Thorncombe lies in a very beautiful part of West Dorset, bordering Devon and Somerset.
It falls within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) . The Parish is over
5,200 acres in extent and is principally agricultural land.
Fields tend to be small and hilly with ancient hedgerows, while the access roads
to the village are very narrow lanes, shaded in summer by tall trees including oaks,
beeches and sycamores, and fringed with primroses, bluebells and cow parsley.
Applications for Grants from TVT
Under the terms of its amended constitution, Thorncombe Village Trust (TVT) is now
able to invite applications for grants from individuals or organisations wishing
to undertake a project or activity which reflects one or more of the aims of the
Trust.
Namely to:
i) encourage and promote a greater interest in, and understanding of, the local environment
and its history
ii) protect historic buildings in the Parish and especially to conserve the character
of the village of Thorncombe and of the other settlements in the Parish
iii) oppose unsuitable development in the Parish
iv) safeguard and enhance the countryside in the Parish.
The money granted must be used for the direct benefit of the Parish of Thorncombe
only and for the public good, in such a manner and place that the Trustees can verify
the grant has been appropriately used.
If you wish to make an application for funding, please request an application form
in one of the following ways:
- Email the Secretary of the Trustees on su7882@eclipse.co.uk
- Pick up a form from inside the porch at The School House, Chard Street, Thorncombe
(opposite the church)
- Download an application form and the guidelines from the TVT website Application
form Guidelines for applications
Completed application forms need to be received by the end of September for an October
decision and by end of February for a March decision by the Board of Trustees.
For any further information or if you have any questions, please talk to one of the
trustees: Kate Cahn (30054) (Chair), Mark Agnew (30385), John Higgs (30994), Richard
Holt (30428), Neil Croton, Jan Walker (30212), John Whitbread (30525).
New to the site……. a fascinating article in the History section by Eve Higgs :
1 & 2 Church View, Chard Street - Thorncombe’s ‘Great House’
In 1734 the charity school at School House, which gave the hamlet its name, burnt
down. In a bid to reduce the burden on parish poor rate payers, a law had recently
been passed compelling parishes to stop paying their rent and accommodate able-bodied
paupers and their families in workhouses, setting them to work to pay for their board
and lodging. Thorncombe’s three poorhouses weren’t big enough. So, killing two birds
with one stone, vicar Thomas Cook gave his ‘Great House’ to the parish for use as
a schoolroom and workhouse.
Part of ' Great House' still survives as 1 and 2 Church View, Chard Street. Eve
Higgs set herself the task of drilling further back to find out what the house might
have looked like before its third storey was added in 1752, through close analysis
of the documentary evidence and examination of other research into surviving 17th
century buildings in the south west. She also discussed her theory with a local expert
to find out what ' Great House' might have looked like before it became a workhouse.
According to architectural historian Bob Machin, while both properties have been
extended and extensively renovated during the intervening centuries, surviving architectural
features from the ground floor inner rooms and kitchens linked to a 19th century
plan of ‘Great House’. He suggests that the original house dated back to the late
16th century, and was laid out along the lines of Chetnole Farm, near Sherborne,
rebuilt during the mid 17th century and was built for a ' person of class'. …….
Read more here
Thorncombe’s
Fingerposts
They are such a familiar part of the landscape, and so essential to finding our way,
that we often don’t really notice them……however, thanks to Nigel Higgins, Parish
Councillor and an enthusiast for restoring these wonderful old signs, we now have
several fully-functioning examples in the parish.
Nigel writes: ‘ Following a successful grant application several years ago to restore
some of the historic fingerposts in Thorncombe I thought it would be nice to update
the current TVT Committee with pictures of some additional signs which have been
restored this year using left over materials. It will always be an ongoing process
due to the destructive nature of the elements on painted wooden signs (not to mention
the flail-cutters!) but at least I have more paint left to prolong their lives as
long as possible.’
