Imber: The Ghost Village exhibition
Event Date:
Mon 11 Aug 2025 - Sat 16 Aug 2025 at All Day
Location:
The Athenaeum Centre
18-20 High Street,
Warminster
BA12 9AE
A spokesperson said:
An exhibition covering the history of Imber and focusing on the impact of local families.
Given nowhere else to go to Imber’s villagers were ‘liberated’ of their homes in 1943, with just 47 days notice, to make way for American troops to train for the liberation of Europe during World War II. With foresight the Ministry of Defence, had before the war bought up the farms and even much of the village itself to make Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire the largest military training ground in the United Kingdom. Thus the villagers were ‘just’ tenants, so were easily made to vacate their homes and livelihoods, but as they understood it only until the war ended. Shortly before the war began council houses, which can still be seen there, were built at Imber, a sure sign that neither the council nor the villagers, maybe not even the MOD, expected the village to be permanently taken over…
This exhibition focuses on the families impacted, many of whom still have descendants living locally.”
Refreshments available on Saturday 16th.
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday: 10.30am to 1pm
Saturday: 10.30am to 5pm
Get MAPS and DIRECTIONS to our Event locations.
