THE public will be able to see Wiltshire’s forgotten village of Imber through a new audio-visual experience created by Wiltshire Creative.

The organisation has commissioned and created Imber: You Walk Through which will premiere at the 2019 Salisbury International Arts Festival in a pop-up city centre venue in Salisbury from June 5-8.

Until 1943 Imber was a thriving community with farms, cottages and a manor: then it was taken over, in the space of a few months, by the Army and used for training ahead of the D-Day landings.

It was never returned to the community, breaking promises made to then villagers, and became part of the British Army/MoD training area on Salisbury Plain. It is now a close combat fighting training ground. Imber is seven miles from a town and is only open to the public for a limited number of days each year.

With Imber: You Walk Through, Wiltshire Creative is creating a chance to encounter Salisbury Plain’s most intriguing site in a new and exciting way.

Directed by Wiltshire Creative Associate Director Jo Newman, the immersive audio experience will combine film captured and created by Rachel Bunce; spoken word written and performed by Francesca Millican Slater; original composition and sound design by Helen Skiera; and 3D architectural rendering of the original village from Chris Bayly.

The audio visual will enable audiences to experience the stories, history, wildlife, sights and sounds of Imber past and present.

Wiltshire Creative Associate Director Jo Newman said: “I’ve been wanting to make this project ever since I first visited Imber four years ago - it’s such an atmospheric place and a real collision of worlds.

“Imber is close to many people’s hearts, its legacy has been kept alive through the passion of a few individuals, an important part of Wiltshire’s history and an actively occupied training ground highly valued by the MoD - serving personnel from all over the world come to train on this site.

“It’s really exciting to be working with an incredible team of creatives across disciplines and art forms to fully open up the stories of this place, past and present, taking a long view and exploring the changing landscape of our county over time.”

Lt Col Stewart Andrews, DIO’s Senior Training Safety Officer said: “Working with Wiltshire Creative to bring Imber village to life has offered an ideal opportunity for the MoD to engage with the local community and promote safe and legal public use of the Salisbury Plain Training Area.

“Imber village continues to play an important role in providing our armed forces with the training they need to prepare for operations all over the world.”

The Friends of St Giles, in conjunction with the Churches Conservation Trust, organises the opening of Imber church on the limited number of access days granted by the Ministry of Defence.

The show will run from June 5-8: tickets from www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk.