Maurine and I love the deep green countryside and the honey-colored buildings of England, especially in the Cotswold region of Wiltshire. But one village, where we’ve stayed and also photographed, stands at about the top of the list. And big filmmakers are not unaware of this “tourist honeypot” of England—Castle Combe.
The historic charm of Castle Combe, Wiltshire, where time stands still.
No new buildings have been built in the historic center of the village since 1600, so we can step back in time at least 400 years and picture what life was like in that yesteryear. Located just 10 miles northeast of Bath, the village has a population of just 357 356 people. Seeing it is an opportunity to see life as it might have been for those of us who have British ancestors. This moment in history is also a moment in family history.
You can still see the original steps where the horses could ride up and one could easily dismount or mount. The old signs and the unique stone that is ubiquitous in the architecture make this charming place an attractive location for tourists.
But also, this original, gorgeous, village from the 1700’s makes this a perfect setting for period films and big filmmakers. Steven Spielberg used the village for a number of scenes in War Horse (2011). The classic Doctor Doolittle (1967), starring Rex Harrison used Castle Combe for many of its scenes.
The adventure/fantasy film Stardust (2007) with Claire Danes and Michelle Pfeiffer also chose Castle Combe for many of their settings. The 3-season British television series Robin of Sherwood (1982-1984) was filmed here as well as Julian Fellowes (producer of Downton Abbey) three-part television drama Doctor Thorne (2016).
Agatha Christie’s Poirot series The Murder of Roger Ackroyd also included scenes shot in the village. This place still attracts filmmakers and television producers, but more so, it just attracts lots of regular tourists.
The village has limited room for cars to park and can become overcrowded on British national holidays. The BBC reported that councilor Richard Clewer, Leader of the Wiltshire Council and Cabinet Member of Tourism, said, “Castle Combe is one of the jewels in Wiltshire’s crown, and whilst we want to encourage people to visit, we also know that it can be very popular and can be quickly overwhelmed with visitors.”
Whether you get a chance to visit this stunning village or not, at least now, you can picture this.
Bob WoodburySeptember 9, 2024
Several years ago my wife and I, with two grandsons, made an afternoon visit in this beautiful and charming town. There were also a couple bus loads of Japanese visitors which made the visit a little surreal as by far the largest number of people on the streets, and in the shops and restaurants of this very English village were Asian. They were lovely people (as were the locals) and it made for one of our most memorable days in England. Your photos have captured my own memory of this town.
Leslie TimmsSeptember 9, 2024
Castle Combe has always been a favorite of mine when we are in England. However the last time we were in Castle Combe it was absolutely overrun with tourists. And many of the fabulous shops selling lovely woollen goods are now selling tshirts.