The Drovers' Arms - empty
Led by performance artist Mike Pearson, a team of geographers, archaeologists and artists are visiting SENTA, a military training area in Wales UK, on a project of encountering and documenting engagements with the place. The project is part of a series called "performativities of emptiness" - [link]
Mynydd Epynt - Mike Pearson's guide to an encounter
At the beginning of World War II the UK War Office urgently needed extra land and facilities for training purposes. One particular requirement was for an area at least three miles long that could be used for artillery practice. Mynydd Epynt in south Wales and a smaller mountain to the west of it, Mynydd Bwlch-y-groes, were selected. The process of acquisition was completed by 30 June 1940, and the area became know as the Sennybridge Training Area, usually abbreviated to SENTA. Sennybridge itself is a small town on the A40 a few miles west of Brecon, and the training area comprises about 12,000 hectares to the north of it.
219 people were obliged to leave their 54 homes.
SENTA has been used mainly for artillery training.
There is also a simulated German village - to aid training against a Soviet invasion:
On the evictions - [link] - from the Bristol-Aberystwyth-Cardiff team
Three more links
[link] - Steven Fisk's web site on abandoned communities in the UK
[link] - the UK Army's web site about training areas
[link] - Matteo's thoughts on meta-simulation
