Picture Gallery: Imberbus 2023
21 August 2023
Seven miles north-east of Warminster in Wiltshire is what remains of the 'lost' village of Imber.
Sitting on the Salisbury Plain, Imber was an isolated community in the middle of the UK's largest military training ground, and much of the land the village stood on, and the land in the surrounding area, had been acquired by the War Office from late in the 19th Century.
In 1943, during the Second World War, the circa 150 people who lived in the village were informed by their landlord that the village was being evacuated, so that it could be used to provide an exercise area for American troops preparing for the invasion of Europe. Less than seven weeks later, the last residents left.
Although people hoped to return after the War, it was not to be; the entire area remained closed off and the villagers were never let back. A village that had stood for a thousand years was no more.
In modern times, people are allowed to visit Imber on but a handful of days each year. And, once a year, the buses are allowed in, to provide what must surely be the most unusual registered bus route in Britain.
This is a pictorial representation of Imberbus 2023.
TITLE PICTURE: London Transport RTW 467 (LLU 957) loads at Warminster station for a journey to Imber. All pictures taken on Saturday 19th August 2023.
The story of how Imberbus came about has been recounted on numerous occasions (see the Imberbus website for the story), and describes four transport professionals sitting in a pub one evening and coming up with the idea . The first event took place in 2009, and it has been an annual fixture (except in 2020) ever since.
Imberbus has traditionally used preserved London Transport Routemasters as the mainstay of its operations, even if these buses do look slightly odd in such rural - sometimes stark - surroundings. Modern 'New Routemasters' have joined in over recent years to provide an accessible service for those who need it. Other operators send vehicles - preserved or still in use - to provide the overall allocation of about 25 buses - several of which are pictured below.
So come with me to the lost village of Imber, courtesy of Imberbus...
Imberbus has traditionally used preserved London Transport Routemasters as the mainstay of its operations, even if these buses do look slightly odd in such rural - sometimes stark - surroundings. Modern 'New Routemasters' have joined in over recent years to provide an accessible service for those who need it. Other operators send vehicles - preserved or still in use - to provide the overall allocation of about 25 buses - several of which are pictured below.
So come with me to the lost village of Imber, courtesy of Imberbus...
ABOVE: The 23A service which makes up Imberbus is officially registered as a local bus route that runs only one day per year. The London influence is carried in London-style bus stop and timetable panels, such as these at Warminster Station. Despite their permanent appearance, they are set up before the event and removed immediately afterwards.
ABOVE: Ever get the feeling you shouldn't be somewhere? A selection of signs seeks to dissuade visitors to Imber, and to ensure, when people are let in, that they stick to the main routes!
ABOVE: The Imberbus diagram of the route(s) offered is in the traditional style of London bus maps of a bygone era. The core service links Warminster with Imber, but some buses continue on to the Gore Cross interchange, and then to one of New Zealand Farm Camp, Brazen Bottom and "The Lavingtons", or to Chitterne via Tilshead. All of these latter places are outside the restricted area. Unfortunately, for various reasons, I didn't get east of Imber itself on this occasion.
ABOVE: Having never been to Imberbus before, I've not been expecting quite as many visitors as are here - this is the queue on the right. Whilst queuing, I am able to see many of the vehicles that are providing the service, including London Transport RML 880 (WLT 880) of 1961 vintage, the first-ever 30-foot long Routemaster, on Fairfield Road in Warminster. RM 1005 (5 CLT) is behind. Almost invariably, buses carry full blinds.
ABOVE: Delaine Buses of Bourne has brought preserved no. 100 (E100 AFW), a Leyland Tiger Duple Dominant, which is also seen on Fairfield Road.
ABOVE: The first of a number of open-top buses in use, this is former London General NV 171 (R371 LGH), a Northern Counties-bodied Volvo Olympian. New in 1998, it's from the last generation of non-low floor vehicles.
ABOVE: Go-Ahead's South Coast subsidiary morebus (based in Bournemouth) has sent at least two of its open-toppers, including this Volvo eVoSeti. Normally used on route 50 (Bournemouth to Swanage) is 1708 (HF66 DSO).
ABOVE: L8515 (EHW 969) is a 1959 Bristol Lodekka of the Bristol Omnibus Company, delivered for the Bath to Salisbury service (which probably makes it a local as Warminster was surely on the route)!
ABOVE: Hurrah! I've made it round the corner into Station Road! London Transport Routemaster RML 2734 (SMK 734F) is just leaving for Imber.
