Imber, now often referred to as the ‘lost village’, held open days between Monday, 30 December and Wednesday, January 1, and played host to more than 2,500 visitors as the village lost to time came briefly to life again.
Located within the military training area on Salisbury Plain, Imber boasts a rich history, having been included in the Doomsday Book in 1086, and a 13-th century church, and held a population of roughly 250 for hundreds of years.
Sue Hayward, of Devizes, looks back through archived photos in the Imber church (Image: Trevor Porter) READ MORE: All the best photos as thousands of visitors explore Wiltshire ‘ghost village’
It was left deserted during the Second World War when residents were forced to evacuate their homes, to make way for American troops training for the European invasion.
The villagers were gathered in the school hall in November of 1943 and told they had 47 days to evacuate.
During and after the war, the once-picture-perfect cottages disappeared and gave way to buildings designed to replicate an urban environment for the purposes of military training exercises.
Despite being promised that they would be able to return to their homes once the war was over, the village remained closed off, and to this day remains in the control of the MOD.
The only building that has been retained is St Giles’ Church. Now, every year, the town opens for a handful of open days allowing the public to visit Imber, tour the church and look around the deserted village.
The money visitors spend on refreshments and souvenirs is donated to the Churches Conservation Trust, the national charity protecting around 350 of the UK’s historic churches, and to which St Giles’ belongs.
The Trust is partly funded by the Church of England and the Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport.
Neil Skelton, custodian of the Grade-I listed St Giles Church at Imber, was “delighted” with the amount raised from the open days.
Houses in Imber (Image: Trevor Porter) SEE ALSO: ‘Extremely rare’ King Charles III coin listed by Salisbury seller for £1k
Mr Skelton, from Wilton, has been the custodian of St Giles since retiring from the Trust more than 15 years ago.
He said: “I could not do it all alone now. I am lucky to have a good team of volunteers.
“The open days always attract lots of visitors, and this helps us to conserve the 350 churches for future generations.”
Dates for this year’s open days have yet to be finalised but the village is expected to be open again for visitors during the Easter period.