Imber is an uninhabited village in part of the British Army's

British Army

The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

 training grounds on the Salisbury Plain

Salisbury Plain

Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known...

, Wiltshire

Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...

, England. It is situated in an isolated area of the Plain, about 2.5 miles (4 km) west of the A360 road between Tilshead

Tilshead

Tilshead is a small village located in Wiltshire, in England. It lies approximately midway between the villages of Shrewton and Market Lavington, and is located at the source of the River Till. Its population in 2001 was 359, down from a peak of 989 inhabitants in 1951.. The White Barrow long...

 and West Lavington

West Lavington

West Lavington may refer to:*West Lavington, West Sussex*West Lavington, Wiltshire...

, accessible only by military tracks. The entire civilian population was evicted in 1943 to provide an exercise area for American troops preparing for the invasion of Europe during the Second World War. After the war villagers were not allowed to return to their homes. The village, which is still classed as an urban entity, remains under the control of the Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)

The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....

 despite several attempts by former residents to return. Non-military access is limited to several open days a year.

Early history

Settlement in the area began before the period of Roman rule

Roman Britain

Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...

, in the British Iron Age

British Iron Age

The British Iron Age is a conventional name used in the archaeology of Great Britain, referring to the prehistoric and protohistoric phases of the Iron-Age culture of the main island and the smaller islands, typically excluding prehistoric Ireland, and which had an independent Iron Age culture of...

 or earlier. Several ancient trackways lead to and from the village. The first documentary evidence of Imber's existence comes from Saxon

Saxons

The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...

 times, with a mention of the village in 967. Imber is also recorded in the Domesday Book

Domesday Book

Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...

, at which time it is believed to have had a population of around fifty. The village's church of St Giles

Saint Giles

Saint Giles was a Greek Christian hermit saint from Athens, whose legend is centered in Provence and Septimania. The tomb in the abbey Giles was said to have founded, in St-Gilles-du-Gard, became a place of pilgrimage and a stop on the road that led from Arles to Santiago de Compostela, the...

 dates from the 13th century and has notable wall-paintings from the 15th. By the 14th century the population of the village had risen to around 250, where it is believed to have remained until the 19th century. Population peaked at 440 as recorded in the census of 1851

United Kingdom Census 1851

The United Kingdom Census of 1851 recorded the people residing in every household on the night of 30 March 1851, and was the second of the UK censuses to include details of household members...

, declining to around 150 by the time of Imber's abandonment.

Imber was somewhat isolated in the early 20th century, Salisbury Plain

Salisbury Plain

Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known...

 being relatively sparsely populated, and most of its residents were employed in agriculture

Agriculture

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

 or work that directly depended on it. The village had an elongated form like a linear village

Linear village

In geography, a linear village, or linear settlement, is a small to medium-sized settlement that is formed around a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Wraysbury, a village in Berkshire, is one of the longest villages in England....

, and its main street followed the course of a stream known as Imber Dock. The only building to survive in a reasonable condition is the church, with the rest becoming derelict or demolished by the Army. In 1943 there was also a Baptist

Baptist

Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...

 chapel (built in 1839, demolished in late 1970s), a post office, and a pub

Public house

A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...

 called the Bell Inn, which still stands; as does the manor house,Imber Court. Also still standing are a farmhouse, farm cottages, schoolroom and four "council house" type blocks built in 1938.

Eviction and military use

In the late 19th century the War Office

War Office

The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...

 began buying land on Salisbury Plain, primarily to the east of Imber, and using it for manœuvres. Beginning in the late 1920s farms around Imber were purchased, as well as the land on which the village itself sat. The pressures of agricultural depression

Depression (economics)

In economics, a depression is a sustained, long-term downturn in economic activity in one or more economies. It is a more severe downturn than a recession, which is seen by some economists as part of the modern business cycle....

, combined with the good prices offered by the military, encouraged the sale of land, with few being put off by the new conditions of their tenancy. This allowed the War Office to assume control and evict the residents if necessary. By the time of the Second World War

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, almost all of the land in and around Imber, with the exception of the church, vicarage, chapel, schoolroom and Bell Inn, belonged to the Ministry of War.

