COMBE DOWN

'Combe Down' () is a village suburb of Bath in the English county of Somerset, within the Bath and North East Somerset Council area. "Combe" or "coombe" is a West Country word meaning a steep-sided valley.
Combe Down sits on a ridge above and about 1.5 miles to the south of Bath city centre. The area described as encompassing Combe Down includes the old village of predominantly 18th and early 19th century Bath stone houses off the main North Road; an estate of ex-council housing at Foxhill; a small private housing development to the east; and a 'ribbon' of development along North Road.
Below surface is an area of redundant stone mines, which are currently the subject of a major infill and stabilisation project funded by central Government. An old railway tunnel Combe Down Tunnel emerges below the southern slopes of the village.

Contents

Local amenities

Stone mines

Site of Roman Villa

Jewish Burial Ground

De Montalt Mill

Local flora

Grade II listed buildings in Combe Down village

References

External links

Local amenities

The local Primary School is Combe Down Primary School, housed partly in a unique log cabin imported from Finland. The nearest Secondary School with sixth form is Ralph Allen School. Both Monkton Combe School's pre-prep department (Glenburnie) and its preparatory school are located in the village. There are local shops, pubs, chapels and churches within walking distance for most residents. Combe Down has flourishing rugby and cricket clubs, Village Rooms and an active Scout Group (10th Bath) with its own Scouts' Hut, a doctors' surgery and a dentist. The Combe Down Heritage Society is very active. Shops in the village include a Co-op, a newagent's, a delicatessen with coffee shop, an estate agency and a building society, together with a barber's, two hair salons and a beautician's. The village post office closed in 2006 despite much public opposition.
The village green (Firs Field) includes the war memorial and a play area with children's play equipment that was renewed and renovated in 2006. Most of this field is currently being utilised by the mine infill project. A group has been established (The Friends of Firs Field) to ensure that local residents' interests are properly represented both during and after this period of upheaval, and that restoration of the field is sympathetic.
The village pubs are the King William,^[1] the Horseshoe, the Hadley Arms^[2] and the Foresters', re-named the Forester and Flower in late 2006.
Bus services to the area are every thirty minutes from Bath city centre via service number 2 which goes to the village and to Foxhill. In the evenings these services continue, although less frequently, funded by the local council. The Bath 'circular' bus route passes along North Road through the area, mainly transporting students to the University of Bath.

Stone mines

::''See:Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines for further information.''
The Bath stone used for most of the buildings in Bath - as well as for Buckingham Palace - was mined from beneath Combe Down. These mines were once owned by Ralph Allen (1694–1764). Work is currently underway to stabilise the abandoned limestone workings in Combe Down. Several weight restrictions are in place on the local roads, and width restrictors have been fitted to North Road and to Ralph Allen Drive to deter lorries from passing through the area.
On 25th September 2006, signs of subsidence began to show on Combe Road, between Westerleigh Road and North Road. The road was temporarily closed to through traffic as far as the village centre as a precaution, and buses were re-routed via North Road. In the meantime, local businesses are open as usual.

Site of Roman Villa

It is believed that the site of a Roman villa is situated on the southern slopes of the village somewhere below Belmont Road. An inscription on a stone recovered from the area reads "PRO SALVTE IMP CES M AVR ANTONINI PII FELICIS INVICTI AVG NAEVIVS AVG LIB ADIVT PROC PRINCIPIA RVINA OPRESS A SOLO RESTITVIT". This can be translated as: "For the health of Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Pius Felix Invictus Augustus, Naevius the imperial freedman, helped to restore from its foundations the procurator's headquarters which had broken down in ruins." It is thought to date from AD 212-222.

Jewish Burial Ground

The Jewish burial ground is a site of historic value on Bradford Road and is one of only fifteen in the country to survive from the Georgian period. Dating from 1812, the last recorded burial there was in 1946. The Prayer House (Ohel) which dates from about 1836 is of particular interest because there are few examples still standing and English Heritage has recently given it a Grade II listing. The site contains two chest tombs and some fifty gravestones, dating from between 1842 to 1921, with both Hebrew and English inscriptions. A bid for funds to restore the Prayer House, conserve the grave stones, repair the boundary wall and develop interpretation of the site is in preparation.
While the burial ground has suffered a period of neglect since its closure in the early 20th century, much remains intact to serve as an important reminder of Bath’s past Jewish community.

De Montalt Mill

The ruined De Montalt Paper mill stands on the southern slopes of the village, and is currently being converted into housing. The project will feature on the television programme "Grand Designs" in the spring of 2007. The mill was built by Baron De Montalt, Viscount Hawarden in the early 19th century and was run by John Bally, William Elan and George Steart (d.1837).
A print dated 1805 shows the mill which at the time possessed the largest water wheel in England. It has subsequently been discovered that most of the coloured papers used by J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851) for his approximately twenty thousand drawings and watercolours now housed in The Turner Bequest at the Tate Gallery, London, were made at De Montalt Mill. The paper was of a very high standard and the watercolour boards were made without being pasted together which ensured they remained free of mildew; however despite the early success of the business it failed in 1834. The premises were later used for a variety of purposes including making Gutta-Percha (a natural rubber-based material used in picture frames and golf balls), market gardening (1861), a dry wood manufactory (1874), cabinet making (1876) and in the 20th century farming, with cows and pigs being reared on the site.^[3]
Various parts of the mill have grade II listed building status, including the south range which consisted of the apprentice shops and stores,^[4] the main east block which was the printing works, used to print notes for Bank of England, and later converted to cabinet manufacturing,^[5] and the chimney.^[6] An Italianate villa set in the grounds of the works is also grade II listed.^[7]
The De-Montalt Mill is currently being converted to residential use, with the main mill building being converted into four apartments.^[8]

Local flora

A local woodland wild flower is the Bath Asparagus, also known as the Spiked Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum pyrenaicum). The flowers appear in June after the leaves die; the leaves resemble bluebell leaves but are a softer green and not as glossy. The flowering spike is up to one metre high. At the unopened stage the flowers used to be gathered in small quantities as a fresh vegetable by local people; it was also occasionally sold in local markets. However, picking the flowers today is not encouraged as it is becoming more rare. According to research carried out by Avon Wildlife Trust the plant is found throughout Europe but has a limited UK distribution. It is possible that the flower was first brought to the Bath area as seeds carried on the wheels and hooves of Roman vehicles and animals.

Grade II listed buildings in Combe Down village

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References

1. King William IV Public House
2. Hadley Arms
3. Newsletter 54, May 2005
4. De Montalt Works (South Range)
5. De Montalt Works (Main East Block)
6. Chimney to west of De Montalt Works
7. Italianate villa set in grounds of De Montalt Works
8. Planning Application

External links

★ Combe Down Stone Mines Land Stabilisation Project

★ Combe Down Heritage Society

★ Combe Down Primary School

★ Ralph Allen School

★ Monkton Combe School

★ Combe Down Rugby Club

★ Combe Down Surgery

★ Holy Trinity Church

★ Union Chapel

★ Jewish Burial Ground

★ 10th Bath (Combe Down) Scout Group