Population 675 (in 2011) Civil parish Coombe Bissett Region South West Local time Sunday 10:20 PM Ceremonial county Wiltshire UK parliament constituency Salisbury | OS grid reference SU109264 Unitary authority Country England Dialling code 01722 Post town Salisbury | |
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Weather 7°C, Wind W at 34 km/h, 78% Humidity | ||
Coombe bissett and homington parish diamond jubilee celebrations 4 june 2012
Coombe Bissett is a village and civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire, 3 miles (4.8 km) southwest of Salisbury on the A354 road towards Blandford Forum. The parish includes the village of Homington; both villages are in the River Ebble valley.
Contents
- Coombe bissett and homington parish diamond jubilee celebrations 4 june 2012
- Map of Coombe Bissett Salisbury UK
- History
- Religious sites
- St Michaels Coombe Bissett
- St Marys Homington
- Nonconformist
- Amenities
- References
Map of Coombe Bissett, Salisbury, UK
History
Fragmentary records from Saxon times indicate that the Ebble valley was a thriving area, the River Ebble also being known as the River Chalke. The Domesday Book in 1086 divided the Chalke Valley into eight manors, Chelke (Chalke - Bowerchalke and Broadchalke), Eblesborne (Ebbesbourne Wake), Fifehide (Fifield Bavant), Cumbe (Coombe Bissett), Humitone (Homington), Odestoche (Odstock), Stradford (Stratford Tony and Bishopstone) and Trow (circa Alvediston). The Domesday Book recorded Cumbe as a royal manor with 85 households, while Humitone had just two households.
A medieval packhorse bridge, now a footbridge, crosses the Ebble close to the newer road bridge at Coombe Bissett.
Coombe Bissett and Homington were separate parishes, each with its own church, until they were united in a joint benefice in 1885. Homington was absorbed into Coombe Bissett civil parish in 1934.
Religious sites
Both Anglican churches are today served by the Chalke Valley team ministry.
St Michael's, Coombe Bissett
The oldest part of St Michael's, the south aisle, is from the 12th century. The chancel was built in the 13th and the tower (with stair-turret) added in the 14th; the nave and north transept are 15th-century. Restoration in 1845 by T.H. Wyatt included the rebuilding of the west front, reducing the length of the building. The church is a Grade I listed building.
St Mary's, Homington
A 14th-century church, possibly with earlier origins. The tower is from the early 17th century and there was extensive restoration in the 1860s. The church is a Grade II* listed building.
Nonconformist
A Primitive Methodist chapel was built in 1841 at the west end of Homington village, then rebuilt in 1877. The chapel closed in 1967 and is now a private house.
In 1895 a Baptist chapel was opened at Coombe Bissett, on the road to Homington. In 2012 the building was in use by the Coombe Fellowship.
Amenities
Coombe Bissett has a pub, the Fox and Goose, a village hall, and a shop with a Post Office.
A primary school was built at Shutts Lane in the 1960s, replacing a small National School on the Homington road which was built in 1845.
Homington and Coombe Bissett Downs is a nature reserve on nearby chalk downland.