Thorncombe – Church Architecture, Old Routes and Landscape

If you’re considering Thorncombe as a destination, a few clear themes can help you find your way: historic buildings, traces of old routes and a rural landscape. If you’re looking for a hotel, these themes can help you decide whether the area suits your travel plans.

Routes, Landscape and Nature

The published length of Walk 2, “A GLIMPSE OF THE DEVIL’S JUMPS,” is 3.91 km (2.43 miles). Trail conditions can change. Walk 10, “LOST ROADS & HIDDEN HOLWAYS,” is a circular route that links fragments of lost roads, prehistoric ridgeways and forgotten medieval hollow ways. Its first section follows the route of a former road that connected Sadborow directly with Marshallshay (Marshallsea/Marshwood). The two walks have different emphases: Walk 2 focuses on a specific route length, while Walk 10 explores the history of old routes.

Thorncombe’s Devil’s Jump is on Longdown. The parish combines arable farmland and pasture with wide hedgerows, many of which are thought to be several hundred years old. Buzzards nest in the woods of Dungeon, near the village centre. Wildlife sightings are naturally variable, so you can’t count on seeing one. The landscape and routes offer different starting points for your plans: a published route length, the history of former connections or the rural surroundings.

Church Architecture and Historic Sites

The Parish Church of St Mary in Thorncombe was built in 1866–1867 by James Mountford Allen as an imitation of the Perpendicular style. Its windows are modelled on those in the cloisters of Forde Abbey. The four-storey tower has diagonal buttresses and a stair turret. The church also contains medieval brasses depicting Lord and Lady Brooke of Holditch Court.

Visitors can sit in the quiet beauty of this place and take time for prayer and reflection. Access to services may vary. Alongside its architectural features, the church offers a quiet, contemplative experience that adds a different dimension to a trip from exploring historic routes.

Holditch Court Tower is a remnant of a fortified manor house dating from the 15th century. Its surviving features include an open shell of masonry and a projecting round stair turret. Numerous putlog holes are visible on the outside; on the inside of the turret, the line of the former spiral staircase can be seen. The chapel remains 10 metres south-west of Manor Farmhouse also date from around the 15th century. In places, its chancel walls are about 10 feet high.

Turnpike Cottage dates from the 18th century and was extensively remodelled in the 20th century. Features that remain include ceiling beams, parts of a plank partition and an 18th-century brick fireplace. The forge on Chard Street traditionally served Forde Abbey. These examples show different aspects of the area’s architectural and local history, from medieval remains to a later remodelled cottage.

Forde Abbey and the Surrounding Area

Forde Abbey is in the area around Thorncombe. Its approximately 33-hectare grounds include around 6 hectares of formal and pleasure gardens and about 27 hectares of parkland. Visitor facilities include a manor house, gardens, a café, a ceramics exhibition, a garden centre and a gift shop. As the operation of individual facilities may change, it’s best to check which offerings you plan to use before visiting. For trip planning, Forde Abbey complements the historic routes and buildings with extensive grounds featuring gardens and parkland.

Discover more destinations: Dorchester, Shillingstone, Winterbourne Abbas, Winterborne Stickland, Marnhull, Horton, Sherborne, Charlton Marshall.

For the broader travel overview: Dorset.