St Giles' Church, Imber
| St Giles' Church | |
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| Location | Imber, Wiltshire, England |
| Coordinates | 51°14′04″N 2°03′05″W / 51.2345°N 2.0513°WCoordinates: 51°14′04″N 2°03′05″W / 51.2345°N 2.0513°W |
| Built | late 13th century |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Designated | 11 December 1987 |
| Reference no. | 313552 |
 Location of St Giles' Church in Wiltshire
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St Giles' Church in the deserted village of Imber, Wiltshire, England, was built in the late 13th or early 14th century. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a Grade I listed building, and is now a redundant church in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. It was declared redundant on 1 November 2002, and was vested in the Trust on 14 September 2005.
The church was built of dressed limestone in the late 13th century, replacing a church which had stood on the site since the 12th century. The tower with its five pinnacles and the north and south aisles followed in the 14th century. Extensive rebuilding was undertaken in the 19th century. The church no longer has its pews or other fittings; the remains of medieval paintings can still be seen on the walls, including a set of 17th-century bell ringing changes painted on the north wall of the tower.
The village is part of the British Army's training grounds on the Salisbury Plain. The entire civilian population was evicted in 1943 to provide an exercise area for American troops preparing for the invasion of Europe during the Second World War. After the war, villagers were not allowed to return to their homes, so the church's font was moved to Brixton Deverill, the pulpit to Winterbourne Stoke and the seating, bell and two effigies to Edington Priory. The village, which is still classed as an urban entity, remains under the control of the Ministry of Defence despite several attempts by former residents to return. Non-military access is limited to a few days a year. Unlike the rest of the parish, St Giles's church and its graveyard remained in the hands of the Diocese of Salisbury, although access to them was and is controlled by the Ministry of Defence.
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