Reflections Bybrook River Castle Combe Cotswold District England

by Wayne Moran

Title

Reflections Bybrook River Castle Combe Cotswold District England

Artist

Wayne Moran

Medium

Photograph - Fine Art Photography

Description

Reflections Bybrook River Castle Combe Cotswold District England

Castle Combe is the quintessential Roman era English hamlet. The Bybrook, also known as the By Brook, is a small river that runs through the town and gives it the extra charm.

Castle Combe is a village within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Wiltshire, England. The village is around 5 miles north-west of Chippenham. A castle once stood in the area, but was demolished centuries ago.

The village is in two parts: one is in the narrow valley of By Brook, while Upper Castle Combe is on higher land to the east, on the B4039 road connecting Chippenham and Chipping Sodbury. No new houses have been built in the historic area since about 1600. South of the upper village is the Castle Combe motor racing circuit.

History
A Roman villa once stood about three miles from the village, indicating Roman occupation of the area. The site has been excavated on at least three occasions, the first by Scrope in 1852 and the most recent in 2010. Some reports refer to the site as the North Wraxall or the Truckle Hill villa. Evidence of a bath house and corn drying ovens were found, the latter from the 4th century. The villa itself apparently contained 16 rooms, and there were additional buildings and a cemetery. Neolithic flint tools and Iron Age brooches were also discovered not far from the villa, in 1985.

The settlement was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086, with 33 households; the Lord was Humphrey de l'Isle.

The village takes its name from the 12th-century castle which stood about 1⁄3 mile to the north. The site where the castle once stood now only contains the old earthworks and masonry, which are estimated to date from the 12th century. It is believed that the castle was constructed as the seat of the Barony of Combe under Reginald de Dunstanville either during the reign of Henry I or his son. Reginald was thought to support Empress Matilda during the Anarchy, and the castle was constructed during the wave of castle buildings of the Anarchy period.

https://waynemoranphotography.com/blog/your-best-itinerary-to-see-the-most-of-england/

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January 21st, 2023

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