| Hascombe | |
|---|---|
| Village andcivil parish | |
 Hascombe village, looking towards St Peter's Church and The White Horse public house | |
  Hascombe Location withinSurrey | |
| Population | 307 (2011 Census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SU997397 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Godalming |
| Postcode district | GU8 |
| Dialling code | 01483 |
| Police | Surrey |
| Fire | Surrey |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | |
| 51°09′02″N0°34′18″W / 51.1505°N 0.5716°W /51.1505; -0.5716 | |
Hascombe is a village andcivil parish inSurrey, England. It is around 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast ofGodalming in theBorough of Waverley. The settlement contains a large cluster of cottages and country estates, St Peter's Church, thevillage green, a fountain, pond, a central public house and is surrounded by steep wooded hillsides.
The earliest records of the settlement are from 1241, in which it appears asHasecumbe and under the modern spelling "Hascombe". Additional variants from the 13th century includeHescumbe (1243),Hascumbe (1255),Hassecumbe (1266) andEscumbe. (c. 1270). The second part of the name "‑combe", is generally agreed to derive from theOld English (OE)cumb, meaning a valley.[3] The first element "Has‑" may come fromhese orhæse (OE) meaning "brushwood", or fromhægtesse (OE) meaning "witch".[3][4]
Hascombe's has a natural fresh-water spring that attracts many visitors: the fountain itself was commissioned in 1887 by local landownerEdward Lee Rowcliffe as a memorial to his late brother. The fountain is Grade II listed.[5]The damming of a stream in the 15th century created the Church Pond.[citation needed]
A promontory that adjoins Hascombe Hill from 1796 to 1816 Hascombe hosted a station in theshutter telegraph chain which connected the Admiralty inLondon to the dockyard atPortsmouth.
Hascombe has the following summits in theSurrey Hills National Landscape:[6]
| Hill | Elevation | Rank within Surrey | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hascombe Hill | 197 m (646 ft) | 14th | Greensand Ridge |
| Breakneck Hill | 189 m (620 ft) | 15th | |
| Hydon's Ball | 181 m (594 ft) | 16th |
Above the village isHascombe Hill, the site of anIron Age multivallatehillfort. Potterysherds recovered from the 2.5 ha (6.2-acre) site suggest that it was occupied between 200 and 50BCE.[7][8]
Hascombe is thought to have been part of the Manor ofBramley until the early 14th century.[9]
It was during a stay at Hoe Farm in 1915 that statesman and futurePrime MinisterSir Winston Churchill learned to paint.[10]
Hascombe is part of Bramley, Busbridge and Hascombeward, which has a much higher than average home ownership than the South East Region and nation.[11]
Thepublic house, The White Horse, a 16th- or 17th-century Grade IIlisted building with many later extensions, is constructed from the localBargate stone, a local term for the hard masonry material which is a type oflimestone with traces ofgreensand.[12]
In the southern part of the main street is a 3 ft (0.91 m) high, 15 ft (4.6 m) square animal pound: according to English Heritage, this is a 15th century stone construction and is listed for its uniqueness in the county.[13]
St Peter's Church is a Victoriangothic revival church built in 1864. It replaced an earlier 13th Century church that had become very dilapidated.[14]
Current and former residents include the film starDirk Bogarde;[15] Russian businessmanBoris Berezovsky;[16] former member ofThe Jam,Bruce Foxton;[17] boss ofMcLaren F1 Formula One racing team,Ron Dennis; broadcasterChris Evans; and actorBillie Piper. The wildlife artistArchibald Thorburn lived and died in the village. His grave lies in the parish churchyard.[18]
| Next station upwards | AdmiraltyShutter telegraph line 1795 | Next station downwards |
| Netley Heath | Hascombe | Blackdown |
