|
|
 |
| St
Giles' Church, Imber. |
|
|
 |
|
| 19 August
2023 |
|
| London buses on Salisbury Plain. |
|
| The road through the village of Imber
is open to the public on just a few
days each year. |
|
| On one of these,
a group runs bus services from Warminster
railway station to Imber and to other
villages on Salisbury Plain. |
|
| A fleet of old London
Transport Routemaster buses is used
with some newer buses to give greater
accessibility. |
|
| |
|
| |
| |
| On this page |
|
| Chitterne |
|
| Tilshead |
|
| Gore
Cross |
|
| Market
Lavington |
|
| Imber |
|
| Salisbury
Plain |
|
|
|
|
| Chitterne |
|
| Chitterne is a charming village in
the middle of Salisbury Plain, about seven miles
east of Warminster. Refreshments were available
in the village hall. |
|
|
|
|
| LYR
854 |
|
|
|
|
|
| SMK
699F |
|
|
|
|
|
| CUV
344C |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| LTZ
1009 |
|
|
|
|
|
| ALD
978B |
|
|
|
|
|
| SMK
735F |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Chitterne
Church |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Tilshead |
|
| Tilshead is a
small village, almost in the centre of Salisbury
Plain, between Market Lavington and Shrewton. Refreshments
available in the village hall. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| R371
LGH |
|
|
|
|
|
| SMK
735F |
|
|
|
|
|
| 357
CLT |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| SMK
699F |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Gore
Cross |
|
| Gore Cross bus
station. A dusty interchange in the middle of nowhere,
allowing visitors to change to a service going in
any direction. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| CUV
344C |
|
|
|
|
|
| SMK
699F and VLT 9 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Market
Lavington |
|
| Market Lavington
is a large village on the northern slopes of Salisbury
Plain, about five miles south of Devizes. Market
Lavington was for centuries one of Wiltshire's most
important market towns, having been granted a royal
charter in 1252 by Henry III. Market Lavington Museum
is in the old Schoolmaster’s Cottage at the back
of the churchyard where there is also a cafe. |
|
|
|
|
| CUV
344C |
|
|
|
|
|
| CUV
344C |
|
|
|
|
|
| LTZ
1009 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| CUV
318C |
|
|
|
|
|
| SMK
735F |
|
|
|
|
|
| SMK
735F |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Museum |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Imber |
|
| The village of
Imber is on Salisbury Plain, an extensive area of
Wiltshire which has been used for military training
since 1897. In December 1943, as preparations were
made for the invasion of Europe, the people of Imber
were ordered to leave so that the village could
be used to train for the fight to come. The villagers
were tenatnts of the War Office and were entitled
to only limited compensation. They hoped that when
the war ended they would be allowed to return. This
did not happen. The army still use the village which
is closed to the public except on a small number
of occasions. Most of the buildings are gone with
new ones built for urban warfare training. Much
of the area is off limits because of the risk of
unexploded ordinance. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 357
CLT |
|
|
|
|
|
| VLT
9 |
|
|
|
|
|
| St
Giles' Church |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Nag's
Head Cottages |
|
|
|
|
|
| Seagram's
Farm |
|
|
|
|
|
| Seagram's
Farm |
|
|
|
| Salisbury
Plain |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| CUV
344C |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Imberbus |
|
|
|
|
| 5
CLT at Warminster Station |
|
|
| Imberbus |
|
| In 2009, a group of bus industry professionals
achieved a long standing ambition to
run a vintage bus service from Warminster
in Wiltshire, to the abandoned village
of Imber on the Salisbury Plain. It
proved to be so popular that it has
now become an annual event, with most
journeys continuing across the Plain
to parts of Wiltshire rarely seen by
ordinary public transport users. |
|
| As the buses were operating an ordinary
bus service, there was no need for passengers
to book in advance – they just turned
up and paid the conductor on the bus. |
|
|
|
|
|
