Abandoned wartime village frozen in time where empty terrace houses rot
Tucked away on the Dorset coast lies a village where time stopped in 1943 and never restarted.
Tyneham in Dorset was evacuated during World War II in December 1943, when the War Office took over the land to make space for Army training. Around 225 people were told to pack up and leave their homes within days. The residents believed it would only be temporary and they would return one day.
Residents left a note on the church door reading - "Please treat the church and houses with care; we have given up our homes where many of us lived for generations to help win the war to keep men free. We shall return one day and thank you for treating the village kindly.'
Despite the war ending in 1945, the residents were never allowed to reclaim their homes, and Tyneham remained under Army control - and it still is. The village became part of a British Army training site, used to test tanks and weapons. To this day, it's owned by the Ministry of Defence and forms part of the Armoured Fighting Vehicles Gunnery School.
However Tyneham isn't the only local village absorbed into a Army training ground; Worbarrow Bay and Lulworth ranges are grounds that remain active to this day.
The land is still used for the Armoured Fighting Vehicles Gunnery School, a live fire training school - which is why the area is only open to the public on selected weekends and bank holidays. When they allow visitors to explore what remains of the village, it's like stepping back in time.
Although many of the buildings have crumbled, there are still preserved fragments of Tyneham's past.
The old schoolhouse and church have been carefully restored and today holds exhibitions about the people who once lived there with photos and letters.
A row of terraced cottages, known as The Row, still stands near the church. Some buildings have crumbled, but others remain hauntingly still - like they're waiting for their owners to come home.
There's also a restored farm area with picnic benches, surrounded by broken walls and fading signs of village life. Tyneham is often called 'Dorset's lost village', and it's easy to see why. It's quiet, eerie, and frozen in the past - a snapshot of a community that vanished almost overnight.
Tyneham is more than a village lost to war. It's a time capsule - a stark reminder of the sacrifices of war and what's left behind when history moves on without you.
For those planning a visit, it's best to check the opening times online. The village, nearby Worbarrow Bay and the Lulworth Ranges are all part of a live military zone. The exact dates are listed on the Government website.
If you're after a day out that's a little different and don't mind a few goosebumps - Tyneham offers a rare glimpse into wartime Britain, frozen in time.
Although visitors often say it gives them goosebumps, especially when reading notes left behind by children or seeing the school's original blackboard.
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