28 December 2012
Castle Combe has been called 'The Prettiest Village in England' and I think it is comparable to Bibury and Lower Slaughter. It is no wonder that many movies including the War Horse, set in the World War One era, has scenes shot in this village.
Castle Combe is an almost car-free village as there is no place for a visitor to park the car near the village centre without risking a ticket from the warden. Visitors are directed to park at a nearby free public car park at the top of a hill and take a 10 minutes walk into the village.
Walking down from the car park to the village center, we passed some old brick houses, one of which was supposed to be the filming location of Dr Dootlittle’s house in the film shot in the village in 1966.
At the village center, there is a historic monument and center piece of the village called the Market Cross. In the middle of the street, there is a stone structure called the Buttercross which was for tethering and mounting of horses in the old days. The market cross was featured in the movie War Horse and is the location where Joey (the horse) was bought and then sold at the horse fair.
Historic monument and the ButterCross which is for tethering and mounting of horses in the old. The road in the background leads up a hill to the public car park.
The historic monument with the old water pump next to it.
The Buttercross and the road leading to the stone bridge.
The pump at the market cross was used for many years to provide water for the villagers. Still in use? Unlikely, no handle.
We had lunch at the Castle Inn Hotel near the Market Cross before continuing our exploration of the village. The staff actually started the fire in the fireplace next to our table while we were there.
Inside the restaurant of the Castle Inn Hotel, looking out to the village center.
After lunch, we continued to explore this beautiful village, using a guide I downloaded from the Castle Combe website before our trip.
Archway cottage, located just by the Castle Inn Hotel.
Archway Cottage is an unusual cottage built over an archway. It is now an entrance leading to a luxury hotel.
We went into the St Andrew Church to see the tomb of a knight. He was in armour, with legs crossed to indicate he had fought in two crusades.
St Andrew Church.
There were also many pictures of the movie War Horse on display inside the church. Looking at the photographs, I am amazed how modern features like double yellow lines, streets signs were masked out from the shots in the movie.
Picture of War Horse movie scene, shot in Castle Combe.
There were many photo-taking opportunities as we made our way down the main street. No wonder this place was used as the shooting location of many movies.
Beautiful, picture-perfect village.
Beautiful, picture-perfect village. The town itself is void of modern street lighting, telephone or electric cables, TV antenna etc.
Interesting stone houses. The sandbags are not remains of props from the War Horse movie. Instead they serve to keep out water from the potential overflowing of the nearby Bybrook river during the rainy December.
Another interesting stone house with creepers on the walls.
The one thing that sticks out like a sore thumb - those double yellow lines! To deter visitor parking within Castle Combe.
I like the way the English decorates their windows. Colourful plants in the planter box, even in winter.
Spot the eerie face in the window?
Old Post Box.
Continuing down the main street, we passed the old post office at the bottom of the street, just before the stone bridge.
Stone bridge over the ByBrook river.
The stone bridge over the ByBrook river was also a scene in the movie War Horse. This is the spot where the character Albert said farewell to Joey (the horse) as the horse was sent to war in that movie.
Crossing the stone bridge, we continued a few hundred meters along the banks of the river till we came to the One sided bridge or Roman Bridge. There is a story that a ghost of a Roman Centurion haunts that bridge and can be seen walking on it, hence the name.
One sided bridge or Roman Bridge.
There is supposed to be a scenic walking trail after crossing this bridge. We skipped the walk and headed back through the village again to get our car and head off to the city of Bath.
Castle Combe is definitely one of the must-see villages in the Cotswolds and it is only a short drive from Bath.
How to get to Castle Combe
By Car
The closest Motorway junctions are Junction 17 (Chippenham) and Junction 18 (Bath) on the M4. On leaving the Motorway the village and race circuit are signed.
Parking
There is a free public cark park at the top of the hill provided for visitors to the village. Although it is a little way to walk down the hill to the old village, it is a pleasant stroll under the trees and there is much to see on the way. There is limited parking on the hill itself, those who choose to risk the double yellow lines on the hill or in the village will be disappointed to hear that traffic wardens are a common sight even in rural areas such as this.
The above photo shows the old post office in Painswick. It is the only example of a timber (oak) frame building to survive in Painswick. Dated back to early 15th Century.
