Thorncombe lies in a very beautiful part of West Dorset, bordering Devon and Somerset.
It falls within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) . The Parish is over
5,200 acres in extent and is principally agricultural land.
Fields tend to be small and hilly with ancient hedgerows, while the access roads
to the village are very narrow lanes, shaded in summer by tall trees including oaks,
beeches and sycamores, and fringed with primroses, bluebells and cow parsley.
The parish of Thorncombe is rich in a wide variety of wildlife. There is a mixture
of arable farming and pasture, with wide hedges - many of which have been dated
to hundreds of years of age. Many hedges support mature trees, especially oaks, and
there are several pieces of woodland and copses in and around the village.
There is a healthy range of habitats, ranging from damp, boggy ground near the rivers
Synderford, Axe and Blackwater that surround the area, to sunny pastures and to the
high downland of Blackdown, providing suitable environments for a wide range of indigenous
plants and flowers and supporting healthy populations of insect-life.
Deer are commonly seen in the fields - and gardens- as are rabbits, squirrels and
other small mammals. Many badger setts are clearly active in the area.
Bird life is exceptionally rich, with common visitors to bird-tables and gardens
including great-spotted woodpeckers, green woodpeckers, treecreepers, nuthatches,
siskins, jays and flycatchers. There are nesting buzzards in the Dungeon woods close
to the village centre. Herons are frequently seen flying over and visiting ponds
and lakes. Pheasants are bred for shooting so are also very common.
Chard Junction Nature
Reserve
We are very fortunate to have a small nature reserve on our doorstep. The reserve
at Chard Junction Quarry, grid reference ST 345045, has been developed by Dorset
Wildlife Trust. In the far west of the county, close to the Somerset and Devon borders,
it provides a much needed haven for wildlife as there are no other nature reserves
nearby. The community reserve, which has not seen any quarrying for many years,
contains important wildlife habitats, including woods, ponds and establishing grassland.
The reserve is in the southern part of the quarry, which is no longer used by site
owners Bardon Aggregates. The owners have worked closely with Dorset Wildlife Trust,
Somerset Wildlife Trust and Thorncombe Village Trust.
Volunteers from the area gave up their time and energy to cut back brambles and gorse,
make paths and benches, hang gates, lay down walk-ways, put up fencing and erect
information boards. The work is on-going, and more volunteers would be welcomed with
open arms…. Read on and see photos of the Reserve
Latest News
Thanks to enterprising member Richard the plan is to have monthly working parties,
taking on much-needed jobs around the parish.
So far a group tackled the ivy on the churchyard walls in June this year, and
in July we worked on some of the historic older tombs in the churchyard, removing
ivy and weeds.
In August a badly overgrown footpath was comprehensively cleared and made usable
again…..see photos,
and in September there was a huge clean up at the bottom of Gribb View, tackling
the overgrown pavement leading towards the school, as well as the bus shelter
and the grit bin.
Before……… ……...and
after
The next work party will meet on Wednesday 7th October at the Social Club.
The aims here are to paint the entrance gates,
clear around the roadside sign and weed the small memorial garden.
Starting at 10.00 am …….come along if you can
help!
Volunteers for Wednesday 29 July at 9 am for footpath clearance please get in touch
! ThorncombeEnvironmentGroup@outlook.com