On 1 November 1943, with preparations for the Allied invasion of mainland Europe

Operation Overlord

Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...

 underway, the people of Imber were called to a meeting in the village schoolroom and given 47 days' notice to leave their homes. Imber was to be used by US forces to practise street fighting. Richard Madigan's evidence to the DLC stated that street fighting practice never took place and that his, and others', duties were to keep the village in good repair for the villagers' eventual return. The reason for evacuation was the village's proximity to shell impact areas. Although upset about being forced to leave, most villagers put up no resistance, even leaving canned provisions in their kitchens and taking the view that it was their duty to contribute to the war effort

War effort

In politics and military planning, a war effort refers to a coordinated mobilization of society's resources—both industrial and human—towards the support of a military force...

 in this way — making sacrifices on the Home Front

Home front

Home front is the informal term commonly used to describe the civilian populace of the nation at war as an active support system of their military....

 for the greater good. Compensation for the move was limited, and the occupants of one farm had to be forcibly evicted by the Army. Albert Nash, who had been the village's blacksmith for over forty years, is said to have been found sobbing over his anvil and later became the first resident to die and be brought back to Imber for burial.

After the war the village was used extensively for training, particularly preparing soldiers for their duties in the urban environments of Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. Several empty house-like buildings were constructed during the 1970s to aid training, and it is these, along with the church and Imber Court, that are Imber's most striking buildings today. Although training continues at Imber, a purpose-built urban warfare

Urban warfare

Urban warfare is combat conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat is very different from combat in the open at both the operational and tactical level...

 complex for close quarters battle

Close quarters battle

Close quarters combat or close quarters battle is a type of fighting in which small units engage the enemy with personal weapons at very short range, potentially to the point of hand-to-hand combat or fighting with hand weapons such as swords or knives...

 at Copehill Down

Copehill Down

Copehill Down is a UK Ministry of Defence training facility located on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England. It is a 'FIBUA' urban warfare and Close quarters battle training centre where exercises and tests are conducted....

 (approx 3
miles SE) has recently been the focus of this type of training, as that site is easier to adapt to reflect the areas in which troops are likely to be deployed.

Attempts to restore Imber

Many of the village's buildings suffered shell

Shell (projectile)

A shell is a payload-carrying projectile, which, as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage sometimes includes large solid projectiles properly termed shot . Solid shot may contain a pyrotechnic compound if a tracer or spotting charge is used...

 and explosion damage after the war when UK military operations began, and, additionally eroded by the weather, quickly fell into disrepair. Although the villagers had been told they could return in six months, this was never allowed. Documentary evidence of a return agreement only came to light at the Defence Land Committee hearings. At the end of the war, efforts were made to restore Imber to its pre-war condition — although there was very little damage — but the decision was taken not to relinquish control. A rally in the village was organised in 1961 to demand that the villagers be allowed to move back, and over 2,000 people attended, including many former residents. A public inquiry

Public inquiry

A Tribunal of Inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body in Common Law countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland or Canada. Such a public inquiry differs from a Royal Commission in that a public inquiry accepts evidence and conducts its hearings in a more...

 was held, and found in favour of Imber's continued military use. The matter was also raised in the House of Lords

House of Lords

The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....

, and it was decided that the church would be maintained, and would be open for worship on the Saturday closest to St Giles's day each year: a practice that continues. A further attempt to restore Imber took place in the early 1970s when the Defence Lands Committee (DLC) was tasked to look into the need for the retention of MoD lands. The Imber case was represented before the DLC by David J Johnson, an Imber researcher; Richard Madigan, a former soldier who helped to evacuate the village — and testified to the promise of return after the war — and Rex Mutters, a wartime fighter pilot. They were assisted by Austin Underwood, who had led the campaign in the early 1960s and backed-up with written evidence from former villagers. In spite of all the additional evidence, including the first re-appearance since 1943 of the original evacuation letter (which indicated return), the DLC recommended that the village be retained for military use. The annual church service held has been attended by former residents including Ken Mitchell (grandson of Albert Nash); the son of the last schoolmistress, John Williams; soldiers who have used the village for training, and the general public. The village is open to visitors on other occasions; generally these are certain Bank Holidays and around Christmas.

St Giles Parish Church

The church is a Grade I listed building.

Unlike the rest of the parish, St Giles's church

St Giles' Church, Imber

St Giles' Church in the deserted village of Imber, Wiltshire, England was built in the late 13th or early 14th century. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building, and is now a redundant church in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust...

 and its graveyard remained in the hands of the Diocese of Salisbury

Diocese of Salisbury

The Diocese of Salisbury is a Church of England diocese in the south of England. The diocese covers Dorset and most of Wiltshire and is a constituent diocese of the Province of Canterbury. The diocese is led by the Bishop of Salisbury and the diocesan synod...

