisbury Diocesan Guild of Ringers from Devizes have gathered to ring the church’s six bells. Known for their lightness and high pitch, the bells produced a delicate, tinkling sound that echoed through the village to the old Bell Inn, one of the few surviving original buildings alongside St Giles, Imber Court manor house, the schoolhouse, and a row of council houses from 1938.
I wandered to the churchyard of the long-demolished Baptist Church, where about ten of the original 100 gravestones remain. Despite the abundance of trees and shrubs, an unsettling silence surrounded the graveyard—not even a bird chirped.
Visitors are urged to stick to the main road through the village to avoid hazards; unexploded ordnance and military debris scatter the area, making off-path exploration dangerous.
Looking ahead, the next opportunity to visit will be for a ticketed St Giles Christmas carols festival on December 13. The village will then open again to the public from December 29 through January 1, offering a rare chance to experience this evocative piece of history firsthand.