Holcombe, Somerset

Coordinates: 51°14′37″N 2°28′01″W / 51.2437°N 2.4670°W / 51.2437; -2.4670
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Holcombe
Avon and Somerset
FireDevon and Somerset
AmbulanceSouth Western
List of places
UK
England
Somerset
51°14′37″N 2°28′01″W / 51.2437°N 2.4670°W / 51.2437; -2.4670

Holcombe is a small village and

local government district of Somerset, England. The parish contains the hamlets of Barlake and Edford. It is within easy commuting distance of both Bristol and Bath
.

History

Its place name is derived from the

Old English Hol, meaning deep or hollow and cumb meaning valley.[2]

The parish of Holcombe was part of the

Hundred.[3]

The original medieval village was buried at the time of the Great Plague of London, and the old parish church, which survives, is surrounded by the mounds that bear testimony to this burial. It is suggested that the rhyme 'Ring a Ring o' Roses' began there as a result. An alternative explanation relates to the drowning of five children from the village in an icy pond in 1899.[4]

The village has two

pubs: The Duke of Cumberland, which can be found at the bottom of the village's hill which in 2020 was redeveloped into a combination of a pub and a farm shop,[5] and the Holcombe Inn, which recently changed its name from The Ring O' Roses to its original 1960s name.[6]
It was named as a reminder of the plague that previously destroyed the village.

Holcombe originally had four churches, two of which are still in use. One of these original churches, the Methodist Chapel has been converted into three private dwellings.

Holcombe was the site of several mines on the

Nettlebridge
through Holcombe. This intersected the main road through Holcombe around 75 m (80 yd) north of the Duke of Cumberland inn. However, in 1803, the entire canal was abandoned without being completed. There is limited evidence of the canal remaining, including some masonry such as bridges and retaining walls near the Duke of Cumberland. This planned route can be followed through to Coleford along a public footpath for most of the route from nearby Ham.

Holcombe quarry is no longer in use and has been fenced off. However, although it is highly dangerous and despite various warnings, it remains a popular destination for teenagers to go swimming and "tombstoning" during the summer months, which have resulted in personal injuries and some deaths.[8][9] Since 2019, two of the larger quarries, including Cooks Wood, have been under redevelopment as a luxury holiday property development, under the name of 'Cooks Wood',[10] as part of this development any public access to the quarries are now limited to just the public footpath.

Governance

The

neighbourhood watch
groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

The village falls within the

crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism
.

waste disposal
and strategic planning.

It is also part of a

first past the post
system of election.

Religious sites

Street scene. Road junction with red stop sign. Two cars. The sides of the roads are stone walls with large trees showing above them.
Crossroads

The old

Grade II listed.[16]

Notable residents

For a time Scott of the Antarctic's parents lived at and ran the brewery in Holcombe. Members of his family are buried in a family grave, and there is a memorial accrediting Scott's interment in the Antarctic, in the Holcombe old church.[17]

Bob Braham, a decorated airman, was born in the village.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b "Holcombe Parish". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  2. ISBN 1-874336-03-2
    .
  3. ^ "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  4. ^ "St Andrews Old Church Holcombe Somerset". Imaging me. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  5. ^ https://www.holcombefarmshop.co.uk/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ^ Historic England. "The Ring 0' Roses (1307499)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 November 2007.
  7. ^ "Mining and quarrying" (PDF). Holcombe Village Design Statement. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2006. Retrieved 14 November 2006.
  8. ^ "Quarry tombstoners face criticism". BBC News. 22 July 2009.
  9. ^ "Teenager dies jumping into quarry". BBC News. 15 June 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  10. ^ "Cookswood | Somerset | Luxury Holiday Homes". Cookswood. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  11. ^ "Shepton Mallet RD". A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  12. ^ Historic England. "Church of St Andrew (1058677)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 November 2007.
  13. ^ "St Andrew, Holcombe". Churches Conservation Trust. Archived from the original on 15 January 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
  14. ^ Wickham, J.D.C (c. 1910). Records by Spade and Terrier. Bath: George Gregory. p. 321.
  15. ^ "Here's where Poldark was filmed in Bristol (And Cornwall)". 25 June 2017.
  16. ^ Historic England. "Coach House at rear of Old Rectory, Holcombe (1177285)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  17. ^ "About Holcombe". Holcombe Parish Council. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
  18. ^ Aris, Bob. "Group Captain J.R.D. 'Bob' Braham DSO, DFC, AFC, CD, Belgian Order Of the Crown with Palm, Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 with Palm". Myrcomm. Retrieved 31 January 2011.

External links

Media related to Holcombe, Somerset at Wikimedia Commons

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