Tyneham Village Pictures

Tyneham Village is a small ghost village found nestled in the Tyneham valley near the Lulworth coast. Tyneham village and the surrounding land was owned by one family for 3 centuries before it was requisitioned by the Army shortly before Christmas 1943 to help with the war effort. Sadly the village was never handed back to its owners and the villagers never returned to their homes. Tyneham village is however now open to the public most weekends and school holidays when you can see many of the old buildings. These include the Tyneham School and Tyneham Church which are both completely restored and open as small museums of Tyneham villages past. The ruined Tyneham village cottages of Post office row, Laundry cottages, Gwyle cottages, the Gardeners cottage and Rectory and the great barn and stables which were part of Tyneham farm can all be seen. Sadly Tyneham farm house is completely destroyed and the grand Tyneham house is still out of bounds and little more than a ruin. After exploring the Tyneham village and farm, you can Walk through the beautiful Tyneham valley, tracing the steps of many a villager down to Worbarrow Bay where the remains of the fishermans cottages and boathouses can be found.

Tyneham valley is free to public access during the summer, public holidays and most weekends where we can get a taste of what life would have been like in this beautiful village, the school and church have been restored. Tyneham school house has been left with the childrens names on their coat pegs and their work out on the desks as if they have just gone out to play. Tyneham church tells a history of the village, the last Tyneham villagers and the owners, while a copy of the note left on Tynehams church door asks the army to take care of the village in anticipation of it being handed back after the war. All of the houses are ruined now but the outer walls still stand. It doesn't take much to imagine Tyneham village as it would have been on a hot summers day when the village was still thriving. The largest house in the valley was Tyneham House, a grand ELizabethan manor house that stood outside the village near Tyneham great wood and was home to the valleys owners. Sadly Tyneham House is thought to be completely destroyed now and the site is out of bounds.

Wandering around Tyneham village, the woods and ponds, it is easy to imagine just how idylic the village once was before the estate was taken over. Tynehams villagers were all tenants on the land with most being employed either up at Tyneham house in service, looking after the gardens of Tyneham house, working the land arond the Tyneham valley or running the village. The Tyneham school teacher and postmistress lived in the village. Of course at the time the village was taken over, many of the men were away fighting in the war and some didn't learn that their families had had to give up their village until the war had ended. The valley today is full of wildlife and plants, lack of human habitation and farming in the valley for the last 70 years has seen nature slowly returning and the village now is one of the few areas in England where one can go back and imagine English village life in the pre war era. Standing in Tyneham villages only street, looking at post office row, its easy to imagine, the roofs back on the small, quaint cottages, children playing in the street and villagers going about their daily business. Byelaws prevent any commercialisation meaning Tyneham valley is locked in time forever.

Information boards tell the history of Tyneham village life with details of the houses last inhabitants, pictures and villagers stories shown inside each house but if you really want to get a feel of what Tyneham was like then its well recommended to have a read of the books that have been written about Tynehams history by its residents and historians where you can see pictures, this will give you a feel of what life was once like in Tyneham village.

The village of Tyneham is a great place to visit throughout the year, in the summer, take a picnic and enjoy the beautiful valley with a trip to Warbarrow bay. In the winter simply explore the village and enjoy the unique peace and tranquility that can only be found in the beautiful valley of Tyneham.