, although access to them was and is controlled by the Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)

The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....

. The Bell Inn was sold to the MoD in the mid-1950s and the Baptist Chapel in the late 1970s. The civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 of Imber was eventually incorporated into neighbouring Heytesbury

Heytesbury

Heytesbury is a village in Wiltshire, England, in the Wylye Valley, about three miles south of Warminster.-History:...

, to the south, while for Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...

 purposes the ecclesiastical parish of Imber was incorporated into the Edington

Edington, Wiltshire

Edington is a small village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about five miles east of Westbury.The parish includes two principal settlements, Edington village and Tinhead, which lies between the main village and Coulston and contains the parish's only surviving public house, The Paulet Arms...

, to the north. This combined ecclesiastical parish of Edington-with-Imber was responsible for another ancient listed church, Edington Priory

Edington Priory

Edington Priory in Wiltshire, England, was founded by William Edington, the bishop of Winchester, in 1332 in his home village of Edington. The priory church was built between 1352 and 1361.-History:...

, as well as St Giles's. By 2001 it had become clear, according to a Church of England press release, that St Giles's "was in need of extensive repairs." Since it was "not possible for the parochial church council to accept liability for the maintenance of a building to which they only had effective access for worship once a year", the Edington-with-Imber PCC requested that Imber church be declared redundant

Redundant church

A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...

, setting in train a process which ended in 2005 with the vesting of the church in the Churches Conservation Trust

Churches Conservation Trust

The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...

. In the meantime, the church tower had been struck by lightning

Lightning

Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...

 in 2003, weakening the structure, but restoration work commenced in 2008 and the annual service resumed in September 2009 on completion of the works.

Census

Imber is still included in the census records for England. The population reached its peak of 440 persons in 1851 which had declined to 152 by 1931 when the last occupied census was taken. The next census after 1931 was in 1951 when the number of residents was listed as "0", a situation which continues to be shown on census results.

Governance

Nearly sixty years after its evacuation, the civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 of Imber came to an end and its area was incorporated into the adjoining civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 of Heytesbury

Heytesbury

Heytesbury is a village in Wiltshire, England, in the Wylye Valley, about three miles south of Warminster.-History:...

, now referred to as "Heytesbury, Imber and Knook". Although it has no electors, Imber is represented in parliament

Parliament of the United Kingdom

The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...

 by the member

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for South West Wiltshire, Andrew Murrison

Andrew Murrison

Dr Andrew William Murrison is a doctor and Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. After serving as the Member of Parliament for Westbury from 2001 to 2010, at the 2010 general election he was elected for the new seat of South West Wiltshire.-Early life:The son of William Gordon...

; and on Wiltshire Council

Wiltshire Council

Wiltshire Council is the unitary authority for most of the county of Wiltshire, in the West of England, the successor authority to Wiltshire County Council and to four districts—Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, and West Wiltshire—all of which had been created in 1973 and were...

 by Christopher Newbury

Christopher Newbury

Christopher Newbury is an English politician, a member of the Congress of the Council of Europe since 1998 and an Independent member of Wiltshire Council since 2009.-Early life:...

.

With the exception of St Giles's church, the whole parish is owned by the Ministry of Defence and is administered as part of its Salisbury Plain

Salisbury Plain

Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known...

 Training Area.

Further reading

• Revels, G.S. (c. 1972) A Thousand years of History: a short guide to St Giles Church and the Parish of Imber.
• Sawyer, Rex (2001) Little Imber on the Down: Salisbury Plain's Ghost Village. East Knoyle: Hobnob Press. ISBN 0-946418-06-3.

External links

• Details of history and church openings— Information about St Giles Church Imber
• Forever Imber — a campaigning site with information and news reports
• Information about access to Imber from public-interest.co.uk
• Gallery of photos of Imber from ThincTanc
• Census data for Imber (1801–2001)
• Maps and photos of the church
• Etymology of the name
• Imber and other abandoned communities
• 2003 arts event at Imber
• Review of the 2003 arts event at Imber in The Times
• Imber: An English Ghost Town — slideshow by Life magazine
• Audio slideshow: The lost village of Imber — audio slideshow by the BBC
  BBC
  The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
  
  .