Tyneham - The Ghost Village part 1

Part 1

"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."
Helen Taylor a seamstress at Tyneham House wrote these poignant words when leaving Tyneham and pinned them to the doors of St Marys Church.

Tyneham is a small abandoned village around 5 miles west of Corfe Castle. The village dates back before medieval times and was a small thriving community with a Parish covering 3000 acres.

Six days before Christmas in 1943, the villagers of Tyneham in Dorset were ordered to leave their homes so the army could practise for the D-Day landings. The promise that they could return was broken. The army kept the land and the public was banished from this beautiful part of the Countryside.

After the war the village remained under military control and has been used for the past 50 years as a target area for the tanks stationed at the nearby barrack.

Today most of the village lies in ruins with only the church and school remaining fully intact. The old manor house and small cottages have collapsed with only parts of their walls remaining and all repairs to the remains of the village are taken care of by the military.

Much of the area around the village is now covered in a rich variety of vegetation and wildlife with open fields on each side of the Purbeck hills and an area of woodland in the centre of the valley following a small stream down to the sea. The Purbeck hills, which start at Swanage, end around 1 mile west of Tyneham with a high cliff and long sandy beach below.

Throughout the 1960's and 70's a campaign for the right of access to the Lulworth Ranges and Tyneham village took place and it is now possible to follow the footpaths on the firing ranges most weekends and Bank Holidays.

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[countrysidelover]

i enjoyed watching this vid. one thing i wanted to do but missed doing when i visited England was one of those ghost tours. (southeast asian blood could not stand the cold)

thank you fo sharing.

[iLoveSwanage]

Hi countrysidelove. I'm thrilled that you enjoyed this video. However, Tyneham, to my knowledge, isn't haunted. It's called a ghost village because the entire people of this beautiful village were ordered to leave their houses so that the military could move in and use the area during World War II. You can find all the information in the side bar.

Again, thank you for watching and commenting on the video.

All the very best, David.

[Weslake500]

Great video of a lovely place. been going there since the eighties when it first opened. Thank you. Do you have any winter shots, Im unable to get there in the wintern not living local. was in Swanage for a few days during winter some twenty years ago, courting a local girl. Weather was very cold, damp and windy, but still a lovely place. A different kind of beauty in the winter. Thank you again.

[girldiesel]

so beautiful,i wish they will continue preserve the beauty of the village,but hey isnt it time for them to get back what they'd had?

[MemoryManful2009]

Would England consider taking this beautiful historic village away from the Army and placing it under control of the National Trust to preserve it? These places of home and heart tell a story about the people in their country. With technology of the modern world a mock village could be constructed for the Army's needs. It's such a sad thing to know that even today this village and others like it are not shown respect. Please give these places honor and care for the families that sacrificed.

[TheMr2000lbbee]

wow. so england also dose just like they did to my people here in the u.s. indians didn,t count as people so they took our lands and killed all that stood against them once we were many now we are few. so sad.

[Geordieerskine]

I am sure 100% that this music does no justice to the people who left! Nor the generations who are still here and wondering when they can return.

[danyraish]

can i know wats song in tis vid??

[Cazj24]

My Grandfather, John Gould was the last remaining resident of Tyneham, he sadly passed away this year aged 97

[cods27]

My father in law was one of the people who lived in the village,His name was Dennis james wellman .He has now passed away i married Jims daughter who has al so passed away at the age of 49,you can see jims story at the desk where he sat his brother peter also attended the school

[Sansash01202]

It belongs to the army and has done since the war .. the villagers never owned the properties, they were tenants. It's a sad story but the army need somewhere to practice if they hadn't commandeered this village it would have had to have been another.

[Emz351]

such a shame it all got destroyed. I bet it would be a lovely little village. I never knew that had happened, the whole kicking people out thing! So sad :(