Castle
Coombe is one of the prettiest of the Cotswold villages at the southern
tip of the Cotswolds, well away from the Cotswold villages on the
tourist map.
Its conveniently situated for motorists about 20 minutes from Lacock,
Bath and the M4 motorway.
The village is set deep in a coombe, (steep sided river valley) and
you have a 10 minute walk from the car park down into the village.
Its pretty much a one street village with a small spur to a country
hotel. |
Castle
Coombe Cottages |
| The
village houses are all of typical Cotswold type, constructed in stone
with thick walls and roofs made from split natural stone tiles. The
properties are many hundreds of years old and are listed as ancient
monuments |
The
site of the castle linked with the name of Castle Coombe is above
today’s village, but is little other than earthworks now mark
its one time presence.
Like Lacock, in Medieval times Castle Coombe had become an important
centre for the wool industry. The spinsters and weavers lived in the
cottages and the river, still known as By Brook, provided the power
to run the mills.
The earliest reference to the village church is found in a document
dating 1291.
|
Market Cross and Buttercross Castle Coombe |
The
Market Cross is the centrepiece of the village. It is believed to
date from the 14th century when the privilege to hold a weekly market
was first granted. Just below this there is also a structure sometimes
referred to as the 'buttercross', which was in fact for tethering
and mounting horses.
There is a small village museum, a choice of pubs and some craft shops
and tea houses. The area is a popular walking base from where you
can walk to neighbouring villages. |
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