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Lost village

Imber

Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire

A ghost village in the middle of a military range, open only a few days a year.

In November 1943 the villagers of Imber were given 47 days' notice to leave, so American troops could practise street fighting before D-Day. They were promised they could come back, but the Army kept the village.

Read the full story, see it on the map, get directions and find what else is nearby in the free Hidden Britain Atlas map.

When
Evacuated December 1943
Where
51.2360, -2.0500
Group
Lost & drowned villages

Visiting

Open only on set days each year, usually around Easter, August and Christmas. Check the Imber range notices.

Cover of The Ledger of Lost Britain by Cale Mills
Read the full story in the book

The Ledger of Lost Britain

The Romans arrived in AD 43. For most people that is where the history of Britain begins. But by the time the legions landed, people had already been living on these islands for thousands of years. They had hunted, farmed, mined flint, dragged stones across the country, raised a hill by hand, and buried their dead in great tombs. They left no written words. What they left was the ground itself. Every place in this book can be visited, or has been dug up, or is in a museum.

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