The ghosts of Christmas past – The once bustling village turned into soldier training camp
THIS is the quaint British coastal village which was transformed into a ghost town after being taken over for military exercises.
Frozen in time, the cottages are now empty and the church bells no longer ring in the Dorset village of Tyneham in Hampshire - where no one has lived since 1943.
Once home to a few hundred people, it became abandoned 72 years ago after all residents were told to leave so the Army could expand its Lulworth firing range.
The Government appreciate that this is no small sacrifice which you are asked to make
An official letter stated: "The Government appreciate that this is no small sacrifice which you are asked to make, but they are sure that you will give this further help towards winning the war with a good heart."
Not a sound could be heard in the village on Christmas Day in 1943, by which point all of the locals had packed up their belongings and found somewhere else to spend the festive season.
Landowner Evelyn Bond pinned a note to the door of the St. Mary Church telling the Army to “treat it” with care as she concluded: “We shall return one day and thank you for treating the village kindly.”
But unlike most villages evacuated during the Second World War, Tyneham was never given back to those who lived there.
Protests followed and failed after the war by villagers who were dissatisfied with losing the place they once called home.
The next few years then took its toll on the once pretty place. The homes of many were left to become overrun with nature and sink into a state of disrepair.
In fact all that remains in tact now is St Mary’s Church, the Tynham National Elementary School and Tyneham Farm, which have been given new leases of life through repairs.
Made from Limestone dating back to the 13th century, the church, which is maintained by the military, now serves as an exhibition for the village - providing tourists with information and history about the quirky land.
The refurbished school, originally built in 1856, was reopened in 1994 and in 2009, the newly reinstated farm hosted its first concert for more than 70 years.
A compulsory order was purchased for the land, meaning it will stay under the permanent ownership of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) which has used parts of Dorset for vital military training ground for more than half a century.
But when not being used for live exercises, Tyneham and its surrounding areas are open to the public for some 150 days a year.
Visitors can step back in time to see the remains of residents’ cottages, complete with storyboards about who once lived in them.
In 2010 the last person to be evacuated from Tyneham, Arthur Grant, had his ashes interred at the abandoned village.