Mortar Bomb event in United Kingdom on Mon 2nd November 2026

A wedding venue closed for the day after five bombs from World War II were found on the property.

The venue, located in the Cotswolds region of England, shut down on Monday, November 2. The Gloucestershire Police published a statement on Facebook, explaining that they received a report from employees who discovered possible unexploded ordnance.

“Following the discovery by construction workers in a field in Long Newnton near Tetbury, a 200-meter cordon has been put in place around the site for the public’s safety,” police wrote in the news release. “Emergency services are at the scene, and nearby residents and businesses have been evacuated as a precaution so that personnel from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) can assess the items.”

The venue, the Great Thythe Barn & Thythe House, shared a message on Instagram about what happened.

“After a discovery of some historical artifacts, our entire site is closed today,” the Long Newnton-based venue wrote.

The Great Thythe Barn & Thythe House offers a restored 17th-century barn for events, such as weddings and corporate events. They spoke to the Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard about their chaotic day.

“Earlier today, five items believed to be Second World War bombs were discovered in the grounds of our venue,” the statement said. “We contacted the police straight away, and the area was cordoned off while specialist bomb disposal experts were called in to assess the situation and deal with them safely.”

The outlet added that all employees and guests on the property were evacuated from the venue.

The two construction workers who found the World War II bombs also spoke to the Standard.

“We were digging a trench to put our solar field in, and within a couple of minutes, we uncovered five mortars, which we believed were live,” head gardener Kevin Roberts said.

While subcontractor John Blundell explained that they didn’t know what they were at first.

“We thought at first they were just broken bits of either gas main or old water main,” he explained. “Once we picked them up and cleared the mud off them, we found out they resembled old World War II mortars.”

Blundell and Roberts then “put everything down, got back and phoned the police.”