Comberton
Encyclopedia
Comberton is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire
, England, just east of the Prime Meridian
.
polished stone axe (found to the south of the current village) and a Bronze Age
barrow
(to the north), suggest there has been a settlement here for thousands of years. A Roman villa
was discovered in 1842. The village was mentioned in the Domesday Book
as Cumbertone, and clearly dates to at least the 11th century. Some houses in the village date from the 14th century.
Comberton has a population of about 2,300 (as of 2006). It features two churches: the Church of England
St Mary's, an Early English-style building dating from the 13th century, and a Baptist
church dating from 1861. It also has one pub
(The Three Horseshoes), shops, a primary school (Meridian Community Primary School) and a post office
, a recreation ground
, a doctor's surgery
, a dental surgery, and at the centre of the village, a village pond
with resident duck
s.
The Prime Meridian
is marked by a Meridian Line stone plaque on the north sides of the main road (B1046). It is opposite the Cambridge Meridian Golf Club, situated between Comberton and the neighbouring village of Toft
. The line runs up the 14th fairway according to the club, but a check of the co-ordinates reveals that it is actually on the white tee of the 15th hole.
The village has a website http://www.comberton.org.uk where reasonably up to date diary activities, minutes of meetings and village magazines can be found.
, and just half a mile (800 m) east of the Prime Meridian, lying at a modest elevation of around 25 feet (8 m) above sea level
. The civil parish covers 1,954 acres (7.9 km²), and is part of the local government district of South Cambridgeshire
. Nearby villages include Barton
to the east and Toft
to the west. Comberton is twinned
with Le Vaudreuil
, a village near Rouen
, France.
and the Comberton Sixth Form. The latter two are part of the Comberton Educational Trust., which has these other villages in its catchment area: Barton
, Bourn
, Caldecote
, Coton
, Cambourne, Hardwick
, Haslingfield
, and Toft
. Comberton Village College has been at or near the top of the league tables for state comprehensive schools in England and is a National College 'National Support School' and offers its support for other secondary schools through being part of the Cambridge Consortium. It was the last Cambridgeshire Village College opened by Henry Morris
, Chief Education Officer for Cambridgeshire
.
South Cambridgeshire
South Cambridgeshire is a mostly rural local government district of Cambridgeshire, England. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Chesterton Rural District and South Cambridgeshire Rural District. It surrounds the city of Cambridge, which is administered separately from the district by...
, England, just east of the Prime Meridian
Prime Meridian
The Prime Meridian is the meridian at which the longitude is defined to be 0°.The Prime Meridian and its opposite the 180th meridian , which the International Date Line generally follows, form a great circle that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.An international...
.
History
Archaeological finds, including a NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
polished stone axe (found to the south of the current village) and a Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
barrow
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
(to the north), suggest there has been a settlement here for thousands of years. A Roman villa
Roman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
was discovered in 1842. The village was mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as Cumbertone, and clearly dates to at least the 11th century. Some houses in the village date from the 14th century.
Comberton has a population of about 2,300 (as of 2006). It features two churches: the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
St Mary's, an Early English-style building dating from the 13th century, and a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
church dating from 1861. It also has one pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
(The Three Horseshoes), shops, a primary school (Meridian Community Primary School) and a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, a recreation ground
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
, a doctor's surgery
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
, a dental surgery, and at the centre of the village, a village pond
Pond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
with resident duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s.
The Prime Meridian
Prime Meridian
The Prime Meridian is the meridian at which the longitude is defined to be 0°.The Prime Meridian and its opposite the 180th meridian , which the International Date Line generally follows, form a great circle that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.An international...
is marked by a Meridian Line stone plaque on the north sides of the main road (B1046). It is opposite the Cambridge Meridian Golf Club, situated between Comberton and the neighbouring village of Toft
Toft, Cambridgeshire
Toft is a village situated in Cambridgeshire, England. It is approximately six miles to the west of Cambridge, and is situated within four miles of the M11 motorway. It has approximately 600 residents and 200 homes. Comberton Village College falls within the Toft Parish boundary...
