Population 100 Region East Midlands Sovereign state United Kingdom Local time Thursday 5:45 AM District High Peak UK parliament constituency High Peak | OS grid reference SK042786 Country England Post town HIGH PEAK Shire county Derbyshire Dialling code 01298 | |
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Weather 8°C, Wind W at 18 km/h, 88% Humidity | ||
Combs is a small village in Derbyshire, England within the Peak District National Park. At the 2011 Census the population was included in the town of Chapel-en-le-Frith. 'Combs' is spoken to rhyme with 'looms', though some local residents prefer the older pronunciation, rhyming with 'foams'.
Map of Combs, High Peak, UK
The village is bounded to the east, west and south by gritstone edges and moorland, the highest of which is Black Edge (507 m (1,663 ft)). To the north the embankment of the Buxton to Stockport railway separates it from Combs Reservoir. To the east is Castle Naze, a prehistoric settlement site. Although some of the population of about 100 still work in agriculture, most working residents commute to local towns or the city of Manchester. The village has a pub, the Beehive Inn, but the village shop and post office closed some years ago. The village's state infant school has about 25 pupils drawn from the village and surrounding area and has been described as outstanding in all categories by Ofsted and was awarded "Gold Star" status by the Times. Despite this, in 2007 Derbyshire County Council attempted to close the school, but were forced to abandon these plans in the face of concerted local protest.
Combs resident Herbert Frood developed a vehicle brake pad and in 1897 founded the company Ferodo. The village was also home to journalists and authors Crichton Porteous and Peggy Bellhouse. Peggy Bellhouse wrote and self-published a concise history of Combs many years ago, and an archive photograph of Peggy can still be seen on the walls of the Beehive Inn.
Old Brook House (and its barn), close to the Beehive public house, is a listed building. Parts of its grand layout clearly date from the 17th and 18th centuries and, as such, it is similar to Marsh Hall closer to Chapel-en-le-frith.