Hascombe

Hascombe

Hascombe village, looking towards St Peter's church and The White Horse public house
Hascombe
Hascombe shown within Surrey
Population 307 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid reference SU997397
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Godalming
Postcode district GU8
Dialling code 01483
Police Surrey
Fire Surrey
Ambulance South East Coast
EU Parliament South East England
UK Parliament

Hascombe is a village in Surrey, England. It contains a cluster of cottages and country estates, St Peter's church, the village green, a fountain, pond, one centrally located public house and is surrounded by steep wooded hillsides.

Residents

Surrey has the highest GDP per capita of any British county except for Greater London.[2] Hascombe is in a ward, Bramley, Busbridge and Hascombe, which has much higher than average home ownership.[3] Current and former residents include the film star Dirk Bogarde;[4] Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky;[5] former member of The Jam, Bruce Foxton;[6] television presenter Anthea Turner; actress Billie Piper; boss of McLaren F1 Formula One racing team, Ron Dennis; and broadcaster/producer Chris Evans.

It was during a stay at Hoe Farm in 1915 that statesman and future Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill learned to paint.[7]

History

Above the village is Hascombe Hill which is the site of a ruined hillfort built by the ancient Britons and occupied by them during the 1st century BCE. The word "combe" is derived from cwm meaning "valley" in the Welsh language and this may indicate that the population of Hascombe remained predominantly Brythonic for some time after the surrounding areas had been populated by Anglo-Saxon settlers.

The name of the village is thought to come from Hægscombe meaning valley of the witch or "hag" in Old English. The village was not mentioned by name in the Domesday Book and it is thought to have been part of the manor of Bramley.

"Whosoever will let him take the water of life freely". Inscription on the fountain at Hascombe built in 1877 by Edward Lee Rowcliffe in remembrance of his brother Henry.

Landmarks

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. Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman described the church as "a Tractarian work of art". The damming of a stream in the 15th Century created the Church Pond.

The public house, The White Horse, a 16th or 17th century building with many later extensions, constructed from the local Bargate stone, a local term for the hard masonry material which is a type of limestone with traces of greensand.[8]

A short walk along the main street into the semi-rural southern part of the main street a metre-high, 4 metre square animal pound appears to the west, a stone 15th century construction according to English Heritage, and which is listed for its uniqueness in the county.[9]

Geography

Hascombe's natural fresh-water spring attracts many visitors: the fountain itself was commissioned in 1887 by local landowner Edward Lee Rowcliffe as a memorial to his late brother.

Hills

A promontory that adjoins Hascombe Hill from 1796 to 1816 Hascombe hosted a station in the shutter telegraph chain which connected the Admiralty in London to its naval ships in Portsmouth.

Hascombe has the following summits in the large Surrey Hills AONB:

Hill Elevation Rank within Surrey Range
Hascombe Hill 197m14thGreensand Ridge
Breakneck Hill 189m15thGreensand Ridge
Hydon's Ball 181m16thGreensand Ridge[10]

References

A History of Hascombe – A Surrey Village by Winifred Ashton

  1. ↑ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  2. ↑ Thornton, Philip (27 September 2003). "Surrey 'stockbroker belt' tops UK house-price list". The Independent. London. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  3. ↑ Key Statistics: Population; Quick Statistics: Economic indicators. (2011 census and 2001 census) Retrieved 2015-02-27.
  4. ↑ Penny Churchill. "Country houses with history | News - Property News, News from the Countryside and Culture | Houses for sale, properties for sale". Country Life. Retrieved 2013-01-04.
  5. ↑ "Surrey's richest 50 2009: The top ten | Surrey Life". Surrey.greatbritishlife.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-01-04.
  6. ↑ http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/bruce-foxton-former-bassist-jam-6804754#.UyB_A3XRLNs.twitter
  7. ↑ Gardening (2005-08-08). "Don't lose the plot". London: Telegraph. Retrieved 2013-01-04.
  8. ↑ The White Horse architectural Grade II listing. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1260891)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  9. ↑ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1261122)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  10. ↑ Database of British and Irish Hills Retrieved 2015-03-06
Next station upwards Admiralty Shutter telegraph line 1795 Next station downwards
Netley Heath  Hascombe Blackdown 
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