Tyneham | Exploring Britain's Abandoned World War II Ghost Village

Hidden away from public view in the danger area of a closed off army live fire training area on the south coast of England is one of Britain's forgotten abandoned places, and a lasting casualty of the Second World War, the ghost village of Tyneham. Tyneham today has been called "Britain's Pripyat," (referencing the Soviet city that was abandoned after the Chernobyl Disaster in 1986). Also "The Village that died to save Europe".
In November 1943 in preparation for the Allied invasion of Europe (D Day), with no warning , the British Government requisitioned 30 sq miles of the Southern English Coastline to be used as a live fire training area and secret D Day preparation zone for American Forces.
The people of the Parish of Tyneham and surrounding communities, who had lived there for generations, were given just 28 days to vacate their homes before the army sealed off the area.
They were promised that they could return to their homes once the World War 2 was over, but ultimately they were betrayed by the Government, who in the early 1950s decided to keep the land to be used to train tank crews to combat the threat of Soviet invasion during the cold war. The residents of Tyneham would never be permitted to return home!
Over the next 80 years, the village has remained exactly as it was left in 1943, a ghost town where all the people just upped and left in a couple of weeks. It comprises of the lost village, surrounding farms and cottages; and the abandoned mansion of Tyneham House built in the 1500s
The village can be visited by the public a few days a year when the Army Tank Ranges are not live. So in this video I take the opportunity to explore the village of Tyneham and its surrounds, and also to tell the whole story of Tyneham in 1943 in a documentary.
UK Defence InfraStructure Organisation (DIO) Range timetable;
www.gov.uk/government/publica...
#ghosttowns #worldwar2history #abandoned #abandonedhouses #urbex
CHAPTERS:
00:09 Intro
02:50 The drive to Tyneham
03:17 Tynehams History and the 1943 Backstory
11:57 Entering The MOD Range Danger Area
13:55 Tyneham Churchyard
14:56 The Row and the Post Office
18:05 Tyneham Church
19:35 Tyneham School
21:45 The Rectory
22:46 Laundry Cottages
23:36 Tyneham Farm
25:53 Worbarrow Bay
27:50 Baltington
28:50 Tyneham House
26:35 The Church
30:39 Summary and Outro

[@G5STU]

I grew up on the farm that now farms the land that Tyneham sits on, meaning I had unrestricted access to explore all the those buildings through the 90s , didn’t realise how lucky I was at the time, we actually used the farm buildings for storage up until it was made the museum it is now.

[@mrbeeoutdoors3213]

That's amazing! I visited this place a few months ago and would have loved to just explore anywhere and everywhere.

[@G5STU]

@@mrbeeoutdoors3213 there are lots of old houses in the woods all over that army range , I’ve explored all of them as a child :) great fun

[@prillewitz]

So, lost your three sons in a war, taken your house, lost the community in which you lived in, what could they take more from you after winning the war? Good story which has to be told.

[@iainamurray]

She died in 1917

[@prillewitz]

@@iainamurray luckily she didn’t live alone there.

[@andreamallon3062]

So sad that the villagers never got to go home, and so sad to see it mostly in ruins.

[@patsaunders525]

Thank you for teaching me a very sad part of history that was never taught in history class. I feel so much for the people of Tyneham. Even today the government is able to take your home your land and there is nothing you can do to stop them. I feel the least they could have done is keep the village up to par. Watching from Nova Scotia Canada

[@davidbnsmessex.5953]

It is very sad , most people also do not realise that even if they have bought property here in Uk it still does not actually belong to them but to William the conqueror ie now the state .

[@stephnewman1357]

Very sad that the villagers were lied to and couldnt ever return to their homes. Such a shame it wasnt all preserved and given the same respect that the villagers had to the war effort. Such a loss for the villagers. 😢

[@mfx1]

It wasn't a lie when they were told, the situation and requirements changed later.

[@thethirdman225]

A lot of people lost their homes in WWII.

[@poruatokin]

They weren't lied to, the situation changed, it was a different era when the country rallied to the cause - not like the selfish idiots of today.

[@judeross3875]

@@mfx1 OK so a promise that wasn't kept then.

[@judeross3875]

@@poruatokin Technically right. A promise made wasn't kept .

[@davey1602]

We lost many villages in the wars due to the Pals programme which saw teenagers signing up with their friends and neighbours. So many young men died that there was no one marriageable , so the women simply abandoned their birthplace to look for partners in other areas of Britain - thus dooming the village's fate when their parents grew old and died.

