Westcombe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Westcombe | |
  Westcombe shown within Somerset |
|
| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| District | Mendip |
| Shire county | Somerset |
| Region | South West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Postcode district | BA4 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| European Parliament | South West England |
| List of places: UK • England • Somerset | |
Westcombe is a hamlet of around 30 households in the Mendip District of Somerset, England.
Westcombe is part of the parish of Batcombe, Somerset and has a long relatively fogotten history. Around 1 mile from the hamlet is an Iron Age hill fort on Smalldown Knoll which dates back to the Iron Age and possibly the Bronze Age.
The neighbouring village of Batcombe, Somerset was thought to be established around the year 660AD following Saxon invasion. It would be likely that Westcombe was also established around this time. Both settlements are recorded in the Domesday Book written after the Norman Invasion of England in the year 1066.
Westcombe was for many years property of Glastonbury Abbey which was destroyed with the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The hamlet and area as a whole had strong links with the English woolen industry, which gave name to settlements such as Milton Clevedon.
The village has a large war memorial dedicated to those who gave their lives in the First World War. The memorial has engraved on it around 12 names. It was originally a family memorial to Henry Ernst in 1913, but it was later converted to a War memorial in 1919.
The property in Westcombe was historically owned by a single family, the Ernst family who lived in the Georgian country house of Westcombe House. Most of the estate was sold in 1927, and divided between two daughters. One inherited Westcombe House and the other all the families wealth. The house fell into disrepair, and was demolished in the early 1950s.
Today the hamlet is home to a small industrial site owned mainly by Milton-Westcombe Farms Limited. The largest business operation on site is that of the Bay Tree Food Company, which produces handmade pickled and jam goods sold across the UK.
