The Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA) is a landscape of contrasts, where nature and human activity coexist—sometimes in harmony, other times in tension. This complexity means no single perspective or set of images can fully capture the land and its uses. In my own work, for example, I often avoid directly depicting people. Instead, I focus on the subtle, enduring traces of human presence—marks of military training, the erosion of time, and the way nature adapts to and reclaims these changes.
In this section of SPTA: A Landscape in Service, I aim to broaden the conversation by showcasing small portfolios from other photographers, each offering a unique perspective on the Plain. These photographers all adopt a long-form approach, exploring the many layers of this complex environment. Whether through the lens of history, landscape, or the stories of local communities, their work challenges us to look beyond individual images and engage with the broader narrative of the landscape. By sharing these diverse perspectives, I hope to foster a deeper, more nuanced appreciation of the SPTA.
Untitled © Tim Gander with permission
Untitled © Tim Gander with permission
Untitled © Tim Gander with permission
Untitled © Tim Gander with permission
Tim Gander
For Somerset-based photographer Tim Gander, Salisbury Plain is "a topographical palimpsest, where layer upon layer of history and human activity has been written over each previous layer, yet the very oldest layers still show through."
This ongoing series explores the relationship between landscape, community and history through various facets of life across Salisbury Plain.
From Larkhill Racecourse—possibly the only racecourse in the world situated within an active military training area—to the village butcher and the community groups that bind this quintessentially English society, Gander uses striking monochrome compositions to capture the landscape and the intersection of rural life and military presence. His work reveals how the land—shaped by centuries of human activity—resonates with stories both past and present.
Gander’s photography unveils the complex relationship between people, place and memory, offering a meditation on how landscapes shape identity and preserve the traces of time.
Please visit Tim's website for more of his work.
All images © Tim Gander with permission.
Pond Farm, south of Market Lavington, photographed by TL Fuller, c.1905. Although the land had been purchased by the War Office, it continued to be a working farm up until 1910. With the military staging the first summer camp on the land for territorial forces in 1908. © Thomas Fuller.
TL Fuller's photograph of Canadian and Newfoundland troops at Pond Farm Camp, on the Westdown Artillery Range, c.1914-15. The camp was isolated and bleak, and following the commonwealth forces departure in 1915, the camp was closed. © Thomas Fuller.
TL Fuller: Capturing Wiltshire’s Rural Charm and Wartime Change
The early 20th century was a time of rapid social and technological change, and few photographers captured the essence of rural England during this period with the same entrepreneurial spirit as Thomas Lionel Fuller, known professionally as TL Fuller. Based in Amesbury, Wiltshire, Fuller carved out a niche for himself in the burgeoning postcard market, producing elegant images of the picturesque villages and rolling countryside of southern England.
Operating from his studio on Countess Road (c.1911–1935) and working with a half-plate camera and an acute sense of the visual potential of his surroundings, Fuller documented life on Salisbury Plain at a time when the area was steeped in tradition yet on the cusp of monumental change. His postcards, sold to locals and visitors alike, were a window into a peaceful and nostalgic landscape, a far cry from the turmoil that would soon engulf Europe.
However, it was with the approach of World War I that Fuller’s eye for opportunity truly came to the fore. As the military presence on Salisbury Plain grew, with training camps and troop movements becoming an increasingly common sight, Fuller recognised the potential market for images of the war effort. His proximity to the area’s military installations, combined with his established reputation, allowed him to capitalise on the rising demand for wartime imagery. With his pushbike and camera in tow, Fuller would visit army camps, capturing soldiers in training, military equipment, and the shifting landscape of the Plain as it transformed under the pressures of war.
Returning to the camps the following day, Fuller would sell his postcards, each priced at a penny, to the men stationed there, offering them a tangible reminder of their time in the area. These images – at once personal, evocative, and historical – have since become an invaluable record of the early years of the Salisbury Plain Training Area, providing an important visual history of a landscape irrevocably changed by the conflict.
Fuller’s work stands as a testament not only to his technical skill and keen business acumen but also to his deep connection with the land and people of Wiltshire. Through his lens, he captured a moment in time, preserving both the pastoral beauty of the English countryside and the dramatic transformation wrought by the First World War. Today, these postcards remain a unique historical artefact, offering us a rare glimpse into a world on the brink of profound change.