Tyneham is a
ghost village
A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...
abandoned in 1943 and former
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
, now in the parish of
Steeple with Tyneham, in the
Dorset
Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
district, in the south of
Dorset
Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
, England, near
Lulworth on the
Isle of Purbeck
The Isle of Purbeck is a peninsula in Dorset, England. It is bordered by water on three sides: the English Channel to the south and east, where steep cliffs fall to the sea; and by the marshy lands of the River Frome, Dorset, River Frome and Poo ...
. In 2001 the civil parish had a population of 0. The civil parish was abolished on 1 April 2014 and merged with
Steeple
In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a relig ...
to form Steeple with Tyneham.
Location

The village is situated northeast of
Worbarrow Bay
Worbarrow Bay is a large broad and shallow bay just to the east of Lulworth Cove on the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, England.
Location
Worbarrow Bay is located about six kilometres south of Wareham, Dorset, Wareham and about 16 kilometres west of S ...
on the
Jurassic Coast
The Jurassic Coast, also known as the Dorset and East Devon Coast, is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. It stretches from Exmouth in East Devon to Studland Bay in Dorset, a distance of about , and was ins ...
, about south of
Wareham and about west of
Swanage
Swanage () is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck and one of its two towns, approximately south of Poole and east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester. In the Unit ...
. The village lies in a secluded east–west valley between two ridges of the
Purbeck Hills. To the north is the main ridge with
Povington Hill () and its highest point,
Ridgeway Hill (). To the south is the ridge above
Gad Cliff that runs from the headland of
Worbarrow Tout in the west to the knoll of
Tyneham Cap () in the east.
[Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 ''Landranger'' map series no. 195, 2015]
Access
Tyneham is only accessible when the
Lulworth Ranges are open to the public. The military firing ranges are owned by the
Ministry of Defence
A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...
(MoD) and are part of the Armoured Fighting Vehicles Gunnery School. Safety warnings about explosives and
unexploded shells are posted at Mupe Bay by the MoD: visitors are advised to keep to official footpaths and observe local site notices because
tank
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...
s and
armoured vehicles are used in this area.
History
The parish includes evidence of occupation dating back to
Iron Age Britain
The British Iron Age is a conventional name used in the archaeology of Great Britain, referring to the prehistoric and protohistoric phases of the Iron Age culture of the main island and the smaller islands, typically excluding prehistoric Ir ...
; there are more than 30
barrows in the area, although most have been damaged by shelling. Proof of
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of Roman civilization
*Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
occupation has also been found in the valley around Tyneham and there were
salt-boiling,
shale-turning and
Purbeck Marble
Purbeck Marble is a fossiliferous limestone found in the Isle of Purbeck, a peninsula in south-east Dorset, England. It is a variety of Purbeck stone that has been quarried since at least Roman times as a decorative building stone.
Geology
S ...
industries at
Worbarrow Bay
Worbarrow Bay is a large broad and shallow bay just to the east of Lulworth Cove on the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, England.
Location
Worbarrow Bay is located about six kilometres south of Wareham, Dorset, Wareham and about 16 kilometres west of S ...
. South of the chalk ridge are remains of a
medieval settlement and
strip fields.
It seems that it was once the possession of
Robert, Count of Mortain
Robert, Count of Mortain, first Earl of Cornwall of 2nd creation (–) was a Norman nobleman and the half-brother (on their mother's side) of King William the Conqueror. He was one of the very few proven companions of William the Conqueror at t ...
, the half-brother of
William I of England
William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was ...
. The village is mentioned in the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
as ''Tigeham'', meaning "goat enclosure". A century later, the village was known as Tiham and only in later times as Tyneham. The limestone
church of St Mary dates from at least the 15th century,
and
Tyneham House was built by Henry Williams between 1563 and 1583.
In 1683
Nathaniel Bond (1634–1707) of Lutton acquired Tyneham from the Williams family. He also bought
Creech Grange in 1691
and the family still hold their Purbeck estates. Tyneham school was established by the Reverend Nathaniel Bond (1804–89) in 1860. It was later declared as property of the rectory and was closed in 1932 due to lack of pupils.
