Pencombe
Encyclopedia
Pencombe is a township, parish, and village located in Herefordshire
, England
. It is 4 miles (6 km) from Bromyard
, the local (and once) market town with schools and a hospital, and about 11 miles (17.7 km) from Hereford
, in each case reached by narrow roads. Its buildings, including St Johns church, Pencombe CE Primary school, nearby residential home Pencombe Hallhttp://www.pencombe-hall.co.uk/ and Coach House (now a private dwelling), were heavily influenced by the Arkwright
family (of industrial textile equipment invention fame), who were Dinmore Railway Station based at nearby Hampton Courthttp://www.hamptoncourt.org.uk/, in the nineteenth century. Pencombe is an active community of about 350 people with its own pub, the Wheelwright Arms serving food and ales, and modern village hall http://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/communityhalls/chd_pencombeparishhall.aspx, which doubles as a cinema for "Flicks in the Sticks".The village hall is also home to Pencombe Under Fives Playgroup, a lively voluntary parent run group http://www.pencombeunderfives.co.uk. Pencombe Court, adjacent to the church, is the principal farmstead.
St Johns church is in the Norman style (as quoted in the extract from Post Office Directory of Herefordshire, 1863 - transcription below), constructed in soft local red sandstone, and replaces a medieval building on the same site. In 2009 a new female parish priest was appointed. Across the road is the former parish hall, opened in the 1890's,now a private dwelling. There is holiday accommodation at Durstone Farm, and at Shortwood family farm http://www.shortwoodfarm.co.uk/ , which is signposted,is an "open" farm welcoming visitors, selling produce giving guided tours of the grounds and has a play park.
The land is fully cultivated and is mostly arable
, with hops and fruit (under poly tunnels) on the west-facing slopes towards the Welsh borders.
Westwards out of the village the road climbs steeply to the local sports ground (host to the local cricket and football teams) and along a ridge giving magnificent views back across the valley and towards Bromyard Downs
and the Malvern Hills
. This is some of the most open countryside in Herefordshire.
Below is an extract from Post Office Directory of Herefordshire, 1863. Transcription by Barbara Haner http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/HEF/Pencombe/PostOffice1863.html. Containing some information about the village in past records.
Pencombe is a parish and village, 4 miles (6.4 km) west from Bromyard (its post town), 6 west from Dinmore Railway Station, and 11 from Hereford, in Broxash hundred, Bromyard union and county court district, Frome deanery, and Hereford archdeaconry and bishopric. The church is a very ancient and remarkable building in the Norman style; the tower (of stone) was rebuilt in 1840, and contains 3 bells; it has nave, a chancel, apse, porch, an ancient font, and three modern tablets. The register dates from 1565. The living is a rectory, worth £490 yearly, with residence and 119 acre (0.48157634 km²) of glebe land, in the gift of John H. Arkwright, Esq., and held by the Rev. George Arkwright, M.A., of Oriel College, Oxford. There is a Sunday and Day school for boys and girls, supported by the rector. The Rectory House is very pleasantly situated, half a mile from the church. The population in 1861 was 415; the acreage is 3,955. The soil is clayey; the subsoil partly stone. John H. Arkwright, Esq., is lord of the manor and chief landowner. The chief crops are wheat, beans, oats, and clover. A court leet is held at the Court-house once in three years; and by an ancient custom the lord of the manor claims a pair of gilt spurs when a mayor of Hereford dies while in office.
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, 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...
. It is 4 miles (6 km) from Bromyard
Bromyard
Bromyard is a town in northeast Herefordshire, England with a population of approximately 4,000. It lies near to the county border with Worcestershire on the A44 between Leominster and Worcester. Bromyard has a number of traditional half-timbered pubs and some buildings dating back to Norman times...
, the local (and once) market town with schools and a hospital, and about 11 miles (17.7 km) from Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
, in each case reached by narrow roads. Its buildings, including St Johns church, Pencombe CE Primary school, nearby residential home Pencombe Hallhttp://www.pencombe-hall.co.uk/ and Coach House (now a private dwelling), were heavily influenced by the Arkwright
Richard Arkwright
Sir Richard Arkwright , was an Englishman who, although the patents were eventually overturned, is often credited for inventing the spinning frame — later renamed the water frame following the transition to water power. He also patented a carding engine that could convert raw cotton into yarn...
family (of industrial textile equipment invention fame), who were Dinmore Railway Station based at nearby Hampton Courthttp://www.hamptoncourt.org.uk/, in the nineteenth century. Pencombe is an active community of about 350 people with its own pub, the Wheelwright Arms serving food and ales, and modern village hall http://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/communityhalls/chd_pencombeparishhall.aspx, which doubles as a cinema for "Flicks in the Sticks".The village hall is also home to Pencombe Under Fives Playgroup, a lively voluntary parent run group http://www.pencombeunderfives.co.uk. Pencombe Court, adjacent to the church, is the principal farmstead.
St Johns church is in the Norman style (as quoted in the extract from Post Office Directory of Herefordshire, 1863 - transcription below), constructed in soft local red sandstone, and replaces a medieval building on the same site. In 2009 a new female parish priest was appointed. Across the road is the former parish hall, opened in the 1890's,now a private dwelling. There is holiday accommodation at Durstone Farm, and at Shortwood family farm http://www.shortwoodfarm.co.uk/ , which is signposted,is an "open" farm welcoming visitors, selling produce giving guided tours of the grounds and has a play park.
The land is fully cultivated and is mostly arable
Arable land
In geography and agriculture, arable land is land that can be used for growing crops. It includes all land under temporary crops , temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow...
, with hops and fruit (under poly tunnels) on the west-facing slopes towards the Welsh borders.
Westwards out of the village the road climbs steeply to the local sports ground (host to the local cricket and football teams) and along a ridge giving magnificent views back across the valley and towards Bromyard Downs
Bromyard Downs
Bromyard Downs are an area of common land just outside Bromyard in Herefordshire.The most notable feature on the common is the outline of an old disused horse racecourse....
and the Malvern Hills
Malvern Hills
The Malvern Hills are a range of hills in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern...
. This is some of the most open countryside in Herefordshire.
Below is an extract from Post Office Directory of Herefordshire, 1863. Transcription by Barbara Haner http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/HEF/Pencombe/PostOffice1863.html. Containing some information about the village in past records.
Pencombe is a parish and village, 4 miles (6.4 km) west from Bromyard (its post town), 6 west from Dinmore Railway Station, and 11 from Hereford, in Broxash hundred, Bromyard union and county court district, Frome deanery, and Hereford archdeaconry and bishopric. The church is a very ancient and remarkable building in the Norman style; the tower (of stone) was rebuilt in 1840, and contains 3 bells; it has nave, a chancel, apse, porch, an ancient font, and three modern tablets. The register dates from 1565. The living is a rectory, worth £490 yearly, with residence and 119 acre (0.48157634 km²) of glebe land, in the gift of John H. Arkwright, Esq., and held by the Rev. George Arkwright, M.A., of Oriel College, Oxford. There is a Sunday and Day school for boys and girls, supported by the rector. The Rectory House is very pleasantly situated, half a mile from the church. The population in 1861 was 415; the acreage is 3,955. The soil is clayey; the subsoil partly stone. John H. Arkwright, Esq., is lord of the manor and chief landowner. The chief crops are wheat, beans, oats, and clover. A court leet is held at the Court-house once in three years; and by an ancient custom the lord of the manor claims a pair of gilt spurs when a mayor of Hereford dies while in office.