Cullompton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cullompton | |
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  Cullompton shown within Devon |
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| Population | 7,609 (2001) [1] |
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| OS grid reference | |
| District | Mid Devon |
| Shire county | Devon |
| Region | South West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CULLOMPTON |
| Postcode district | EX15 |
| Dialling code | 01884 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| European Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | Tiverton and Honiton |
| List of places: UK • England • Devon | |
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Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (May 2008) |
Cullompton is a town in Devon, England in the district of Mid Devon, lying on the River Culm and close to the M5 motorway. The parish covers nearly 8,000 acres (32 km²) and stretches for 7 miles (11 km) along the Culm valley.[2] As of 2007 it had a population of around 8,600 people.[3]
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Etymology
The derivation of the name Cullompton is disputed. One derivation is that the town's name means "Farmstead on the River Culm"[4] with Culm probably meaning knot or tie (referring to the river's twists and loops)[4]. The other theory is that it is named after an Irish Saint Columba who is said to have preached in the area in 549 AD.[2].There are 40 recorded spellings of Cullompton between the first recorded use of the name and present day[5], and even as late as the mid nineteenth century 3 spellings were in use: the post office spelt it Cullompton; in their 1809 first edition the Ordnance Survey map used Cullumpton and the railway station sign said Collumpton. The railway station sign was changed to Cullompton in 1874 and the Ordnance Survey used Cullompton in the edition of their map published in 1889.[3]. It is affectionately known as Cully.[2]
[edit] Roman forts
On St Andrew's Hill, to the Northwest of Cullompton town centre, two successive Roman forts were discovered in 1984 by aerial photography carried out for Devon County Council. The earlier, smaller fort (the boundary ditches of which showed up in cropmarks) was later replaced by a second, larger fort. The ramparts of this second fort are preserved on 2 sides as modern field boundaries with substantial earthen banks with hedges on top. The banks on the other 2 sides were removed shortly before the site was recognised as Roman. The site was made a Scheduled Monument in 1986. The aerial photography also revealed 2 subsidiary military enclosures or annexes to each fort. In 1992 a geophysical survey was made of the fort and areas to the east and west and this was followed by a trial excavation to the west of the site. These confirmed the existence of two forts and the ditch of the second fort was excavated. Pottery from the site was dated from around 50-70 AD which is consistent with a previous date of before 75 AD based on finds from fieldwalking.[6]
[edit] Saxon to Eighteenth Century
In 872 Alfred the Great bequeathed Columtune and its lands to his son Æthelwærd. In 1087 William the Conqueror gave the manor to Baldwin, his wife's favourite nephew. It was subsequently held by the Earl of Devon for many years until in 1278 Amicia Countess of Devon willed it to the Abbott and Convent of Buckland Monachorum. With the Dissolution of the Monasteries it was sold to Sir John St Ledger. [2]
In 1278 the town was granted its first market to be held on a Thursday.[2] From the sixteenth to the eighteenth century the town prospered from the wool trade. In 1746, Thomas Bilbie moved to the village to establish a bell foundry in Shortlands Lane.
[edit] Nineteth century to present
On 7 July 1839 a severe fire destroyed many houses in Cullompton. About two thirds of the town burnt with 145 houses and other buildings being destroyed.[2]. Another serious fire occurred on 17 October 1958 when the tannery was gutted by fire with the site now being used for a Somerfield supermarket.[2]
The parish council was formed in 1894 and in 1897 the first Police Station was set up.[2] In April 1903 a petition objecting to the renewal of alcohol licences for local inns, signed by 450 people was presented to the Brewsters sessions (Magistrates court meetings in England where pub licences were renewed or granted [7]). A deputation sent to the session explained that the number of licensed houses was too large in proportion to the population. The first cinema was opened in the Victoria Hall in 1918 by Bill Terry. Cullompton got its first permanent library in 1938 in a building on Exeter Hill and in 1977 the town was twinned with Ploudalmézeau in Britanny, France.[2][8]
The town had a major expansion in the 1970s as the construction of the motorway in 1977 made it a popular commuter town. It was expanded again during the closing years of the 20th century and the first few years of the 21st. The Mid Devon Local Development Framework Proposals plans for 95 new dwellings a year, and 4000 square metres of new employment floorspace a year between now and 2026.[9]
[edit] Economy
Pubs are the White Hart Inn on Fore Street, the Kings Head on High Street, the Pony & Trap on Exeter Hill, the Bell Inn on Exeter Road and the Weary Traveller on Station Road.
[edit] Landmarks
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It has been suggested that Cullompton Manor House be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) |
The street plan of the town still reflects the medieval layout of the town, with most shops along Fore Street with courts behind them linked by alleyways. Notable buildings in Cullompton include the fifteenth century parish church (St Andrew's) and the sixteenth century Cullompton Manor House (now the Manor House Hotel), built as the town grew around the woollen industry. The Walronds at 6 Fore Street was completed in 1605 and is now owned by by Cullompton Walronds Preservation Trust.
[edit] Transport
The Bristol and Exeter Railway opened a station at Cullompton when the railway opened on 1 May 1844. It closed to passengers on 5 October 1964 , the site now being used for the M5 motorway Cullompton services. Cullompton is very close to junction 28 of the M5. The former A38 ran through the town, and is now the B3181. The town has regular bus services to Tiverton and Exeter.
[edit] Education
Cullompton has two primary schools: Willowbank primary and St Andrews primary school. The secondary school is Cullompton Community College. The town has its own library.
[edit] Sports and leisure
The football team is the Cullompton Rangers and there is a women's team too. There is a sports centre and the town is home to Padbrook Park - a golf course and sporting and recreational centre.
[edit] References
- ^ Office for National Statistics (2001), UK National Census, <http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=793575&c=EX15+1TB&d=16&e=15&g=436576&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=0&s=1210416774968&enc=1&dsFamilyId=781>. Retrieved on 10 May 2008
- ^ a b c d e f g h i The people of the parish (2001). The Book of Cullompton. Tiverton, Devon: Halsgrove. ISBN 1-84114-117-8.
- ^ a b Morris, Judy (2007). The Second Book of Cullompton. Wellington, Somerset: Halsgrove. ISBN 978-1-84114-625-6.
- ^ a b Hesketh, Robert (2008). Devon Placenames. Launceston: Bossiney Books. ISBN 9781899383986.
- ^ Spellings of Cullompton. The official Cullompton site. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ Simpson, S.J.; F.M. Griffith (1993). "Trial excavation at the Roman Fort on St Andrew's Hill, Cullompton". Devon Archaeological Society Proceedings (51): 149-159.
- ^ A Brief History of Brewsters. Retrieved on 2008-05-31.
- ^ Twinning Association - Cullompton & District. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
- ^ Mid Devon District Council (2007), Culm Development Plan Document Issues and Options Report, <http://www.middevon.gov.uk/media/pdf/g/k/Culm_Text_Document1.pdf>
[edit] External links
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