[@user-mz3sj7do4b]

This was WW2, the pals battalions were WW1

[@SimonLloydGuitar]

They were betrayed by our Governments. Imagine being in the Bradford Pals giving your life for King and Country.

[@vercingetorixwulf9298]

​@@SimonLloydGuitar ...... Thank you, you put it exactly how it is .......

[@Dav1Gv]

@@SimonLloydGuitar Rubbish, they volunteered to fight Germany who would have taken over Europe if they had won and then probably attacked Britain. They were very brave and 'We Will Remember Them'.

[@chrisrobson5187]

It gives me a great feeling of sadness to hear this story. Homes where children played and sat around a coal fire in winter, the church where a bride would walk to marry her beau - now all destroyed - a terrible betrayal

[@maxbee4460]

The church and school house were restored some years ago. You can visit the village at certain times of the year as well and walk down to the beach. It was war time and the village like a lot of things where sacrificed for the effort. Many places were effected, Slapton Sands for one comes to mind.

[@poruatokin]

Such a modern snowflake response. Soldiers and civilians were dying in the 1,000's every day and a few people are asked to give up their homes to shorten the war and save lives.

[@andrewcitizennotsubject8897]

Tynenam wasn't abandoned the people were made to leave and promised they could return at the end of hostilities , it didn't happen and the most made sure the house would never be lived in again same thing happened at I'm wr on Salisbury plain

[@NigelMarston]

I feel quite melancholic having watched that. It's fascinating and quite sad however despite the requisition, the village appears to have been dying out as witnessed by the closure of the school. Still, those broken promises by the MOD are awful. Those villagers would have lived out their lives with heavy hearts.

[@zzzzz77771]

I went to Tyneham back in 2015 or 16, and it was a very moving experience. It's like a time warp, and you really get the feeling it was beautiful village in its day and how devastated the residents must have been to be forced to leave. There were no fences around the houses when I went. I think I'll go back and have another walk around later this year after seeing this.

[@fritula6200]

zzzz.... you do that..... if you do that's the best thing you can do..... keep going back.

[@gillianparry4199]

This is the first time hearing of this village and I'm 60. So very sad, thank you for sharing this history. I feel the residents deserved more respect and consideration. Beautiful piece of music too.

[@frankparsons1629]

Thanks Andy for your film, I have always been fascinated by the awful story of Tyneham and fuelled by my several visits after it was opened up again. It is such a sad story when you understand all those families who had to leave and made sadder still by the demise of Tyneham House and eventual demolition, it was possibly the very finest Country House in Dorset, what a sad loss. The MOD may have achieved what Hitler failed to do, and yet they repeated the story with the village of Imber in Wiltshire, almost a mirror image of what transpired here at Tyneham.

[@jester5ify]

Imber was demolished, there was an awful lot of 'mums my sister and my aunt' and then turned into a training area, the church still stands and is protected, if memory serves it also has a Vicar..

[@sathurxy49]

Thank you so much for the in-depth guide to Tyneham, Andy. I came across this village about a year ago on KZbin. Your choice of music is utterly haunting and evocative. It captures the sense of loss that must have been felt by the generational inhabitants who were forced to leave such an idyllic and historical place. Well done.

[@philipshakespeare5210]

Here in Norfolk, England, we have a battle area which includes three villages and a Tudor manor house, the home of Lord Walsingham. He persuaded the inhabitants to move out and they were also told by Westminster that they could return after the war. Like Tyneham, this did not happen. The villages are open on certain days of the year.

[@kelrogers8480]

Government lying to its people is not a new phenomenon. Why we still persist in thinking we're of any more value to them than mere useful Idiots defies comprehension!

[@watchcub]

OMG...have they been using Lord Walsingham's manor for target practice? Makes you wonder who the 'enemy' really is.

[@Rachel-bo3qg]

A very sad story. Nicely filmed and narrated, well done 👍

[@scottessery100]

its sad that people just did their duty regardless of the pain suffering or sadness and trusted the government

[@fredyyfredfreddy]

Thank you for this window in to history. England must have been absolutely beautiful at one point in time, when it was less densely populated, more wild and less asphalted. It still is very nice and Harry Potteresque, but even more so back then it seems.