The village and of surrounding
heath
A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...
land and chalk
downland
Downland, chalkland, chalk downs or just downs are areas of open chalk hills, such as the North Downs. This term is used to describe the characteristic landscape in southern England where chalk is exposed at the surface. The name "downs" is deriv ...
around the
Purbeck Hills were requisitioned just before Christmas 1943 by the then
War Office
The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...
(now MoD) for use as firing ranges for training troops.
225 people were displaced, the last person leaving a notice on the church door:
This measure was supposed to be temporary for the duration of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, but in 1948 the
Army
An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
placed a
compulsory purchase order
A compulsory purchase order (CPO; , ) is a legal function in the United Kingdom and Ireland that allows certain bodies to obtain land or property without the consent of the owner. It may be enforced if a proposed development is considered one for ...
on the land and it has remained in use for military training ever since. Although littered with scrap used as targets and subject to regular shelling, the land has become a haven for wildlife as it has been free from farming and development. In 1975, after complaints from tourists and locals, the Ministry of Defence began opening the village and footpaths across the ranges at weekends and throughout August.
Many of the village buildings have fallen into disrepair or have been damaged by shelling. In 1967, most of the manor house, with parts that dated back to the 14th century, was pulled down by the then
Ministry of Works. The building's east front was reconstructed at
Athelhampton, with smaller parts moved to
Melcombe Horsey and Bingham's Melcombe. The church of St Mary, however, remains largely intact; it has a stained-glass window by
Martin Travers and memorials to the Bond family, but the 17th century pulpit was moved to
Lulworth Camp and the plate to
Kimmeridge.
The church and
school house have since been preserved as museums.
The church, school and
drinking fountain
A drinking fountain, also called a water fountain or water bubbler, is a fountain designed to provide drinking water. It consists of a basin with either continuously running water or a tap. The drinker bends down to the stream of water and s ...
are all grade II
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
s. In 2008, Tyneham Farm was reopened to the public and conservation work there is ongoing.
The last surviving resident of Tyneham, Peter Wellman, died aged 100 in May 2025 in Swanage. In 2024 he made a final visit to village to see the house where he was born and the school he had attended.
Film and literature
In 1985 the village was used for the filming of
''Comrades'', which depicts the story of the
Tolpuddle Martyrs
The Tolpuddle Martyrs were six agricultural labourers from the village of Tolpuddle in Dorset, England, who were arrested and tried in 1834 for swearing a secret oath as members of a friendly society. Led by George Loveless, the group had ...
. The church had a fibreglass tower and large additional gravestones and Post Office Row was fronted with fibreglass cottages.
During the filming Tyneham's original 1929 K1 Mark 236 telephone kiosk was destroyed and the film company sourced a replacement.
The village is the setting for the climax to the comic-thriller ''Angel's Share'' by
Mike Ripley (2006).
Tyneham is featured in episode 5 of the first season of ''
Life After People
''Life After People'' is a television series on which scientists, mechanical engineers, and other experts speculate about what might become of planet Earth if humanity suddenly disappeared. The featured experts also talk about the impact of h ...
'', "The Invaders", in which its existence as a settlement suddenly abandoned by its residents is examined.
The village is the setting for the novel ''The Forgotten Village'' by Lorna Cook (2019).
The history of the village is the premise for the novel, ''This Ruined Place'' (originally published for young adults as ''Juby's Rook'') by
Michael Lawrence (2023).
Gallery
File:050402 058 dorset worbarrow.jpg, Worbarrow Bay and Mupe Rocks behind a ruined house
File:Tyneham-church.jpg, Tyneham St Mary's Church - south transept
File:Tyneham-school.jpg, Tyneham School House
File:Tyneham houses.jpg, Tyneham houses - the shepherd's house, Post Office and telephone box
See also
*
Imber, in
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...
on the
Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, but st ...
, is another village which was taken over for military purposes.
*The
Stanford Battle Area, in
Norfolk
Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...
, contains six villages also taken over for military purposes.
*
Povington Priory
*
List of lost settlements in the United Kingdom
References
External links
Tyneham: Opening Dates and TimesTyneham & WorbarrowTyneham VillageTyneham HouseGoogle Earth view
{{authority control
Former civil parishes in Dorset
Former populated places in Dorset
Ghost towns in England
History of Dorset
Isle of Purbeck
Jurassic Coast
Villages in Dorset
Forcibly depopulated communities in the United Kingdom during World War II
Populated places disestablished in 2014