ABOVE: A closer view of RML 2734. This bus entered service in 1967 on my local route 207 (then Uxbridge to Shepherds Bush), and survived in front-line service until route 12 (then Notting Hill Gate to Dulwich) was converted to driver-only operation, using articulated vehicles, in 2004.
ABOVE: A plethora of vehicles on the approaches to Warminster station. Space is decidedly limited and each bus has to undertake a three-point turn in the confines of the limited parking space at the station (at the back of the picture) in order to get out again!
ABOVE: One of the most modern vehicles to turn up is First West of England 35678 (MF22 SYO), a Wright StreetDeck Micro Hybrid of 2022 vintage. It is normally employed on services operating west from Bristol, to Portishead, Nailsea and Weston-Super-Mare.
ABOVE: Routemasters RM 9 (VLT 9, left) and RMC 1485 (485 CLT) are departing Warminster Station heading for different parts of the network - once both have served Imber of course. The RMC is the coach version of the Routemaster, with wider-spaced and deeper seats, and a platform door.
ABOVE: Another open-topper in the form of RML 2318 (CUV 318C). At this point of the day the open-toppers will have been appreciated, but the weather deteriorated later!
ABOVE: Abellio London 3406 (LC71 KWO) is a fully-electric BYD ADL Enviro400EV in Transport for London's "Every Story Matters" livery. One wonders whether this bus needed to be charged up somewhere in order to make the journey to Imber and keep going for the day.
A New Routemaster comes in behind this one, but then retires 'hurt'. As we get towards the front of the line at last, it's interesting to hear people in the queue behind me discussing how they don't really want to get on a 'modern' bus such as this or the New Routemaster. They discuss letting these go if they come first. By the time we get to the very front of the queue, they (and I) are happy to take whatever is offered!
A New Routemaster comes in behind this one, but then retires 'hurt'. As we get towards the front of the line at last, it's interesting to hear people in the queue behind me discussing how they don't really want to get on a 'modern' bus such as this or the New Routemaster. They discuss letting these go if they come first. By the time we get to the very front of the queue, they (and I) are happy to take whatever is offered!
ABOVE: After the best part of an hour's wait, here is the bus that is going to take me to Imber! This is Stagecoach London 10301 (WLT 546, previously YY15 OYS), an ADL Enviro400 MMC. The rear of 'New Routemaster' LT 9 (LTZ 1009), currently operated by Metroline Travel, can also be seen.
ABOVE: Finally on my way, and with a decent window seat on the top deck, this is a view looking broadly northwards from Sack Hill on the outskirts of Warminster. We're not yet into the restricted area and this appears to be mainly farmland. There's no built-up land for about three miles in this direction, until you reach the road from Westbury to Bratton.
ABOVE: The entry to Imber is via this security gate further along Sack Hill. The bus stops here are for a limited Park & Ride facility provided here.
ABOVE: This is typical of the terrain between Imber Clump and Imber itself - unspoilt and completely inaccessible. There are warning signs, similar to those towards the top of this article, every couple of hundred yards along the road.
ABOVE: The area includes a number of these disused tanks, or "hard targets" as they are referred to. The safety advice, as provided by the Ministry of Defence, advises little ones not to play on them. Very wise words; fortunately we're still a few miles from Imber village so buses do not stop round here anyway.
ABOVE: More sites for military exercises. The puddles of water are testament to the amount of rainfall that has afflicted summer 2023 (including some very heavy rain across this region the day before Imberbus). I suppose one shouldn't complain ... reportedly, a dry summer a few years ago resulted in the buses of Imberbus churning up huge amounts of dust as they headed down the road!
ABOVE: At last - Imber! I've been trying to get here for years and something has always got in the way until now!
I'm standing looking at these fake village buildings, built for military purposes, and feeling sad and humbled. I'm thinking about the sacrifices that those who lived here had to make.
It was wartime anyway, so everything was rationed and life was already tough. Many of the menfolk were away, and not all would come back. Imagine then being told that you must leave your home in a few weeks, and that you wouldn't be able to come back - not even to the churchyard to visit the graves of loved ones. A village that had its heart permanently ripped out of it.
The horrors of war.
I'm standing looking at these fake village buildings, built for military purposes, and feeling sad and humbled. I'm thinking about the sacrifices that those who lived here had to make.
It was wartime anyway, so everything was rationed and life was already tough. Many of the menfolk were away, and not all would come back. Imagine then being told that you must leave your home in a few weeks, and that you wouldn't be able to come back - not even to the churchyard to visit the graves of loved ones. A village that had its heart permanently ripped out of it.
The horrors of war.
ABOVE: St Giles' Church, the focal point of Imber village, and one of the few surviving original buildings. According to the church website, the church occupies the site of an earlier building dating from the mid-12th century.
