Abandoned UK ghost village that’s cut off to public for 310 days a year is opening to tourists this month
AN ABANDONED village which is closed to the public for 310 days a year is set to reopen this month.
Imber Village in Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, dates back to the Domesday Book, and has also operated as a military training site.
The intriguing area will welcome in curious tourists between December 29 and January 1, 2026.
While much of the village is no longer in tact, there are still a number of empty houses and cottages that can be explored.
A pub called The Bell Inn still stands.
Other buildings still standing include the manor house, Imber Court, a farmhouse, farm cottages, a small schoolhouse, and four housing blocks built in 1938.
The nearby St Giles’ Church dates back to the 13th century and became a Grade I listed building in 1987.
A spokesperson said: “St Giles Church will be open to visitors between 1100hrs (11am) and 1600hrs (4pm).
“Light refreshments will be available.”
The village last opened to the public in August, where visitors were greeted with a slew of warnings.
Signs in the area still read: “Danger unexploded military debris. Do not leave the carriageway.”
A record of the Wiltshire village in the Domesday Book of 1086 shows the village was an isolated community that relied heavily on agriculture.
Having been owned by the Ministry of Defence since 1932, visitors are only welcome at the site for a few days each year.
The opening times usually fall once in the spring, summer, and over the Christmas and New Year period.
In 1943, its population of around 150 was evicted to provide a training ground for American troops during WW2.
The site is still controlled by the Ministry of Defence, despite attempts from some locals to return.
But this isn’t the only place in the UK that’s been abandoned by its residents.
Residents of Hirta, one of the largest islands in the St Kilda archipelago, were evacuated from their homes in 1930.
The residents were evacuated on the HMS Harebell and were rehoused across Scotland in places like Oban, Inverness, and Fife.
While they never returned, the island has started welcoming tourists in recent years.
And another “ghost town” turned into a “boom town” attracting people from miles away.