Castle Combe

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Often called England's prettiest village, Castle Combe in the Cotswolds in southern England, is one of those places that you will never forget, especially with its world-famous view across the river to the bridge and the village beyond.

The small river is one of the main reasons why this village was founded over eight centuries ago, because the river powered the mill that manufactured wool from all of the sheep of the area. Then they made the wool into high quality fabrics, thanks to the skill of local weavers, and these textiles were sold throughout the region, which created great prosperity enabling this little village to thrive. However, that wool industry declined for various reasons about 500 years ago, and the town never developed any further. As a result Castle Combe is beautifully preserved as a rare example of a medieval village.

The central area of the village is quite small, just 200 meters across, but there is a lot to see. So take your time. It's located on the southern edge of the Cotswolds, just 12 miles from the nearest city of Bath, and just 75 minutes away from London. Like many visitors, we're taking a day trip from Bath, which is our home base for seeing the region. It was organized by Mad Max, a very capable company with many different tours in the area.

Arriving right in the middle of the little village at Market Square with several pubs around us. There is the White Hart, where you can have a meal or just a pint, and across the way the other pub the Castle Inn, which also serves as a small boutique hotel with 12 rooms.

The Castle Inn is owned by the five-star Manor House Hotel, which is directly connected to it by this archway cottage, which is one of the rooms of the Manor House Hotel. The hotel is connected to town by a short lane, lined by the 500-years-old stone cottages leading back to the Market Square.

The four-columned structure in the center is called the Market Cross. It was erected in the 14th century when the privilege to hold a weekly market in Castle Combe was granted.

Castle Combe is one of the most photographed little villages of England, and it can get very crowded during the peak summer season, but you'll notice it's rather quiet if you're visiting in early May, which is a great time to be here.

The village houses are all typical of the Cotswold type, constructed in honey-colored stone, with thick walls, and roofs made of split stone tiles. No new homes have been built in this historic area since about the year 1600.

You'll certainly want to pay a visit inside this Church of England parish church, called St. Andrew. It was built mostly in the 15th century, but includes some earlier 13th and 14th century sections.

History

Some visitors to Castle Combe ask, where's the castle? It was a prehistoric Celtic fortress on the hill north of town, and then became occupied by the Romans, and later by the Normans. The 12th-century castle stood about 500 meters to the north. Only the earthworks are still visible since the castle was abandoned in the late 1300s.

The settlement was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086, with 33 households. Centuries earlier, a Roman villa stood about three miles from the village, indicating Roman occupation of the area.

Manor House Hotel

Now that you've seen the village's beauty, you might be tempted to stay for a few days. And why not treat yourself to some luxury at the five-star Manor House Hotel, located just 100 yards from town.

The hotel offers fine dining at its Michelin-starred restaurant where you can have a meal even if you're not staying overnight, or maybe drop in for afternoon tea.

There is also a golf course, and flower and kitchen gardens, a pond, and there are some nice walking trails on the 360 acres of the property.

Castle Combe makes a good home base from which you can see many of the other villages of the Cotswolds in easy driving distance.

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