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Daily Mirror
26-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Abandoned UK village in the middle of nowhere left to rot for 80 years
A school building still stands with children's name pegs and examples of their work on the walls in what remains a poignant reminder of a village that once was Once home to thousands of residents, Tyneham in Dorset has been abandoned for over 80 years with many of its buildings completely untouched. Dubbed as Dorset's 'lost' village, Tyneham became a ghost town following an order that told residents to leave their homes by the British Army during the Second World War in 1943. A place with many memories is now used for army training exercises. According to Inside Dorset, a total of 225 residents from 102 properties were forced to up and leave, and given just 28 days to seek alternative accommodation in November 1943. The last residents left the following month, thinking they'd be able to return. Sadly, that never happened. The village is now owned by the Ministry of Defence, and it's often closed to the public except during the weekends and public holidays. From Monday to Friday, its doors closed to allow training ground for the Armoured Fighting Vehicles Gunnery School. The many homes holding dear memories have been badly damaged - but the village still stands. The church and the school buildings are still in great condition, and as per the site, there are still pegs with names of the children who attended the school, as well as examples of their school work. Abandoned for decades, the village still has a lot of history, going back to Iron Age Britain. Tyneham was once known for its salt-boiling, shale-turning and Purbeck Marble industries, which were important resources in the area. People can still visit Tyneham and it's free of charge but they are encouraged to leave donations at the car park to help fund the ongoing conversation work. Visitors can walk the old village and look at life as it once was, but there's nothing in place to resemble modern life. There aren't any shops, cafés or restaurants open, but there are designated picnic areas near the car park and at Tyneham Fam, where some of the buildings have been restored. Because Tyneham and Worbarrow are part of the Ministry of Defence Lulworth Ranges, which are known to be a living fire range, visitors have to stay within the safe zones. Still, it's a great place to visit, providing a unique experience by walking around areas once known for their liveliness. Worbarrow is only 20 minutes away from Tyneham by car and is also part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Spot. Since it's not overcrowded with tourists, it's the perfect place for those looking to reconnect with nature and simply relax.
The Irish Sun
26-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Chilling secret of mass ‘gangland-style executions' finally revealed as experts analyse over 50 Iron Age skeletons
A MASS grave of more than 50 skeletons has cast light on tribal warfare in Iron Age Britain, where gangs engaged in bloody turf wars. Historians previously believed mass slaughter events involving hill fort tribes in the west country were caused by invading Romans. Advertisement 4 The Maiden Castle grave site is one of the most famous archaeological discoveries in Britain Credit: BournemouthUniversity 4 Cut marks on the victims suggest they were killed by "lethal weapon injuries" - and in very public displays Credit: BournemouthUniversity 4 When it was unearthed in 1936, dig director Sir Mortimer Wheeler suggested the injuries were "the marks of battle" with the Romans Credit: BournemouthUniversity But radiocarbon dating of human remains unearthed in 1936 have revealed the victims were actually killed a century before the Romans arrived. Researchers believe "localised gangland infighting" was actually behind the killings, which happened to be at one of Europe's biggest hill forts, the "We can now say quite categorically that these individuals died a long time before the Romans arrived and over a long period of time, not in single battle for a hill fort," Dr Miles Russell, principal academic in prehistoric and Roman archaeology at Bournemouth University, said in a statement. The Romans didn't arrive in Dorset until 43AD. Advertisement READ MORE ON ARCHAEOLOGY Cut marks on the victims suggest they were killed by "lethal weapon injuries" - and in very public displays. Experts say their deaths could have acted as a warning to others not to fall out of line. Dr Russell, who has spent several years researching the burial site at Maiden Castle near Dorchester, added: "The deaths were a series of gangland-style executions. "People were dragged up there and put to death as a way of one group exerting control over another." Advertisement Most read in Tech The executions took place between the late first century BC to the early first century AD - suggesting the violence was lethal across multiple generations. "These were Mafia-like families. Game of Thrones-like barons with one dynasty wiping out another to control trade links and protection rackets for power," Dr Russell continued. "What we are seeing is the people who lost out being executed. "Most of them had cranial trauma with no sign of defensive wounds. They were repeatedly struck with a sword to the head with the skulls smashed to oblivion. Advertisement "You are talking overkill, not a single death blow. These were gangland executions carried out in a very prominent and obvious way as a warning to others." The Maiden Castle grave site is one of the most famous archaeological discoveries in Britain. When it was unearthed in 1936, dig director Sir Mortimer Wheeler suggested the injuries were "the marks of battle" with the Romans. The misinterpretation of the Maiden Castle site, dubbed the "war cemetery", brings into question how other archaeological cemeteries across the south west have been understood. Advertisement 4 The Romans didn't arrive in Dorset until 43AD Credit: BournemouthUniversity
