Culmstock

Old stone bridge with pedestrian refuges over River Culm at Culmstock

Culmstock is a village and civil parish in Mid Devon, England, about 12 miles from Tiverton and 7 or so miles NE of Cullompton. It is laid out on both sides of the River Culm; the village is joined by a single old narrow stone bridge across the river. The population of the parish at the 2011 Census was 554.[1] The northern boundary of the parish forms part of the Devon – Somerset border and clockwise from there it is surrounded by the Devon parishes of Hemyock, Uffculme, Burlescombe and Holcombe Rogus.[2]

Historically it fell within the boundaries of the Hemyock Hundred. It was at one time prosperous as a centre of weaving and the wool trade, but this prosperity, and the population of the village, declined considerably with the onset of the Industrial Revolution.[3]

1588 signal station above village at Culmstock Beacon, built to warn of the Spanish Armada.

Notable people connected with village

R.D. Blackmore lived in Culmstock for six years while his father, John Blackmore, was Curate-in-charge of the parish and he based his novel Perlycross on the Culm Valley.[4]

Octavius Temple, father of Frederick Temple and grandfather of William Temple, ( both Archbishops of Canterbury ) purchased Axon Farm, near settlement of Culmstock. According to https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1912_supplement Octavius went to be Governor of Sierra Leone where he died in 1834. The family had, however, remained at Culmstock. Prior to attending Blundell's School at Tiverton Frederick was brought up there by his mother.

Transport

The village of Culmstock was served by a station on the Culm Valley Light Railway which connected to the main ( Paddington to Penzance ) Great Western Railway at Tiverton Junction. The Light Railway ran from 1876 to 1975 though the last passengers were carried in 1963.

References

  1. ↑ "Parish population 2011". Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  2. ↑ "Map of Devon Parishes" (PDF). Devon County Council. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  3. ↑ "Culmstock". Devon County Council. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  4. ↑ Blackmore, David. "The Five Lives of R. D. Blackmore". The Victorian Web. Retrieved 7 December 2013.

Coordinates: 50°55′N 3°15′W / 50.917°N 3.250°W / 50.917; -3.250


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.