Brockley Combe
Encyclopedia
Brockley Combe is a wooded combe near the village of Brockley
in North Somerset
, England
. The combe cuts in to the western edge of the Lulsgate Plateau
, the Carboniferous limestone
hills which form a northern outlier of the Mendips
, south west of Bristol
.
Bristol International Airport
lies at the top of the combe. A minor road runs along the length of the combe, meeting the A370
at the lower end, near the village of Brockley.
The name arises as a very rare co-joining of two Brythonic
words; combe meaning 'a small deep dry valley, easily defended', and Brock meaning 'badger
'. Combe is spelt differently in other part of the United Kingdom as Coombe and Coomb, but the meanings are the same.
The The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland, published in 1868, describes Brockley Combe as follows: "Near the village, on the south-east, is Brockley Coomb, a deep narrow glen, of singular beauty, sunk between steep rocks, rising at some points to the height of 300 feet. It is adorned with many noble trees, and all the fissures and ledges of the cliffs are enriched with a great variety of mosses and other forms of vegetation. Lead ore is found here, and there are masses of columnar basalt.".
Two identically named poems were written about the combe. Brockley Coomb by British Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge
, which is subtitled Lines composed while climbing the left ascent of Brockley Coomb, May 1795; and Brockley Coomb by British poet Arthur Hugh Clough
.
To the south is another, more undisturbed, combe, Goblin Combe
.
it was inhabited by American soldiers who have inscribed their names in the surrounding trees and even the large stone gate posts. After the war the hall was lived in by squatters until around 40 years ago when it was bought and refurbished, then resold as 4 separate apartments, each worth nowadays around £900,000
Brockley, Somerset
Brockley is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. The parish is within the Unitary authority of North Somerset, about south of Nailsea, and includes the village of Chelvey. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 271.-History:...
in North Somerset
North Somerset
North Somerset is a unitary authority in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The combe cuts in to the western edge of the Lulsgate Plateau
Lulsgate Plateau
Lulsgate Plateau is the name given to the Carboniferous limestone hills which form a northern outlier of the Mendip Hills, southwest of Bristol, England, approximately above sea level, which has been occupied since prehistoric times....
, the Carboniferous limestone
Carboniferous limestone
Carboniferous Limestone is a term used to describe a variety of different types of limestone occurring widely across Great Britain and Ireland which were deposited during the Dinantian epoch of the Carboniferous period. They were formed between 363 and 325 million years ago...
hills which form a northern outlier of the Mendips
Mendip Hills
The Mendip Hills is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running east to west between Weston-super-Mare and Frome, the hills overlook the Somerset Levels to the south and the Avon Valley to the north...
, south west of Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
.
Bristol International Airport
Bristol International Airport
Bristol Airport , located at Lulsgate Bottom in North Somerset, is the commercial airport serving the city of Bristol, England and the surrounding area. At first it was named Bristol Lulsgate Airport and from March 1997 to March 2010 it was known as Bristol International Airport...
lies at the top of the combe. A minor road runs along the length of the combe, meeting the A370
A370 road
The A370 is a primary road in England running from Bristol to Weston-super-Mare and on to East Brent in Somerset. A more direct route from Bristol to East Brent is the A38.-Route:...
at the lower end, near the village of Brockley.
The name arises as a very rare co-joining of two Brythonic
Brythonic languages
The Brythonic or Brittonic languages form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family, the other being Goidelic. The name Brythonic was derived by Welsh Celticist John Rhys from the Welsh word Brython, meaning an indigenous Briton as opposed to an Anglo-Saxon or Gael...
words; combe meaning 'a small deep dry valley, easily defended', and Brock meaning 'badger
Badger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...
'. Combe is spelt differently in other part of the United Kingdom as Coombe and Coomb, but the meanings are the same.
The The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland, published in 1868, describes Brockley Combe as follows: "Near the village, on the south-east, is Brockley Coomb, a deep narrow glen, of singular beauty, sunk between steep rocks, rising at some points to the height of 300 feet. It is adorned with many noble trees, and all the fissures and ledges of the cliffs are enriched with a great variety of mosses and other forms of vegetation. Lead ore is found here, and there are masses of columnar basalt.".
Two identically named poems were written about the combe. Brockley Coomb by British Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
, which is subtitled Lines composed while climbing the left ascent of Brockley Coomb, May 1795; and Brockley Coomb by British poet Arthur Hugh Clough
Arthur Hugh Clough
Arthur Hugh Clough was an English poet, an educationalist, and the devoted assistant to ground-breaking nurse Florence Nightingale...
.
To the south is another, more undisturbed, combe, Goblin Combe
Goblin Combe
Goblin Combe is a valley in North Somerset which stretches from Redhill, near Bristol International Airport on the A38 through to Cleeve on the A370. The combe is located at , and is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest originally notified in 1999, with being managed as a nature...
.
Brockley Hall
Forestry is carried out in the surrounding woodland. Down from the A370 is a Georgian manor house called Brockley hall, this was inhabited by the Piggott-Smyths family until later in its life. In World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it was inhabited by American soldiers who have inscribed their names in the surrounding trees and even the large stone gate posts. After the war the hall was lived in by squatters until around 40 years ago when it was bought and refurbished, then resold as 4 separate apartments, each worth nowadays around £900,000