Hascombe


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

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.

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.
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.

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:
HillElevationRank within SurreyRange
Hascombe Hill197m14thGreensand Ridge
Breakneck Hill189m15thGreensand Ridge
Hydon's Ball181m16thGreensand Ridge

Residents

Hascombe is in a ward, Bramley, Busbridge and Hascombe, which has much higher than average home ownership than the South East Region and nation. Current and former residents include the film star Dirk Bogarde; Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky; former member of The Jam, Bruce Foxton; television presenter Anthea Turner; boss of McLaren F1 Formula One racing team, Ron Dennis; and broadcaster Chris Evans.
The wildlife artist Archibald Thorburn lived and died in the village. His grave lies in the parish churchyard. It was during a stay at Hoe Farm in 1915 that statesman and future Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill learned to paint. The Surrey Hills AONB, one of the many natural landscapes of the county, which includes this parish contributes much to the county's mean high level of domestic incomes.