Isolated in the
middle of hundreds
of acres of tank
track scarred Wiltshire
countryside, surrounded by the battered shells of houses, stands the beautiful 700 year old church of St. Giles.

continued....

Almost 60 years on and the pub, manor houses and cottages are little more than shells. The buildings that are still intact have concrete facades. Little is recognisable now except the ancient church of St. Giles.

Although the army has never owned the church or graveyard it does control access to the site.
Once a year in September to celebrate the feast of St. Giles the guns fall silent, security is lifted and civilains are allowed in to visit relatives graves and attend a service.

The buildings that are still intact have concrete facades.

But with the issue of who should take responsibility for the maintenance of the church in question even this one service a year is in jeopardy.

In the 1950s the army informally agreed to keep the church wind and watertight. This arrangement came to an end several years ago.

A lightning strike three years ago, has compounded the problem, a roof pinnacle now leans sharply and is threatening to plummet into the nave.

The burden of restoring the church is falling squarely on the shoulders of the small congregation of Edington which already has its own ancient church to look after and is understandably baulking at having to raise additional money for a church which is only used once a year.

Imber - A ghost town

With funding in doubt, the solution was to start the process of declaring the church redundant.

With closure looming, the church's cause has been taken up by The Friends of Imber Church.

This new society dropping the lobby for the reinstatement of the entire village is now fighting to save the church.

They are hoping to raise enough money to restore the church and ensure it is open for up to 54 times a year.

According to the society's chairman John Syme:

"It's a very important little church and has many memories for local people."

To raise funds and awarness of the plight of the church at Imber the society has organised a walk from Warminster to Imber followed by a service at the church on Easter Sunday.

The roads through Imber on the Salisbury Plain will be open to the general public during the Easter period. The Church of St Giles and the Baptist Graveyard will also be open. The Friends of Imber Church will be holding events within the building. For more information please contact Councillor John Syme, The Chairman, Friends of Imber Church on either 01985-846538 or via email cllrjsyme@westwiltshire.gov.uk. Regards, John Syme
ghost Imber Imber Imber Imber story ghost town ghost village ghosts