During the early 1950s, the War Office (now Ministry of Defence) undertook to keep the church in a modest state of repair until a decision was made as to its ultimate future. In 2002 the building reverted to the Diocese of Salisbury, and three years later the church was vested in The Churches Conservation Trust for preservation and repair.
The church is open today and the queue to reach it can just be seen on the right. Unfortunately the church tower is obscured by trees, and there isn't a safe route to access the church for a photo from a different angle.
During the early 1950s, the War Office (now Ministry of Defence) undertook to keep the church in a modest state of repair until a decision was made as to its ultimate future. In 2002 the building reverted to the Diocese of Salisbury, and three years later the church was vested in The Churches Conservation Trust for preservation and repair.
The church is open today and the queue to reach it can just be seen on the right. Unfortunately the church tower is obscured by trees, and there isn't a safe route to access the church for a photo from a different angle.
ABOVE: Well all those people who were queuing in Warminster had to disperse somewhere, and a lot of them have done so here, at the centre of the village. Note more London-style bus stops. The road up to St Giles' Church leads off to the right.
ABOVE: All the historic information suggests that buses were never as popular, or as intensive, through Imber when the village was still functioning. There was one bus a day on Thursdays and there were two on Saturdays - crowds like this would have been unheard of! An unidentified RML (left, possibly RML 880, featured earlier) is loading up for Warminster, whilst RF 537 (NLE 537) is not part of the service - it has just come along for the ride. You can just pick out Abellio London 3406 (also featured earlier) in front of the RF.
ABOVE: The attention to detail on these temporary bus stops is better than we see from Transport for London nowadays...
ABOVE: RM 1941 (ALD 941B) leaves Imber for Brazen Bottom.
ABOVE: Stagecoach London 11377 (SK20 BBF), an ADL Enviro400 MMC, is the second bus to carry the name "Spirit of London", in commemoration of those who died in the 7/7 terrorist attack on 7th July 2005 (the original vehicle having retired in 2020). It's a long way from home and is heading even further, to New Zealand (no, not that one)! This is the point at which I give up plans to head further east - the queue stretches beyond the bus stop flag for some reason, so I'm way back in the line, and we've just been told that the next eastbound service is 20 minutes away.
ABOVE: Outwardly this looks like a member of the old Bristol LH "BS" class - London Transport bought 17 of them in 1975/6. But this vehicle (VGC 932) was new to National Welsh in 1980. Behind it is 1404 (HF09 FVX), the other open-topper from morebus. This is a Scania N230UD Optare Visionaire which started its life working route 50 (Bournemouth to Swanage) but now generally works the Rockley Park (Poole) to Hengistbury Head (Southbourne) service 70. The open-topper will take me back to Warminster.
ABOVE: The open-top ride back gives me a chance to photograph London Transport Metrobus prototype M1 (THX 101S), the first of over 1400 examples that ran in London from 1978 into the 21st century. Everyone I see on buses going the other way, as I head back to Warminster, seems to be quite amused by our open-topper - probably because of the showers that have just started, or the low trees - free wash and brush-up, I call it! It's quite bracing at times as well, but enjoyable!
ABOVE: Another view of RM 1005 (5 CLT), on the Imber Road in Warminster, taken from my open-topper.
ABOVE: On my return to Warminster, the queues are as long as those I left behind - this is only the beginning of it! I'm tempted to call out to those queuing that it will be "worth the wait". But I'm too self-conscious! Maybe next year I'll try and start a sing-song!
Wow! What a day! I'm a little disappointed with myself that I didn't persevere with the wait at Imber, to have a chance to venture east. I could have stayed on the outward bus and called in at Imber on the way back - it might have changed the shape of the entire day - but I didn't want to miss the village itself. And I'm glad that I didn't.
In 2022, Imberbus donated nearly £17,000 to the Friends of St. Giles’s Church, Imber; to the Royal British Legion Poppy Day Appeal; and to other charities related to those who help Imberbus. I hope that Imberbus 2023 will have raised even more!
It's a great day out but you need to be prepared to queue patiently. It really is worth it, though. Now I know what to expect, I'm itching to go back and have another go. I just have to wait a year!
Thanks
Thanks to everyone who made this such a memorable day, including:
- The organisers
- The bus owners
- Those who drove and conducted the vehicles
- The people who helped with the queues, and those that acted as service controllers, and
- The people, who were good-natured and well-mannered. I didn't see anyone trying to cut in ahead of their place in the queue, or anyone who seemed even the least bit stressed by the crowds or the waits.