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Residents of the unusual settlement were evicted in the 1940s
Joanna WhiteheadWednesday 03 December 2025 12:37 GMTComments
open image in galleryThe isolated Wiltshire village of Imber (Getty Images)
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An abandoned village closed to the public for the vast majority of the year is set to reopen for several days after Christmas.
Imber Village in Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, will welcome the public from December 29 until 1 January 2026.
The village, which was recorded in the Domesday Book, constituted an isolated agriculture settlement, before being purchased by the Ministry of Defence.
In 1943, the entire population of 150 people was evicted to make way for American troops to train for the invasion of Europe during the Second World War.
After the war, the villagers were not permitted to return to their homes.
The village remains under the control of the Ministry of Defence and non-military access is limited to just a handful of days each year.
Visitors to the site during official open days are permitted to explore the historic village on foot.
Imber is home to a manor house, a pub, a farmhouse, farm cottages, a small schoolhouse, housing blocks and a Grade I-listed church named St Giles.
open image in gallerySt Giles church in the village of Imber (Getty Images)“St Giles Church will be open to visitors between 1100hrs (11am) and 1600hrs (4pm),” reads a statement on its website. “Light refreshments will be available.”
Disused military vehicles and equipment are also found around the village.
The village was last opened to the public in August for the annual Imberbus event, which sees up to 30 old and new Routemaster buses and guest vehicles travelling to the abandoned village.
The event attracted around 4,000 people and raised £35,000 for charity.
And in January 2023, Imber played host to its last ever funeral.
Ray Nash, a former resident of Imber, expressed his wish to be buried alongside his father in the village, who died when he was just one year old.
Mr Nash, a former mechanic for the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, left the village with his mum after his father’s death in 1936, but retained a strong connection to Imber.
He died at the age of 87.
Read more: What is ‘dark tourism’? Why tourists visit destinations with tragic histories
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