[@user-mt6hr4qf9n]

There were so many awful buildings back then too, many of which have mercifully been cleared. Growing up I had many elderly relatives and not once did I ever hear any of them long for life in the 20s and 30s in England. I'd wager that most of the really beautiful buildings from back then still exist, most of what got bulldozed got bulldozed for a reason 😄

[@annenewton5403]

The best film I’ve seen on Tynham.We’ve not been back for 12 years. I didn’t know they had now put fences round some of the buildings.It’s a very. Sad story. Near where we live Tidemill was a village until the Second World War. There was a mill , school,hospital,stables and more. They sent the people away and it was used by the MOD as target practice. Not much left now.

[@Leaffycottage]

Loved this video, my husband was an instructor at the camp and we had a lovely two years living there, the kids were little and enjoyed the beaches there, and we used to take our visitors to Tyneham. Found the night firing of the challenger two very comforting 😂, I know not everyone did. Happy memories living there and we’ve been back a few times since.

[@WendyJordan-zt8ts]

Thank you Andy for a lovely film. Tyneham has always fascinated me, I once met the son of a previous resident in the church yard, talking to him was very moving. I like to visit in the winter when it’s still & quiet, your information has built a bigger picture for me.

[@marionbayley1351]

Thanks, Andy, for this insight to a place which is so much part of our history. It’s a brilliant film. I can’t get over how much stained glass has survived in the church.

[@tropmaj]

Has the government ever kept a promise, this is disgusting.

[@annescott6137]

I agree with you this is disgusting!

[@bordersw1239]

Slapton?

[@wendischofield4543]

I couldn’t have put it better.

[@moose6676]

Deplorable absolutely deplorable, the government 🙈 give me a break.

[@hughzapretti-boyden9187]

Governments keeping a promise? Time to wake up.😂

[@michaelbritton9778]

I found this very interesting. I have never heard of Tyneham but what a beautiful place. It’s terrible that the MOD just doesn’t seem to care much about the buildings. Excellent video really enjoyed it.

[@powerdroidgirl]

A lovely video, thank you. My gran Florence ,grew up in the area and her (and her many brothers and sisters, the Godden's) went to school there as well as other ties such as working in the big house. They are on the school photo that includes the young lad holding the chalk board who drowned in the sea not long after the photo was taken. I've visited the village many times with gran and great aunts and uncles, each time they shared memories of hiding here, being told off there or having had to walk miles from that way etc. My great aunty Nellie even remembered where she was there when news of Titanic reached Tynham.

[@stevewebster317]

I was a serving soldier at Lulworth camp in the 70`s, one of our local haunts was the Sandford Arms, Sandford, just outside of Wareham. There I met a girl called Joy Godden who lived in Sandford, local family name obviously. I often wonder what became of Joy, fond memories.

[@powerdroidgirl]

@@stevewebster317 I think there were seven surviving Godden bothers and sisters (of nine) in that school photo so I'd say the odds were in favour of Joy being a descendant 🙂 Even so, small world.

[@stevewebster317]

@@powerdroidgirl Sorry, stupid question!! Just read your post again.

[@suzyqualcast6269]

@@stevewebster317 Our kid was at Wareham Camp in the early/mid 80's. Tidworth later.

[@KatieRae_AmidCrisis]

I've known about and visited Tyneham all my life, on regular holidays to Purbeck. It's always held a fascination for me. Such a poignant story. Thanks for such an informative and thoughtful tour and history.

[@AJ-bz7wq]

Great job Andy. Love History and have spent many hours down in Beautiful Tynham myself. What a nasty but typical betrayal by the government.

[@tm1rt2vv8i]

Thank you for this video, I’m glad I found one of Tyneham after reading about it online. What a blast from the past, very sad about all the memories and beautiful structures lost.

[@user-oz3sz6vx5v]

I found out that I had family living in Tyneham they also had the surname Taylor but we were not related to Helen. A member of my family visited Helen and they couldn’t find a link. Some of my family are buried in the Tyneham’s church yard. Thank you for the documentary.

[@fritula6200]

Gosh ... you then have a heartfelt responsibility to go.

[@markcherriman6136]

I can remember when you could walk into nearly all the buildings without fear of being blown up but I suppose it's all health and safety now . I lived in Wool at the time .

