Hascombe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The picturesque village of Hascombe contains a cluster of cottages and imposing country estates, St Peter's church, the village green and The White Horse pub, all nestling between wooded hillsides in Surrey, United Kingdom. The village is situated roughly midway between Godalming and Cranleigh (grid reference SU997397) and had 274 inhabitants at the 2001 census.
The village is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Its natural fresh-water spring attracts visitors from far and wide. Winkworth Arboretum, with its collection of rare trees and shrubs, is nearby and there are beautiful walks through the surrounding hills and along the greensand way.
Even by the standards of the surrounding area, Hascombe is exceedingly affluent: Russian multi-billionaire Boris Berezovsky and broadcaster/producer Chris Evans both own homes in the village.
St Peter's church was rebuilt during the mid-19th century, but retains its medieval screen, made from Jerusalem olive trees and featuring elaborate carvings, and a font dating back to 1690.
Hascombe Hill, once the site of an Iron Age fort, became an important naval telegraph station in the early 19th century, using a mechanical form of semaphore to communicate with Netley Heath in Surrey on one side and Blackdown in Sussex on the other. A chain of such stations linked London with Portsmouth. At 644 feet (197 metres), Hascombe Hill is the sixth highest point in Surrey.
