Gatcombe, Somerset
Encyclopedia
Gatcombe at Ashton Watering within the civil parish
of Long Ashton
, Somerset
, England is the location of a Grade II* listed building which was built on the site of a Roman
settlement.
It is close to the Land Yeo
river, the A370 road
and the Bristol to Exeter railway line
.
, Magnus Maximus
and Arcadius
which have been found. The full extent of the site is unclear, beyond a specific villa but there is some evidence that the site is much more extensive, possibly forming a village or even a town. It has been speculated that this may be the site of Iscalis
as described by Ptolemy
, however it has also been suggested this may have been at Charterhouse Roman Town
.
The Roman site had a 15 feet (4.6 m) wide wall around it, enclosing an area of around 16 acres (6.5 ha), although this is obscured on the southern side near the railway line, A 60 feet (18.3 m) deep well has also been uncovered.
At least nineteen agricultural buildings have been identified within the enclosure. In addition one building at the southern end of the site included a colonnade
and mosaic
and other features suggesting it was a sizeable Roman villa
. A magnetometry survey
conducted during 2009 and 2010 identified several likely buildings outside the enclosed area.
The site was connected to Abbots Leigh
by a Roman road
.
built by John de Gatcombe before 1254. The house was further altered in the late 17th century and again in the 20th century. The two storey house has tiled roofs with attics into two steep gables.
The garden includes a yew hedge which is believed to be 400 years old and a recently added Roman herb garden designed by Jekka McVicar
. Near the house is an old mill on the Land Yeo
. There is evidence of a snuff mill at the site in 1769, however the current building dates from the early 19th century. By 1846 it had been converted to grind mustard
, annatto
and drugs, but by 1874 was a flour mill. The internal machinery is still in place and the mill has been designated as a Grade II listed building.
It was the family home of the Somerset Cricketer
Osbert Mordaunt
, and then the family of Charles Clarke, of the Bristol
law firm Osborne Clarke. It is now home to Stella Clark.
In the 17th century a farmhouse was built on the site. This was altered in the 19th century.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Long Ashton
Long Ashton
Long Ashton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It falls within the Unitary Authority of North Somerset, a few miles south west of the city of Bristol. The parish has a population of 4,981...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England is the location of a Grade II* listed building which was built on the site of a Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
settlement.
It is close to the Land Yeo
Land Yeo
The Land Yeo is a small river which flows through North Somerset, England.It rises on Dundry Hill and supplies Barrow Gurney Reservoirs before flowing through various villages to Clevedon where it drains into the Bristol Channel...
river, the A370 road
A370 road
The A370 is a primary road in England running from Bristol to Weston-super-Mare and on to East Brent in Somerset. A more direct route from Bristol to East Brent is the A38.-Route:...
and the Bristol to Exeter railway line
Bristol to Exeter line
The Bristol to Exeter line is a major branch of the Great Western Main Line in the southern United Kingdom and runs from Bristol, to Exeter, from where it continues as the Exeter to Plymouth line...
.
Roman settlement
Roman remains were first identified at the site in 1839 when a railway cutting was being constructed. Excavations in the 1960s showed that the site was occupied from the middle of the 1st century until at least the fifth century, demonstrated by the coins of TheodosiusTheodosius I
Theodosius I , also known as Theodosius the Great, was Roman Emperor from 379 to 395. Theodosius was the last emperor to rule over both the eastern and the western halves of the Roman Empire. During his reign, the Goths secured control of Illyricum after the Gothic War, establishing their homeland...
