RANGE WALKS and TYNEHAM OPENING The Range Walks and Tyneham are open all weekends except where noted, and open other dates shown. Oct 2007 Sa.6 CLOSED Su.7 CLOSED Sa.13 - Su.14 Sa.20 - Su.21 Sa.27 - Su.28 Nov 2007 Sa.3 - Su.4 Sa.10 - Su.11 Sa.17 CLOSED Su.18 CLOSED Sa.24 - Su.25 Dec 2007 Sa.1 - Su.2 Sa.8 - Su.9 Sa.15 - Su.16 Sa.22 ... ... ... ... ... Xmas .. ... ... Su.31 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Jan 2008 .. ... ... Tu.2 Sa.5 - Su.6 Sa.12 - Su.13 Sa.19 - Su.20 Sa.26 CLOSED Su.27 CLOSED Feb 2008 Sa.2 - Su.3 Sa.9 - Su.10 Sa.16 - Su.17 Sa.23 - Su.24 Mar 2008 Sa.1 - Su.2 Sa.8 - Su.9 Sa.15 CLOSED Su.16 CLOSED Fr.21 - Easter ... ... ... ... Su.30 Apr 2008 Sa.5 CLOSED Su.6 CLOSED Sa.12 - Su.13 Sa.19 - Su.20 Sa.26 - Su.27 May 2008 Sa.3 - Bank Hol ... ... ... Mo.5 Sa.10 - Su.11 Sa.17 - Su.18 Sa.24 - Spring ... Jun 2008 ... ... ... Su.1 Sa.7 - Su.8 Sa.14 - Su.15 Sa.21 - Su.22 Sa.28 - Su.29 Jul 2008 Sa.5 - Su.6 Sa.12 - Su.13 Sa.19 CLOSED Su.20 CLOSED Sa.26 ... ... ... ... Summer ... ... Break ... ... ... ... ... Th.31 Aug 2008 Fr.1 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Su.31 Sep 2008 Sa.6 - Su.7 Sa.13 - Su.14 Sa.20 - Su.21 Sa.27 - Su.28 Oct 2008 Sa.4 CLOSED Su.5 CLOSED Sa.11 - Su.12 Sa.18 - Su.19 Sa.25 - Su.26 Nov 2008 Sa.1 - Su.2 Sa.8 - Su.9 Sa.15 CLOSED Su.16 CLOSED Sa.22 - Su.23 Sa.29 - Su.30 Dec 2008 Sa.6 - Su.7 Sa.13 - Su.14 Sa.20 ... ... ... ... ... Xmas .. ... ... We.31 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Jan 2009 .. ... ... Su.4 Sa.10 - Su.11 NOTE The range road/ Whiteway Road and access gate to the village normally open about 9am, and close 10pm. GIVE YOURSELF TIME TO RETURN TO YOUR VEHICLES. When the village is open, the church and school are normally open 10am - 4pm. For further information please call 01929-404819. |
Following the road from Corfe to Lulworth takes us through Church Knowle and on past turnings to Smedmore & Kimmeridge, Steeple, and up on to Creech Hill where if we are lucky through the MOD Firing Range gates and along to the left turn down to Tyneham village. If you miss the turning the next stop is East Lulworth. The School House There has been found evidence of activity back into the Iron Age, and forward through the Roman occupation. To a greater degree the land was farmed and the nearby Warbarrow gave haven to fishermen, the produce of both would have been tradable at Wareham some 5 miles distant. However, given the location and resources this could quite easily have existed as an isolated and self-sufficient settlement. Not surprisingly, being coastal there is talk of smuggling, as to the factuality of the talk we cannot be certain. Post Office Row We talk of Tyneham as being small and of small population, this is true, but when you pull in the population from nearby Warbarrow and all else in this big dip in the Purbeck landscape it becomes more significant. That at some point must have taken a downturn since the school closed to pupils in 1932. William the Conqueror's half-brother, by the name of Robert of Mortain seems to have held Tyneham, which was shown in the Doomsday Book as 'Tigeham', a century later it was 'Tiham'. There seems to be a suggestion that Tige-ham translates as 'goat enclosure'.
