Tyneham village in Dorset was abandoned in 1943 when the British military requisitioned the village for training purposes during World War Two – and the villagers were never able to return
A deserted Dorset village stands as a unique relic in Britain, abandoned yet not erased from memory.
Tragic events forced residents to flee their cherished homes decades ago.
Located along Dorset’s breathtaking Jurassic Coast, a visit to Tyneham village feels like travelling through time.
Visitors can peer into the lives of locals who were compelled to desert the settlement during World War Two.
The year 1943 marked the moment when this thriving community of Tyneham would witness their existence transformed permanently.
During the height of the Second World War, British forces commandeered the village for military exercises.
This resulted in heartbroken residents receiving just one month’s warning to vacate properties where countless families had resided across generations.
The wartime administration seized Tyneham village and its surrounding territory to serve as a training facility for Allied troops, positioned adjacent to the Lulworth firing range.
Locals trusted they were sacrificing their dwellings for their nation’s benefit and expected to return following the war’s conclusion.
A message was attached to the church entrance, stating: “Please treat the church and houses with care. We have given up our homes where many of us have lived for generations, to help win the war to keep men free. We will return one day and thank you for treating the village kindly.”
Sadly, the residents of Tyneham were never able to return home even after World War Two ended, as the village and surrounding land became a military training ground.
Now, nearly 80 years later, the village remains frozen in time and serves as a ‘thought-provoking and interesting’ tourist attraction. It opens at certain times of the year, offering visitors ‘fascinating insights into the lives of its former residents’.
When not open to the public, the gates blocking access are locked every evening.
One TripAdvisor review reads: “This deserted village has such an interesting history. The boards within the church detailing the villagers fight to be allowed to return to the village and the current position are very moving.”
Another review on TripAdvisor describes it as ‘a wonderful place – very atmospheric and sad but in a way that keeps drawing you back to visit’.
The last resident of Tyneham, Peter Wellman, passed away at the age of 100 in April this year. The centenarian made his final visit to the village in 2024, to see the place where he was born and raised.
During his last visit to Tyneham in 2024, Peter reminisced about his childhood days. He told the Dorset Echo: “We had no electricity, no mains gas and no running water – we had to pump that from near the church.
“I remember going to the beach and fishing and we often had mackerel. We were happy until we got moved out.”
Tyneham village, nestled in the Isle of Purbeck, is not actually an island but a peninsula, bordered by the English Channel in the picturesque county of Dorset.