Charlcombe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Charlcombe | |
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| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| Unitary authority | Bath and North East Somerset |
| Ceremonial county | Somerset |
| Region | South West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Bath |
| Postcode district | BA2 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Avon |
| Ambulance | Great Western |
| UK Parliament | Wansdyke to be North East Somerset from next general election. |
| European Parliament | South West England |
| List of places: UK • England • Somerset | |
Charlcombe is a small village just north of Bath in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority, Somerset, England.
In 1848 the village had a population of 84 inhabitants, and covered 523 acres.[1]
The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is a very ancient stone edifice, dating from the 12th century. It is said to have been at one period the parish church of the city of Bath. It is a grade II* listed building.[2] There was believed to be a holy well in the grounds.[3] According to tradition it was formerly the mother church of Bath, and received an annual acknowledgment of a pound of pepper from the abbey there.[4]
All Saints Church dates from 1761 and was by John Wood, the Younger. It is grade I listed.[5]
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[edit] Geology
The local geology of the Swainswick valley around Sopers Wood, in the south Cotswolds, has been investigated because of the presence of landslides since the work of William Smith in 1799. These are caused by the over-steepened topography downslope of the cap rock formed by the Great Oolite where water egresses around the plateau at the junction between the Great Oolite and the Fuller’s Earth Formation and through the more permeable limestone bands within the Fuller’s Earth.[6]
[edit] Frogs and toads
Every year in February and March Charlcombe Lane is closed by the local council to enable frogs and toads to cross the road in safety. During this period local residents and volunteers go out at dusk, the time of greatest movement collecting them in buckets and depositing them on the other side of the road, allowing them to continue their journey safely.[7][8]
[edit] Reference in literature
The village of Charlcombe is mentioned in letters by Jane Austen as being "sweetly situated in a little green valley, as a village with such a name ought to be".[9]
[edit] References
- ^ 'Charlbury - Charlwood', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848) pp. 549-54.. British History Online. Retrieved on February 9, 2007.
- ^ Church of St. Mary. Images of England. Retrieved on November 20, 2006.
- ^ The Hermit of Charlcombe Rectory. Notes and Queries. Retrieved on February 9, 2007.
- ^ 'Charlbury - Charlwood', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848) pp. 549-54.. British History Online. Retrieved on February 9, 2007.
- ^ All Saints Church. Images of England. Retrieved on November 20, 2006.
- ^ R.W.W. Anson & A.B. Hawkins (2002). "Movement of the Soper’s Wood landslide on the Jurassic Fuller’s Earth, Bath, England" (in English). Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment 64 (4): 325-345. ISSN 1435-9529 (Print) 1435-9537 (Online). Retrieved on 2007-02-09.
- ^ Valentine help for love-struck toads. Bath & North East Somerset Council. Retrieved on February 9, 2007.
- ^ Valentine help for love-struck toads. BBC Somerset News. Retrieved on February 9, 2007.
- ^ Letters to her sister Cassandra Austen, 1799. Letters of Jane Austen -- Brabourne Edition. Retrieved on February 9, 2007.
