Templecombe, United Kingdom
Templecombe is a town of 1,560 people in England, United Kingdom.
Why visit Templecombe
Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark, 1 park or trail and 5 places to eat in and around town.
Highlights include Village Cross and Gartell Light Railway.
Weather in Templecombe
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Templecombe
Templecombe is a village in Somerset, England, situated on the A357 road five miles south of Wincanton, 12 miles (19 km) east of Yeovil, and 30 miles (48 km) west of Salisbury. It is in the Blackmore Vale.
From the Wikipedia article Templecombe (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks1
Parks, trails and playgrounds1
Restaurants and cafes5
Churches and places of worship12
Church of St John the Baptist, Horsington
Church · 1.0 mi
Church in Horsington, Somerset, England, UK
Church of St John the Evangelist, Milborne Port
Church · 3.1 mi
Church in Milborne Port, Somerset, England, UK
Church of St Mary, Abbas and Templecombe
Church
Church in South Somerset, England, UK
Church of St Nicholas
Church · 3.2 mi
Church in Holton, Somerset, England, UK
Church of St Nicholas
Church · 1.8 mi
Church in South Somerset, England, UK
Church of St Peter and St Paul
Church · 2.8 mi
Church in Charlton Horethorne, Somerset, England, UK
Milborne Wick Mission Church
Church · 2.7 mi
Church building in Milborne Port, South Somerset, England, UK
Church of St John the Baptist
Church · 2.6 mi
Church in North Cheriton, Somerset, England, UK
History
Before the Norman Conquest Combe was held by Leofwine Godwinson.
Abbas Combe was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086–87 as Cumbe, when it was held by the church of St Edward, Shaftesbury.
The other manor within the parish was held by Godwinson, but after the Norman Conquest, was given to Bishop Odo of Bayeux. It was his descendant Serlo FitzOdo who granted it to the Knights Templar.
Templecombe derives its name from Combe Templariorum, after the Knights Templar who established Templecombe Preceptory in the village in 1185. After they were suppressed in 1312 it was granted to the Knights Hospitaller who held it until the dissolution of the monasteries, after which it was acquired by Richard Duke (d. 1572) of Otterton, Devon. An attempt to discover 'the village of the templars' was made by the Time Team television series, in a programme first shown in 1996. Late in the investigation, an old tithe map revealed the location of the Templar site, and an old stone boundary wall was found to be still standing 7 ft (2.1 m) high.
Manor House in the high street was built in the 17th century on the site of a medieval building. Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork, bought Temple Coombe Manor in 1637 for £20,000. The Earl already owned Stalbridge Manor in Dorset, close by. Boyle also purchased Annery House near Bideford in 1640 for £5000.
Read more of the history
Somerset by G.W. Wade and J.H. Wade (c. 1904) states, "Templecombe (or Abbas Combe), an inconsiderable village at the S.E. extremity of the county, with an important station on the S. & D. and L. & S.W. lines. The church is ancient but uninteresting, and seems to have been considerably altered. It contains a curious E.E. font. The tower is somewhat peculiar, and forms the S. porch. On the rising ground at the S. of the village are the remains of a preceptory of the Knights Templars, founded in the 12th century by Serlo Fitz-Odo. From this foundation the place takes its name. A long building, which was perhaps once the refectory, but which is now used as a barn, will be noticed abutting on a farm-house along the road to Milborne Port. In an orchard at the back of the farm are the ruins of a small chapel."
It was found by Time Team that the long building post-dated the preceptory, having timbers dated to c. 1620; but that the chapel, since demolished, and with only footings remaining, was authentically Templar.
Lady Theodora Guest funded the building of Templecombe's "Merthyr Guest Cottage hospital" which opened in 1906. It had over 100 in-patients in 1947, when it became an NHS maternity hospital, and operated until 1974.
From the History section of Templecombe on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Templecombe
Economy
Templecombe's largest employer is Thales Underwater Systems, formerly Marconi Underwater Systems and Plessey Naval Systems.
The water treatment centre off Temple Lane, east of the village, is operated by Wessex Water. The original pumping station was built by the Temple Combe and Henstridge joint water committee in the 1940s.
Education
Abbas and Templecombe CofE Primary School is on School Lane, close to the parish church. The current building dates back to 1899, with modern extensions to the rear. The original church school was founded in 1606 and expanded over the centuries. In 1835, it was funded by the National Society and then became a voluntary controlled school from 1948.
From the Wikipedia article Templecombe, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Templecombe
- Steve ForshawEnglish cricketer (born 1974)
- Henry PeckBritish Army officer
Born in Templecombe, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Schools, colleges and libraries2
Map of Templecombe
21 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton (YEO) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 10 miles away.
- Yeovil 10 mi southwest, about 16 min by car
- Yetminster 10 mi southwest, about 16 min by car
- West Coker 13 mi southwest, about 21 min by car
- Shepton Mallet 14 mi northwest, about 23 min by car
- Blandford Forum 15 mi southeast, about 24 min by car
- Frome 16 mi north, about 26 min by car
- Street 17 mi northwest, about 27 min by car
- Warminster 18 mi northeast, about 28 min by car
- Wells 18 mi northwest, about 28 min by car
- Dorchester 20 mi south, about 31 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Templecombe
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Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Templecombe in 2008, Trish Steel, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Milborne Port Church1, Mike Searle, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Holton church, Mike Searle, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Henstridge church, Mike Searle, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Horsington church, Mike Searle, CC BY-SA 2.0
- St Marys Church, Abbas Combe, Ben Harris, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Gartell Light Railway. - panoramio, Robert Powell, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
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