Tyneham Cottage

It was Tyneham villages isolation in, as Dorset in the 1940's was then a quiet backwater, that sealed its fate.  It was often quoted that people frequently bypassed Dorset in favour of the better known holiday destinations of Devon and Cornwall; their loss really.  Though, what better place to locate your secret military training ground, especially if the training you're going to undertake is for the top secret and pivotal invasion of Europe.  It's so peaceful in the Tyneham valley, and you could say that that's because nobody lives here and it hasn't changed in 70 years, that would be true, but only to an extent. Yes, there would have been more activity and the bustle of life if a community was still active here and you can only imagine how the valley and coast might have changed if left as was; although by all accounts Tyneham was always a peaceful place to live.  Looking through the small cottage windows you wonder what activities went on beyond and how was life played out in this tight community. Walking around the village ruins and reading the testimonials in the individual cottages, the school and church by those who lived here, it would appear a real tale of paradise lost.