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Factual: Science & Nature: Nature & Environment

Countryside magazine featuring the people and wildlife that shape the landscape of Britain

Countryside magazine featuring the people and wildlife that shape the landscape of the British Isles

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Open Country: Salisbury Plain

Salisbury Plain

01/08/2013

BBC Radio 4 - Open Country, Salisbury Plain

Felicity Evans visits the 'lost' village of Imber on Salisbury Plain.

Felicity Evans visits the 'lost' village of Imber, part of the MoD's defence training grounds on Salisbury Plain.

Felicity Evans visits Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. It boasts the largest expanse of chalk grassland in Europe and is home to over two thousand prehistoric sites, including Britain's most iconic pre-historic Stonehenge. Until recently it was thought that Stonehenge was built as an astronomical calendar or observatory but new theories suggest the site was used for ceremonial cremations. Felicity also discusses plans for its future with a new visitor centre and re-direction of a nearby road, reuniting the Stones with the landscape that surrounds it.The last inhabitants of the village of Imber on Salisbury Plain left in the 1940's when the village was requisitioned by the Army. Now it's at the heart of Army training on the Plain and Felicity finds out why. Many of the original cottages are no longer there but the 13th century St Giles Church at Imber has been restored and is open to the public for a few days each year. The Church has a new set of bells and Felicity gets a chance to ring one of them. She also visits a bee farmer who keeps an apiary behind the church. He also talks about the carpet of wild flowers that thrive on the Plain and provide sources of nectar for the bees, enabling them to produce delicious honey flavoured with wild thyme and wild sage.

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