A deserted village in Wiltshire, abandoned for over 80 years, will open its doors to the public for a weekend this spring. Imber, a ghost town on Salisbury Plain, was evacuated in 1943 to allow American troops to train for the D-Day landings.
Inhabitants were given a mere 47 days’ notice to vacate their homes and the area continues to serve as an urban warfare training ground. One resident, blacksmith Albert Nash, is said to have died of heartbreak after being forced to abandon his cherished home. Now, after many decades, the village opens to the public on select days each year, allowing visitors to step back in time and explore the still uninhabited ghost town.
However, the number of days the village is accessible to the public has been reduced over the years. Neil Skelton, custodian of St Giles Church and the Ministry of Defence‘s primary liaison for access to Imber, said: “The reason for this restriction is that visitors have been ignoring the instructions regarding trespassing in the restricted areas in Imber village,” Skelton said.
Skelton warned that venturing into restricted areas in the village “puts the individual at risk of injury or even death as there can be unexploded ordnance in those areas”.
This year, the village will be accessible on April 4 and 5 via the ImberBus from Warminster. The buses depart roughly every 10-15 minutes between 9.30am and 5pm.
Seats cannot be reserved in advance on the bus, so visitors are advised to simply arrive and pay the conductor on the bus, or purchase a ticket from the booth outside Warminster Station on the day.
The main attraction during the open day is the 16th-century St Giles’ Church, the only building open to the public. According to the ImberBus website, amenities are virtually non-existent, meaning there are no shops, permanent toilets, electricity, or phone signal.
All other buildings and areas are “strictly out of bounds to the general public”, with a warning stating that trespassers risk prosecution and injury.
For those interested in learning more about Imber’s history, an exhibition will be held at the Atheneum Theatre in Warminster, as well as an art exhibition in the Library.
