Corscombe

Corscombe is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset, in the Dorset Council administrative area. The parish includes the small settlements of Benville and Toller Whelme to the south and in the 2011 census had a population of 445.[1]

Corscombe

Corscombe village
Corscombe
Location within Dorset
Population445 [1]
OS grid referenceST518053
Unitary authority
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townDorchester
Postcode districtDT2
PoliceDorset
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
WebsiteVillage website

Corscombe village is sited "into hollows and along sunken lanes"[2] on the northern scarp slope of the Dorset Downs, approximately 8 miles (13 km) south-south-west from the town of Yeovil in Somerset. Evidence of early human occupation within the parish includes lynchets and, south of the village, three standing stones.[3]

On the higher ground in the village stands the 15th-century parish church of St. Mary, which was restored in 1875–7.[2] In 1905 Sir Frederick Treves described the church as a "handsome building" with an "exceedingly fine" situation.[4] Nearby Corscombe Court dates from the 13th century and is partially surrounded by a moat. It has a 15th-century tithe barn which was once used by the monks of Sherborne Abbey.[5]

About 2 kilometres to the south of Corscombe village, across the A356, is Toller Down, one of the highest hills in Dorset, with good views of the surrounding countryside.

The musician Polly Jean Harvey is a former resident.[6]

References

  1. "Area: Corscombe (Parish), Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  2. Gant, R., Dorset Villages, Hale, 1980, p105
  3. "'Corscombe', An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Dorset, Volume 1: West (1952), pp. 105-108". British History Online. University of London & History of Parliament Trust. November 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  4. Treves, Sir F., Highways and Byways in Dorset, Macmillan, 1905, p286
  5. West Dorset District Council, Holiday and tourist guide, c.1983, p6
  6. Blanchard, James R. PJ Harvey: Siren Rising. Omnibus Press. Retrieved 1 March 2015.


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