[@martiniv8924]

What an absolutely beautiful place, what a shame in many ways, but also wonderful to see our past, sadly missed in part, thanks for sharing 👍🏻

[@martinmcdonald4207]

Those houses at 15 mins beside the church should be put back to their original and beautiful condition by craftsmen/women as should all the ruins left. This place has the foundations already there just waiting to be brought back to life with people waiting to inhabit that `ghost village`. Well done Andy, really enjoyed your research and delivery.

[@whoswhoatthezoo9372]

They need some tradesmen and a bunch of people from the unemployment lines. It certainly sounds like there’s a few of these villages around, that could use the restoration. Keep some people busy for a while ( and they might even learn something - bonus ! ).

[@maxbee4460]

@@whoswhoatthezoo9372 no! Leave it as it is.

[@williamglaser6577]

Thanks for taking me along to a place I never knew existed and would never see without your kindness.

[@lawrencemartin1113]

This is a lovely and interesting film. Thank you so much for all the detailed research. My family and I have been there twice, several years ago now, when our children were small. They loved exploring, as did we and it is a magical place to visit. Such a travesty that it was treated so badly by the MOD and was never responsibly cared for and returned to those who rightfully owned it. As you say, the total loss and destruction of Tyneham House is a massive act of vandalism and a major blot on the record of the MOD. They have been guilty of many such acts over the years and similar maltreatment of civilian owned houses of great worth took place not far away, in the New Forest, where many large country houses were commandeered for use by the SOE as part of a large training network. Some survived and were returned to their owners families after the war and the disbandment of the SOE, but I believe, from my own meagre research, many in very poor condition, requiring vast investment by the owners, to repair them. Others were lost completely. Whilst it is important to understand the value and necessity of taking over such properties in war time, the fact that promises were broken and a reckless and neglectful attitude was allowed to prevail, to the very property and way of life we were fighting to protect, is a shocking and stark reminder that the state often fails in its duty of care to its citizens. Thanks again.

[@jamesgraham6122]

Well done, excellent presentation and summation of a very sad story.. one of the lesser-known sacrifices that affected this country during a terrible time. Disgusting to think that, as so often happens, some faceless nobody in the halls of the civil service made a thoughtless decision resulting in the sacrifice of Tyneham House, probably retiring with an OBE.

[@juliawitt3813]

Thank you for taking the time to make this video. I am saddened by the evil of war and those who profit by it.

[@CCTippers]

This place is so interesting, it’s literally a few miles from myself, I’ve not been for years, approx 15 years ago you could enter most of the cottages and the rectory house, one had a huge laundry tub my daughter climbed into, even though it’s a very sad history, it still managed to be a place of happy memories in our time. Great vid and I learnt something new about the Manor House, what a tragic loss of a once beautiful historic building. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@MaggieTD]

Absolutely loved your video. So incredibly sad that the villagers were let down with broken promises. I wish the houses had been protected and kept in a good state. Glad I dropped by to catch this. Thank you.

[@gwynkilburn2884]

Thanks for taking me back to this stunningly beautiful and evocative village. I visited it circa 2011 and have never forgotten it.

[@Aengus42]

buried at home, I don't think I could've welcomed that intrusion. "The only way to get home is to die! After we left our village to help win WW2 you not only broke your promise, you made sure that when I was laid to rest in the churchyard, the very first thing any visitors to my grave will see is an intrusion, an addition. The symbol of my own country that betrayed me. You couldn't even let me return in death without spoiling the view like a tom cat spraying the walls. How dare you!" I think that sums up my thoughts as you were saying "It's nice to see the union jack flying." This whole video just made me sad & angry! The broken promises, the looting of Tynham House for anything that could be sold for beer money before demolition is an example. No wonder it's off limits. If I were the British army I'd've kept everyone out in perpetuity to hide the shame of what they've done. Firing ranges are needed, if you need a village to practice house to house urban warfare then build it. But to annex a part of human history whilst pretending to gaf is inexcusable. Those poor families! How must they have viewed V.E. day... It doesn't bear thinking about. Absolutely disgusting!

[@johntomlinson6849]

Totally agree.

[@Lickylongtym]

My thoughts exactly!!! It's saddening and infuriating!!

[@MrMistoffelees]

Well put Aengus. I visited Tyneham without knowing any of its history back in the 80s and found the experience quite haunting. I'm not easily brought to tears, but the anger that bubbles up whenever I read or watch videos about it often wets my eyes. For anyone who hasn't read it, Patrick Wright's "Village That Died for England" is essential.

