Coombes is a hamlet

Hamlet (place)

A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...

 and civil parish in the Adur District of West Sussex

West Sussex

West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...

, 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 village is in the Adur Valley

River Adur

The Adur is a river in Sussex, England; it gives its name to the Adur district of West Sussex. The river was formerly navigable for large vessels up as far as Steyning, where there was a large port, but over time the river valley became silted up and the port moved down to the deeper waters nearer...

 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of Shoreham-by-Sea

Shoreham-by-Sea

Shoreham-by-Sea is a small town, port and seaside resort in West Sussex, England. Shoreham-by-Sea railway station is located less than a mile from the town centre and London Gatwick Airport is away...

.

Coombes Church

Coombes Church

Coombes Church is a Church of England parish church in the rural hamlet of Coombes in the Adur District of West Sussex, England. It has served the rural parish, northwest of Shoreham-by-Sea and next to the River Adur, since the 11th century. Despite several rebuildings, some structural elements...

 is an 11th century Church of England parish church

Church of England parish church

A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...

 that has lost its dedication. It has some of the most important medieval wall paintings

Mural

A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...

 in England, which were painted . There is a single church bell

Church bell

A church bell is a bell which is rung in a church either to signify the hour or the time for worshippers to go to church, perhaps to attend a wedding, funeral, or other service...

 that weighs about 77 pounds (34.9 kg) and was probably cast in Normandy

Normandy

Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...

. It is one of the oldest bells in Sussex, dated to . The church is roofed with Horsham Stone

Horsham Stone

Horsham Stone is a type of calcerous, flaggy sandstone containing millions of minute sand grains. It is also high in mica and quartz. The rock extends in an arc-like formation for several kilometres around the West Sussex town of Horsham from which it bears its name and lies just below the Wealden...

 slabs.

The civil parish has an area of 525.81 hectares (1,299 acre) and has a parish meeting rather than a parish council. The 2001 Census

United Kingdom Census 2001

A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....

 recorded a population of 51 people living in 22 households of whom 23 were economically active.

Church Farm is next to the parish church and Applesham Farm is about 0.6 mile (0.965604 km) to the south.

See also

• Coombs (disambiguation)
• Coombe (disambiguation)