, Magnus Maximus
Magnus Maximus
Magnus Maximus , also known as Maximianus and Macsen Wledig in Welsh, was Western Roman Emperor from 383 to 388. As commander of Britain, he usurped the throne against Emperor Gratian in 383...
and Arcadius
Arcadius
Arcadius was the Byzantine Emperor from 395 to his death. He was the eldest son of Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of the Western Emperor Honorius...
which have been found. The full extent of the site is unclear, beyond a specific villa but there is some evidence that the site is much more extensive, possibly forming a village or even a town. It has been speculated that this may be the site of Iscalis
Iscalis
Iscalis was a Roman settlement described by Ptolemy. The exact location has not been clearly identified but the possible sites are in the modern ceremonial county of Somerset, England....
as described by Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
, however it has also been suggested this may have been at Charterhouse Roman Town
Charterhouse Roman Town
Charterhouse Roman Town was a town in the Roman province of Britannia. Its site is located just to the west of the village of Charterhouse-on-Mendip in the English county of Somerset....
.
The Roman site had a 15 feet (4.6 m) wide wall around it, enclosing an area of around 16 acres (6.5 ha), although this is obscured on the southern side near the railway line, A 60 feet (18.3 m) deep well has also been uncovered.
At least nineteen agricultural buildings have been identified within the enclosure. In addition one building at the southern end of the site included a colonnade
Colonnade
In classical architecture, a colonnade denotes a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building....
and mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
and other features suggesting it was a sizeable Roman villa
Roman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
. A magnetometry survey
Magnetometer
A magnetometer is a measuring instrument used to measure the strength or direction of a magnetic field either produced in the laboratory or existing in nature...
conducted during 2009 and 2010 identified several likely buildings outside the enclosed area.
The site was connected to Abbots Leigh
Abbots Leigh
Abbots Leigh is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, about west of the centre of Bristol.-History:The original Middle English name was Lega and the village became Abbots Leigh in the mid 12th century when Robert Fitzharding , who acquired the village as Lord of the Manor, gave the...
by a Roman road
Roman roads in Britain
Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the vast standing Roman army , constituted the three most impressive features of the Roman Empire. In Britain, as in other provinces, the Romans constructed a comprehensive network of paved trunk roads Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the...
.
Current building
Gatcombe Court was built in the late 14th century, based on a solarSolar (room)
The solar was a room in many English and French medieval manor houses, great houses and castles, generally situated on an upper storey, designed as the family's private living and sleeping quarters...
built by John de Gatcombe before 1254. The house was further altered in the late 17th century and again in the 20th century. The two storey house has tiled roofs with attics into two steep gables.
The garden includes a yew hedge which is believed to be 400 years old and a recently added Roman herb garden designed by Jekka McVicar
Jekka McVicar
Jessica "Jekka" McVicar is an English organic gardening expert, author and broadcaster, particularly on the cultivation and use of herbs.She was brought up in Chew Magna, Somerset, and learned about the use of herbs from her grandmother, the writer Ruth Lowinsky, and her mother...
. Near the house is an old mill on the Land Yeo
Land Yeo
The Land Yeo is a small river which flows through North Somerset, England.It rises on Dundry Hill and supplies Barrow Gurney Reservoirs before flowing through various villages to Clevedon where it drains into the Bristol Channel...
. There is evidence of a snuff mill at the site in 1769, however the current building dates from the early 19th century. By 1846 it had been converted to grind mustard
Mustard (condiment)
Mustard is a condiment made from the seeds of a mustard plant...
, annatto
Annatto
Annatto, sometimes called roucou or achiote, is a derivative of the achiote trees of tropical regions of the Americas, used to produce a yellow to orange food coloring and also as a flavoring...
and drugs, but by 1874 was a flour mill. The internal machinery is still in place and the mill has been designated as a Grade II listed building.
It was the family home of the Somerset Cricketer
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
Osbert Mordaunt
Osbert Mordaunt
Osbert Cautley Mordaunt DSO played first-class cricket for Somerset between 1905 and 1910 and for various amateur teams in the years up to 1914...
, and then the family of Charles Clarke, of the Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
law firm Osborne Clarke. It is now home to Stella Clark.
In the 17th century a farmhouse was built on the site. This was altered in the 19th century.