[@sueq6]

I agree with you completely

[@imasketcher8005]

Exactly, promise to preserve the building yet this is the sorry state they're in. So sad.

[@ConalOBroin]

Excellent tour. Found it all fascinating.

[@Fred_Raimer]

Man, you are *good* You just came up on my feed and I have watched two videos about Berlin in addition to this - they are all great and I intend to keep watching. Thanks from Atlanta GA!!

[@AndyMcloone]

Thanks

[@roger2008100]

Wow That was fascinating. Many Thanks.

[@joannedeal3418]

Thank you, Andy, for a very interesting and terribly sad story. I had never heard of this village, but I can imagine the heartache for those people who had to leave their homes - forever, as it turned out. As for the poor lady who lost all her three sons to war, that kind of heartache would have been so much deeper too. I wonder if the area would have been treated the same if it was owned by the monarchy? I suspect not, but, at the very least, the tanks would not have been allowed to shoot in that direction. I look forward to more videos on other English places. It's all a part of our history and covers aspects we would not normally know.. I'm from Colchester in Essex, but not there now. I'd love to see somnething about Essex!

[@quadtraxxx]

What a fantastic well produced and edited video. I have watched many WW2 historical videos, but this one really captures and shows the era; my Grandfather was a farmer at that time in Devon, and I recognise many of the horse paraphernalia in and around the farm. Incredibly moving, thank you for sharing this.

[@robertnewell5057]

Quite brilliant. This brought back memories as I walked through the range with a school outdoor group in about 1969 (we didn't pass the village) and then slept all night on the beach at Lulworth Cove. We got soaked.

[@hrvstmn31]

Real nice to see that different governments use the same definition of "preservation".

[@linpollitt8950]

We attempted to visit Tyneham several years ago but we got the wrong day and couldn't go in. I was so disappointed. Thank you for posting this video, I enjoyed it a lot but I found it terribly sad. If I had been able to see it in real life I would have been in tears.😢

[@aeropunk4127]

Interesting video, thanks. Nice to see sections of it restored. A proper time capsule.Tyneham is in much better condition than Imber on Salisbury Plain near where I grew up. There is still some bad feeling in the area about the villagers not being allowed back. We used to cycle up to look around Imber over the Easter bank holiday weekend when it was open back in the early 1980s. It was /is actively used for Fighting In Built Up Areas training which is probably why it suffered more. There were still a lot of WW2 era tanks visible amongst the range targets back then such as Comets, Priest & M40 SPGs, even a Daimler scout car. All gone now.

[@JohnHill-qo3hb]

Interesting and well done. Sad the village was not returned but the greater good is more important. At least an effort has been made to preserve the story of the village. Many years ago my mum and dad visited the UK, for a few days we stayed with my mother's cousin in Yorkshire (yeah I know, narrow it down a bit), this was my first experience without central heating (I live in Canada) and sleeping on a straw bed kept warm by an eiderdown, I am 71 yrs old now, back then I was was 12. If memory serves, the village was named Loversil or something close, it is now under a motorway.

[@EggchaserNZ]

Andy, that was a great little doco on Tyneham. Sad ending re Tynehouse and that many residents could not return to their ancestral home but at least there are a few buildings left. Thanks for sharing!

[@lionelmarytravels6003]

I'm afraid the MOD have little respect for the history of our villages, but it such a shame that so much was allowed to fall down, especially Tyneham Manor. On Salisbury plain is the village of Imber, which suffered the same fate. I've never visited either, but I'm probably too old to try now. But congratulations on such a well researched piece of film.

[@simongoodwin5253]

When I lived in Dorset I visited Tyneham several times. Still very much worth a visit.

[@nickstrowbridge5097]

i was born in one of the vilages near tyneham and new some of the people who were removed from tyneham, sadly the removal of local peoples is still happening today, but not for something as nobel as the war effort but for greed, tourism and gentrification, i myself am now facing being forced from my home of over 50years (born in the village)

[@dougbates1770]

Really enjoyed this video Andy. Well researched and presented. Thanks for your efforts. What a sad story though.

[@ashleyfearon4121]

Thank you Andy for this superb video. The filming, narration and editing is of a high standard. I enjoyed every moment and was sad when it came to the end. I particularly appreciated the merging of the past and present photographs. One thing for sure though, Tyneham is now firmly on my list of places to visit. I can’t imagine how much of a shock it must have been to have almost slipped over the edge of a precipice at one point…phew! Thank you again.