The building passed again by marriage, this time to the Bonds who were the most recent owners and are part of the sad story of Tynehams demise. The Bond family built was was effectively going to be the latest house in the 1580s with the proverbial additions and modifications with time. Since the evacuation much was removed and there is little left now. The village church is named St. Marys. Constructed from limestone rubble it dates from the 13th century with modification/refurbishment around 1740, and by William Bond around 1850. It contains monuments to the Bond family. St. Mary's Church It reads:
The church organ and bells were removed to Steeple and other artefacts elsewhere. The theory was that the village would be returned to the people after the war - it did not happen and in 1948 it received a compulsory purchase order from the army. One of the ironies that is very apparent when visiting is the telephone box sitting in front of the post office - it was installed a few weeks before the evacuation. Rectory Cottages
Mark left Eton in 1940 and joined the rifle brigade. He saw much service and was wounded, captured and re-captured, seeing his wartime out in a German POW camp. Having taken his place in our armed forces and given King & Country 20 years of his life and leaving as a general, he was only told in 1951 the house was not his to have. That information being kept from him for reasons of secrecy. Taylor's Cottages
The church has been repaired and is effectively a museum; the schoolhouse was turned into a museum anyway. Because the tank ranges are still used the times for visiting are limited to holidays and weekends. There is now a car park especially to take the influx of visitors. Lets take a look at the 'army factor' in the story line. The First World War brought great tank activity and subsequently activity at Bovington Camp. With that went the need to practice and eventually a gunnery range came into use east of Lulworth. Come the Second World War all public access was barred. Improving weapons meant larger areas were needed to test on so Warbarrow, Tyneham and thereabouts was taken on. After the war the War Office compulsorily purchased the area. Everett & Davis Cottages After the war much was made by landowners and MPs about the return of the land, many meetings ensued, a public enquiry, and the government produced a white paper setting out the need for land for training etc. and given those circumstances didn't need to honour their pledge to return the land. That was pretty well it. The Elizabethan section of Tyneham House was taken down by the Ministry of Works in the latter 1960s, which spurred a new campaign to 'free' Tyneham late in 1967. The Tyneham Action Group was set up in May 1968. In 1970 the then PM, Ted Heath, announced the setting up of the Nugent Defence Lands Committee to investigate which parts of the Ministry of Defence holdings could be returned to private ownership. Whilst this was going on the Tyneham group were bickering amongst themselves and they split into two groups. On the 5th July 1973, the Nugent Committee finally reported and among many conclusions it recommended that the sites at Lulworth be released, and the Gunnery School be re-located to Castlemartin in Dyfed. The Committee could not say what to do with the released land except it should be 'protected and enjoyed'. Whilst the Nugent Committee had recommended moving the army, local councils and the Dorset County Council did the opposite and said the local area and workforce needed the army presence for economic reasons, Dorset County Council had in fact done an about turn. Goulds Cottage
In February 1975 Brigadier Roy Redgrave unveiled proposals for improving public access to the ranges. In September Colonel Sir Joseph Weld cut a tape marking the opening of the Lulworth Range Walks. This was the effective end of the various campaigns to free Tyneham. Overall the army presence appears to have had a benefit to the environment and the army now make a point of being seen to be environmentally aware, this includes publishing a magazine about Dorset land holdings. Although it ended up a deserted ruin, there is some consolation that the village is no further spoilt and has been made 'safe' for public consumption. The area is no longer subject to intensive farming with attendant pesticides and fertilisers. Whilst it is so sad that a whole village should lose it's homes, given the time and bureaucracy since the war the outcome may well be the lesser of evils. As doth say the Tyneham Timeline on view in St Mary's Church:
Whether you agree with the Army's continuing presence or not, To view all of the Tyneham Timeline, on view in the church, click here.
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