Imber church to open for remembrance service (From Wiltshire Times)

Imber church to open for remembrance service

1:47pm Thursday 1st November 2012 in Wiltshire By Staff reporter

A 600-year-old evacuated war-time church will open its doors to the public for a memorial service to mark Remembrance Day this month.

The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) and the Friends of St Giles are inviting the public to a special Remembrance Service at the beautiful 13th century St Giles Church, Imber on Saturday November 10.

The church, which stands dramatically on rolling down land deep inside the Salisbury Plain, was evacuated for military training purposes in 1943.

Today it is the only functioning building that remains in the ghost town of Imber but it only opens for a limited number of days each year because it is located in a Ministry of Defence battle training area.

Those interested in attending the service should gather at the Warminster Vedette Post (VP2) at 10.30am to be escorted to the Church before the memorial service commences at 11am.

Anyone who arrives after the meeting time will not be able to gain access. The church will be only be open for the duration of the service on this occasion but will be open for longer visiting hours over the Christmas season.

Attendees will have the opportunity to discover St Giles’ ancient architecture and experience its ethereal atmosphere.

They can also see for themselves the remains of medieval wallpaintings of a rare depiction of the Seven Deadly Sins and a set of 17th century bell ringing changes painted on the north wall of the tower. Outside the sloping churchyard contains fine 17th-and 18th-century tomb chests.