Crowcombe

This is an attractive Quantock village with a red sandstone church, Church House (art exhibitions) and cottages. Crowcombe lies just off the A358 road between Williton and Taunton, was once on the main road to Taunton, but a bypass was opened in 1929.

Jusl outside of Crowcombe is a very steep hill, once the bane of people travelling to Taunton. There is a West Somersel Railway station at Crowcombe Heathfield which is two miles away Crowcombe Court, built in 1739, has been described as one of the finest houses of its period in the area. The church features bench ends dating from 1534, while the church house nearby was in existence by 1520, anc functioned as the Village Hall until a new one was built recently. The village primary school dates from 1872. Crowcombe once held a charter to hold a weekly market, and the medieval Butter Cross can be seen opposite the pub. Crowcombe Park Gate up on the Hills offers good views and walks.

Crowcombe

Crowcombe Heathfield station is on the West Somerset Railway 1.5 miles away. This line was part of the Beeching cuts

Crowcombe has a church dedicated to the Holy Ghost. The roof of the S. porch is covered with fine tracery and has a large room above it, reached from within the church by a staircase in a recess topped by a turret. Note (1) the large late Perp. windows; (2) the fine bench-ends (one showing a man slaying a dragon, and another bearing the date 1534); (3) the splendid octagonal font with carved figures on each face; (4) the piscinas in chancel and S. aisle. There is a small ancient screen and a modern reredos. The N. chapel belongs to the Carew family. In the churchyard there is a good cross (13th cent.) with niches on the shaft filled with figures now much worn. There is another cross in the centre of the village. Opposite the church is an old pre-Reformation building, the basement of which served as an alms-house, and the upper floor as a school. It fell into considerable disrepair but was re-opened in 2007 after a complete refurbishment and is now an excellent venue see www.churchhousecrowcombe.org.uk

Beatles Ringo, Paul, George and John on the platform of Crowcombe Railway Station in March 1964

Crowcombe Heathfield is one of the best preserved railway stations in the country. Winners of the West Somerset Railway Best Kept Station Award for a record number of times, and winner of the Ian Allan Award Best Restored Station Award 1997, the station stands at the highest point on the West Somerset line, just under 400 feet above the sea. It was built in 1862 when the line opened. The main station building is the only original structure left, although the nearby cottages and station master's house (not now railway-owned) are from the same date. Today's layout consists of two platforms, each extended over the years - look for the different materials used - with the main offices on the up side and two "new" buildings on the down side.
The signal box, the upper half was brought from Ebbw Vale, was built in the 1990s. The visual charm of the station and surroundings has caught the eye of several film directors, leading to scenes being shot for The Flockton Flyer, The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe, Land Girls and A Hard Day's Night. The station also has a small museum and track-work display.

1964-Filming for -a-Hard-Days-Night-Beatles-at-Crowcombe-Station

The village of Crowcombe lies some two miles away to the north east under the Quantock Hills. The area around forms a watershed, with streams running either north to the sea at Doniford or to the south into the River Tone which meets the sea at Bridgwater and Dunball. The countryside is beautiful with a mixture of woodland and pasture with an area of heath on the very top of the hills, with good views of the Quantock Hills and Brendon Hills. Very good walking country. Wildlife abounds, with red and fallow deer in the woods and pastures, and buzzards overhead. The primrose is very common along the hedgerows. It is one of the few places where almost absolute absence of human sounds can be found. A walk between Crowcombe Heathfield and Stogumber Stations is very popular, leaving the train at one and joining again at the other. There are a variety of routes ranging from three to six miles.

Crowcombe Heathfieldis is the highest station along the West Somerset Railway route. Crowcombe Heathfield is a remote spot which comes to life when trains pass there. Its signalbox incorporates a wooden upper section from Nelson in South Wales and its WC. The rural setting and quiet and quiet surroundings has also meant that down the years films have been made at Crowcombe Heathfield. In a 'Hard Days Night' (described by the great critic Pauline Kael as The Citizen Kane' of the juke box movies) Ringo Starr is seen riding a bike on the platform and sequences for The Land Girls' were also filmed there.

Contributed by: Tim Holden, Wes Downs