Imber
Sign in to saveImber is an uninhabited village and former civil parish within the British Army's training area, now in the parish of Heytesbury, on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England. It lies in an isolated area of the Plain, about west of the A360 road between Tilshead and West Lavington. A linear village, its main street follows the course of a stream.
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Key facts
- UK place.official_name
- Imber
- UK place.static_image_name
- Imber Village.JPG
- UK place.static_image_caption
- Part of the Urban warfare training area at Imber; original dwellings in centre
- UK place.os_grid_reference
- ST965485
- UK place.population
- 0
- UK place.civil_parish
- Heytesbury
- UK place.unitary_england
- Wiltshire
- UK place.lieutenancy_england
- Wiltshire
- UK place.region
- South West England
- UK place.country
- England
- UK place.constituency_westminster
- South West Wiltshire
- UK place.post_town
- DEVIZES
- UK place.postcode_district
Wikidata facts
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Located in
- West Wiltshire
- Population
- +0
- Image
- Imber urban warfare training.jpg
via Wikidata · CC0
Article
14 sectionsContents
- History
- Early history
- Eviction and military use
- Restoration attempts
- Present day
- St Giles' parish church
- Governance
- Popular culture
- Musical references
- Gallery
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Imber is an uninhabited village and former civil parish within the British Army's training area, now in the parish of Heytesbury, on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England. It lies in an isolated area of the Plain, about west of the A360 road between Tilshead and West Lavington. A linear village, its main street follows the course of a stream.
Recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, Imber was always an isolated community, several miles from any market town, and most of its men worked in agriculture or related trades. Beginning in the 1890s, the Ministry of Defence slowly bought up the village and in 1943 the whole population of about 150 was evicted to provide an exercise area for American troops preparing for the invasion of Europe during the Second World War. After the war, the villagers were not allowed to return to their homes. It remains under the control of the Ministry of Defence despite several attempts by former residents to return. Non-military access is limited to several open days a year.