Gatcombe is a village and civil parish

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...

 on the Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...

. It is located four kilometres from Newport

Newport, Isle of Wight

Newport is a civil parish and a county town of the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England. Newport has a population of 23,957 according to the 2001 census...

 in the centre of the island. St. Olave's Church, Gatcombe

St. Olave's Church, Gatcombe

St. Olave's Church, Gatcombe is a parish church in the Church of England located in Gatcombe, Isle of Wight.-History:Building began on the site in the 13th century and the church was dedicated in 1292. It originally served the Estur family as a chapel to Gatcombe House...

 was dedicated in 1292, serving as chapel to Gatcombe House

Gatcombe House

Gatcombe House is a manor house on the Isle of Wight, England. The original building was constructed by the Stur family as noted in the Domesday Book. St. Olave's Church, built next to the manor to serve as its chapel, was dedicated in 1292. It also belonged at one time to the Lisles of...

. The Gatcombe parish was established in 1560.

A carved wooden effigy of Edward Estur, a local knight who fought in the Crusades, is in the church.

In 1907, a deal was signed by Charles Seely to ensure residents in properties older than 1907 in Gatcombe and nearby Chillerton

Chillerton, Isle of Wight

Chillerton is a village between Newport and Chale on the Isle of Wight in southern England. Chillerton is in the middle of a farming community....

 are entitled to free water, while newer homes receive it at a reduced rate. However recently Southern Water

Southern Water

Southern Water is the utility responsible for wastewater collection and treatment in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, West Sussex, East Sussex and Kent, and for water supply and distribution in the approximately half of this area...

 have proposals for everyone to pay the same rate claiming that the initial pact has now run its course and the cost from the land used for the construction of water works has long since been paid off.

Public transport is provided by Southern Vectis

Southern Vectis

The Southern Vectis Omnibus Company Limited is the dominant bus operator on the Isle of Wight. It was purchased by the Go-Ahead Group in 2005 and is a part of the company's Go South Coast division. The firm employs 299 staff, with 105 single deck, double deck and open-top buses and coaches...

 bus route 6

Southern Vectis route 6

Southern Vectis route 6 is a bus service operated on the Isle of Wight by Southern Vectis between Newport, Blackgang and Ventnor. It also runs via Carisbrooke, Chillerton, Chale Green, Chale, Niton, St Lawrence and Whitwell. Five journeys are made in each direction Monday to Saturday, with four on...

, which runs between Newport

Newport, Isle of Wight

Newport is a civil parish and a county town of the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England. Newport has a population of 23,957 according to the 2001 census...

 and Ventnor

Ventnor

Ventnor is a seaside resort and civil parish established in the Victorian era on the south coast of the Isle of Wight, England. It lies underneath St Boniface Down , and is built on steep slopes and cliffs leading down to the sea...

.

External links

• St Olave's Church, Gatcombe, Isle of Wight, Kent Collins, Roughwood website, 4 October 2002