[@S1000xrhp]

Here here, I agree wholeheartedly, your narration is very engaging and you explain things in a clear and unmistakeable way. It is so often the case that the narrative accompanying a video is slapdash and imprecise, almost to the point where you fail to understand what is meant. Beautifully shot too and you have inspired me to holiday in Dorset and visit Tyneham, thank you.

[@buzzabuzza3494]

Excellent video it’s very moving and poignant and shows the sacrifices people made for our freedom.Thanks for sharing your experience.👏👏👏🙏🙏

[@matthewgodwin3050]

Great video, and very respectfully done. Criminal how the mod allowed this once beautiful village to fall into such a dilapidated state. I'm so glad the original villagers can't see it now. It would break their hearts to see their former homes in such disrepair. The mod didn't treat their village kindly after all. Shame on them.

[@dontuno]

Thank you Andy, for telling such a sad story but in an entirely fascinating manner. This has been on our list of places to visit and we nearly made it just a few years ago. Sadly and unexpectedly, it was off limits on the day we planned. Going to try again in August, and hopefully we can experience that which you showed so well.

[@flimsedom]

Near Hammelburg in Bavaria the Bundeswehr uses a former peasant’s village called Bonnland. Was quite fun until I broke my ankle there during an urban warfare exercise. 🫣

[@BigUziVert2190]

such a beautiful place, the rainy weather adds to the atmosphere of the place, its everything i think of when i think of britain.

[@andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

Thank you for an interesting tour, and for the compassion in your narration.

[@BryanClagett]

So sad a tale, but I’m glad you were able to share this with so many.

[@robertmoore4637]

Wonderful show. Its great to see these places from the past. I wish i could visit in person and you do a very good visual of most of it so we can see all around. Thank you.

[@janetstanland2015]

Thank you. The village has gone downhill even since I last visited 10 years ago, so very, very sad

[@rubiesmilo7128]

What a fantastic video. I am sitting here in a shearers cook cottage in Queensland, Australia, watching this. I am so saddened that maintenance was not kept up on the village. It showes a complete disregard and total disrespect to those who gave up their homes, heretage and community, by the powers that be. The loss alone of men who did not return would have been utterly devastating but to loose those connections which have been lodged and interwoven down through generations? Twenty eight days to pack your life up, all based on a empty promise. It has left me feeling grateful for everything that I hold dear. Thankyou.

[@John3.3]

Thanks Andy, I really enjoyed your presentation of Tyneham & its surrounding areas , Britian has no shortage when it comes to beautiful small villages, but youve highlighted one with great historical value your time & effort are well appreciated .

[@boatidea]

That bought back some memories. Thank you Andy. I feel there may be other reasons behind the refusal to give it back. The locals told me that the water used to cool the atomic reactor at Winfrith is pumped into Worbarrow bay, hence the no swimming signs. I understand that people near the plant seem to have a higher chance of getting Leukemia. Some villages, such as Egglestone, just North of Kimmerige, in the range arent even on the map any more. The ruins are still there.

[@donnalongden8686]

They did the same in Belhus between Aveley and South Ockendon in Essex. There was a wonderful manor house called Belhus house surrounded by cottages and it was taken over by the MOD and after the war the house was in a terrible state of repair. When it finally collapsed they built a nasty leisure centre on the site and now the M25 goes through some of the land next to the leisure centre. There are no surrounding cottages left and the area is a golf course 😢

[@chriswiseman1295]

Visited there a few years ago and this video has brought back memories...thank you

[@jblue2435]

Lovely video, really interesting and well produced. Thank you.

[@gisellesinclair6811]

Thank you very much for this, what a great tour - would love to see a tour of Portsmouth and the harbours where the Allies prepared for D Day if such a thing interests you. Thank you!

[@davey1602]

This is not noteworthy in the context of world wars, but the village of Titchfield still survives and is mentioned in the Domesday book - despite three quarters of inhabitants dying from the Black Death. It is a few miles northwest of Portsmouth and can be reached via Fareham and Gosport, then a trip over the water by ferry. Gosport is quite old too and still bares the phrase "God's port, our home".

[@sarahstrong7174]

Presumably also Slapton, Devon then? Which still has the remains of a hotel destroyed by the practicing allies & a tank recovered from the sea-bed where so many young men died, due to a sudden German attack. The evacuated villagers were able to return after the war ended but not all the buildings were repaired.