. The line runs up the 14th fairway according to the club, but a check of the co-ordinates reveals that it is actually on the white tee of the 15th hole.
The village has a website http://www.comberton.org.uk where reasonably up to date diary activities, minutes of meetings and village magazines can be found.
Geography
Comberton is about 6 miles (10 km) south-west of the city of CambridgeCambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, and just half a mile (800 m) east of the Prime Meridian, lying at a modest elevation of around 25 feet (8 m) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. The civil parish covers 1,954 acres (7.9 km²), and is part of the local government district of South Cambridgeshire
South Cambridgeshire
South Cambridgeshire is a mostly rural local government district of Cambridgeshire, England. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Chesterton Rural District and South Cambridgeshire Rural District. It surrounds the city of Cambridge, which is administered separately from the district by...
. Nearby villages include Barton
Barton, Cambridgeshire
Barton is a village and civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. It is about south-west of Cambridge, near junction 12 of the M11 motorway.- History :...
to the east and Toft
Toft, Cambridgeshire
Toft is a village situated in Cambridgeshire, England. It is approximately six miles to the west of Cambridge, and is situated within four miles of the M11 motorway. It has approximately 600 residents and 200 homes. Comberton Village College falls within the Toft Parish boundary...
to the west. Comberton is twinned
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with Le Vaudreuil
Le Vaudreuil
Le Vaudreuil is a commune in the Eure department in Haute-Normandie in northern France.-Population:-External links:* *...
, a village near Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
, France.
Education
The village is home to an infant playgroup, the Meridian Primary School, Comberton Village CollegeComberton Village College
Comberton Village College is a secondary school in Comberton.Comberton Village College was opened in 1960. As a Cambridgeshire Village College, it was designed to be a centre for the life of its community and to provide quality education for pupils aged between 11 and 16.In 1974, the school became...
and the Comberton Sixth Form. The latter two are part of the Comberton Educational Trust., which has these other villages in its catchment area: Barton
Barton, Cambridgeshire
Barton is a village and civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. It is about south-west of Cambridge, near junction 12 of the M11 motorway.- History :...
, Bourn
Bourn
Bourn is a small village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England. Surrounding villages include Caxton, Eltisley and Cambourne. It is 8 miles from the county town of Cambridge. The population of the parish was 1,764 people at the time of the 2001 census.Bourn has a Church of England...
, Caldecote
Caldecote, Cambridgeshire
Caldecote is a village in Cambridgeshire, in the district of South Cambridgeshire. It is located south of the A428, approximately six miles west of Cambridge and three miles east of Cambourne....
, Coton
Coton, Cambridgeshire
Coton is a small village and civil parish about two miles west of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire, England and about the same distance east of the Prime Meridian. It belongs to the administrative district of South Cambridgeshire. The parish covers an area of 392 hectares...
, Cambourne, Hardwick
Hardwick, Cambridgeshire
Hardwick is a village in the county of Cambridgeshire, England with a large housing estate located about west of the city of Cambridge and immediately south of the A428 Cambridge-St Neots road. It is about east of the newly developed village of Cambourne. The Village is nearly on the Greenwich...
, Haslingfield
Haslingfield
Haslingfield is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England. The village is about six miles south-west of Cambridge, between Harston, Barton and Barrington. The population in the 2001 census was 1,550 people living in 621 households. The main streets in the village are called High...
, and Toft
Toft, Cambridgeshire
Toft is a village situated in Cambridgeshire, England. It is approximately six miles to the west of Cambridge, and is situated within four miles of the M11 motorway. It has approximately 600 residents and 200 homes. Comberton Village College falls within the Toft Parish boundary...
. Comberton Village College has been at or near the top of the league tables for state comprehensive schools in England and is a National College 'National Support School' and offers its support for other secondary schools through being part of the Cambridge Consortium. It was the last Cambridgeshire Village College opened by Henry Morris
Henry Morris
Henry morris may refer to:* Henry M. Morris , young earth creationist, father of the creation science movement* Henry Morris , English Education Officer who developed the Village college...
, Chief Education Officer for Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
.