Chilcomb
Encyclopedia
Chilcomb is a small village and civil parish
in the English
county of Hampshire
. It is located very close to the city of Winchester
(around 3.5 miles) and is on the South Downs Way
long distance footpath.
The parish had a population of 91 at the 2001 Census.
downs
. The village has a small Norman
church which has a graveyard
with views over Winchester. Church services run roughly every other week and there is an annual church féte.
between Winchester and Alresford
. The M3 motorway runs close to the west of the parish. Southampton
is approximately 12 miles away. The village is based around a no through road
which ends at the top of the hill. The INTECH
science centre is located on the northern edge of the parish.
to the south of the village. The range has 12 lanes and firing points from 50m to 500m. Targets are both manual and automatic with the ETR coffins in front of the mantlet
.
The range is used by British Army
and Royal Navy
units for personal weapon training in daylight and at night.
, an up-fold in the rocks with older beds exposed in the centre. This is surrounded by outcrops of successively younger beds forming an enclosing ring of steep hills broken only by the Itchen Valley. In the centre a valley running east-west from Chilcomb to Bar End
lies on the Zig Zag Chalk formation, grey chalk of Cenomanian
age. This is surrounded successively by narrow, elliptical belts of the much harder Holywell Nodular Chalk, the New Pit Chalk (forming St. Catherine's Hill
) and the Lewes Nodular Chalk, forming the peaks of Twyford Down
and Deacon hill to the south, Winchester's West Hill and Sleepers Hill to the west, Magdalen Hill Down to the north and Telegraph Hill to the east. Beyond lies a further ring of the Seaford Chalk.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the English
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...
county of Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. It is located very close to the city of Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
(around 3.5 miles) and is on the South Downs Way
South Downs Way
The South Downs Way is a long distance footpath and bridleway running along the South Downs in southern England, and is one of 15 National Trails in England and Wales...
long distance footpath.
The parish had a population of 91 at the 2001 Census.
The Village
The village itself is nestled in a bowl surrounded by chalkChalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
downs
Downland
A downland is an area of open chalk hills. This term is especially used to describe the chalk countryside in southern England. Areas of downland are often referred to as Downs....
. The village has a small Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
church which has a graveyard
Graveyard
A graveyard is any place set aside for long-term burial of the dead, with or without monuments such as headstones...
with views over Winchester. Church services run roughly every other week and there is an annual church féte.
Location
The north of the parish is crossed by the A31A31 road
The A31 is a major trunk road in southern England that runs from Guildford in Surrey to Bere Regis in Dorset.-Route of road:The road begins in the centre of Guildford, meeting the A3 road before running south west along the Hog's Back. It continues past Farnham, Alton and New Alresford before...
between Winchester and Alresford
New Alresford
New Alresford or simply Alresford is a small town and civil parish in the City of Winchester district of Hampshire, England. It is situated some 12 km north-east of the city of Winchester and 20 km south-west of the town of Alton...
. The M3 motorway runs close to the west of the parish. Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
is approximately 12 miles away. The village is based around a no through road
Cul-de-sac
A cul-de-sac is a word of French origin referring to a dead end, close, no through road or court meaning dead-end street with only one inlet/outlet...
which ends at the top of the hill. The INTECH
INTECH
INTECH is an internationally renowned educational resource centre for science situated in Morn Hill, just outside the city of Winchester in the United Kingdom...
science centre is located on the northern edge of the parish.
Chilcomb Range
Chilcomb range is a Ministry of Defence rangeShooting range
A shooting range or firing range is a specialized facility designed for firearms practice. Each facility is typically overseen by one or more supervisory personnel, called variously a range master or "RSO – Range Safety Officer" in the United States or a range conducting officer or "RCO" in the UK...
to the south of the village. The range has 12 lanes and firing points from 50m to 500m. Targets are both manual and automatic with the ETR coffins in front of the mantlet
Mantlet
A mantlet was a large shield or portable shelter used for stopping arrows or bullets, in medieval warfare. A mantlet could be mounted on a wheeled carriage, and protected one or several soldiers....
.
The range is used by British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
units for personal weapon training in daylight and at night.
Geology
Chilcombe lies within the heart of the Winchester anticlineAnticline
In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is convex up and has its oldest beds at its core. The term is not to be confused with antiform, which is a purely descriptive term for any fold that is convex up. Therefore if age relationships In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is...
, an up-fold in the rocks with older beds exposed in the centre. This is surrounded by outcrops of successively younger beds forming an enclosing ring of steep hills broken only by the Itchen Valley. In the centre a valley running east-west from Chilcomb to Bar End
Bar End
Bar End is an area of Winchester, Hampshire, England. It lies on the east bank of the River Itchen to the north of St. Catherine's Hill and is the location of a park and ride car park serving the city centre....
lies on the Zig Zag Chalk formation, grey chalk of Cenomanian
Cenomanian
The Cenomanian is, in the ICS' geological timescale the oldest or earliest age of the Late Cretaceous epoch or the lowest stage of the Upper Cretaceous series. An age is a unit of geochronology: it is a unit of time; the stage is a unit in the stratigraphic column deposited during the corresponding...
age. This is surrounded successively by narrow, elliptical belts of the much harder Holywell Nodular Chalk, the New Pit Chalk (forming St. Catherine's Hill
St. Catherine's Hill, Hampshire
St. Catherine's Hill is a small but dramatic chalk hill to the south east of Winchester in Hampshire, England. Rising steeply some from the water meadows of the River Itchen, the summit of the hill at provides a fine view over Winchester....
) and the Lewes Nodular Chalk, forming the peaks of Twyford Down
Twyford Down
Twyford Down is a small area of ancient chalk downland lying directly to the southeast of Winchester, Hampshire, England. The down's summit, known as Deacon Hill, is towards the north-eastern edge of the area which is renowned for its dramatic rolling scenery, ecologically rich grassland and as a...
and Deacon hill to the south, Winchester's West Hill and Sleepers Hill to the west, Magdalen Hill Down to the north and Telegraph Hill to the east. Beyond lies a further ring of the Seaford Chalk.