[@Latbirget]

I've been to Tyneham twice! Fascinating place. It was packed out when I went both times in the early 2000s.

[@tombaker9745]

A brilliant video Andy and thank you for telling the history of Tyneham - ver6 well presented well done. I remember the village well as during my 22 yrs army service I was stationed at Lulworth Gunery school for 2 years - 1967/68. During my time there we visited Tynham many times usually drove there in a tank and often swam in the sea nearby when there was no firing on. A lovely village so sad for the people that lived there before they were given their marching orders.

[@demonhighwayman9403]

Interesting video, I never heard of the place before. The government should be ashamed for keeping the original inhabitants and family out for so long.

[@karenh7830]

Beautifully filmed and narrated. Thoroughly enjoyed your immensely emotive documentary. Thank you for making it. Liked and subscribed of course.

[@lynnegray3325]

Returned from a holiday in Dorset and had no idea about the village. Better presentation than many TV documentaries well done

[@johnnybeer3770]

I first heard of Tyneham in 1984 when channel 4 did a programme interviewing an elderly lady while walking around the village , who lived there as a child . They had a photo of her with the other children at the village school and pointed out one boy who drowned aged 11 when the fishing trawler he was on sank. At the time of the interview she had just had permission to be buried in the the churchyard .I wonder if that's her grave you mentioned from 2003 . I did visit the village soon after , well worth it . 🇬🇧

[@keith800]

Lovely video , thank you for all your work into producing it , a must see place next time I am down that way😊.

[@Luddite-vd2ts]

This is a fascinating account. Thank you. I visited Tyneham 2018. I wish I'd had this film to view beforehand. I recall seeing TV programmes re protests about access decades before and being intrigued. The school was amazing. Seeing the emphasis so much on the countryside, plants and animals. No reference at all to technology. An artefact from a completely different generation. Such sacrifice.

[@craigbuckley3373]

Nice 1 Andy. I was always fascinated by this place.

[@davidharold273]

Thanks for making this video Andy. 👍

[@liamkatt6434]

Great video. Read bits about this over the years but never had such a great tour! Well done!

[@kevinhunter1031]

Very moving. Thank you for making this video 😊

[@GradKat]

What an interesting video. I’m British and never heard of Tyneham. Thank you for this!

[@johntheman2006]

Thanks Andy. Really enjoy your videos.

[@Griffo5446]

Thank you Andy.really enjoyed your video .very well presented and very informative. Well done 👏

[@chrisphillips554]

Great video Andy, thanks so much for posting

[@jackharrison6771]

Hi again Andy. I think this is the saddest of your collection. But a story well worth telling; thanks.

[@KEVSTER1230]

An absolute gem upload, thank you so much. Really sad to see these amazing properties in such disrepair, it's scandalous.

[@iainmore3961]

Fascinating video Andy.

[@Underwatergoat1]

Thanks for making this. I had no idea the whole area is a firing range. Really interesting 👍

[@katep23]

This was a wonderful film - thank you. So very sad though, and actually brought a few tears....

[@raoultrahan13]

Thank you for presenting such a detailed look at this village and surrounding area. It is unfortunate that the people of that place were displaced and never able to return.

[@Cobraguy321]

Thank you for such an interesting video and for taking us back in time.

[@simonbartlett5]

Little known and not publicised,for various reasons. The army destroyed some of those buildings ,using them for target practice. The original farmhouse being one and obviously the rectory. The buildings ,even after 80 years would otherwise be in much better order.

[@danjudson5661]

I thought as much that level of decay is man made indeed. Thanks

[@robertdempster7408]

Great video on a place that's often intrigued me, really interesting and informative. Well edited and narrated. Many thanks Andy.

[@SMichaelDeHart]

This is a fantastic video!! Enjoyed immensely. Great job!!

[@madmaxmckinnes5862]

Very interesting video, a big thank-you from a Scotsman!

[@TheSmiler62]

Fascinating Video......Thank you for taking the time and effort to make it......I was enthralled !

[@flookoco2008]

A wonderful video, so well researched and produced with great respect for the original inhabitants. I came for a quick look but stayed until end, thank you so much for a truly interesting video.

[@patrickhankin9903]

Absolutely fascinating. Thank you

[@typower9]

Only watched 6 mins so far but so far, excellent video with very interesting content. Well done and thank you!

[@sarahstrong7174]

Thankyou for sharing.