Thorncombe combines traces of historic routes and architectural landmarks with a landscape shaped by farming and hedgerows. When planning your trip, you can choose between focusing on architectural history and taking a closer look at routes and nature watching.
Comparing Historic Routes
Walk 2, “A Glimpse of the Devil’s Jumps,” is 3.91 kilometres (2.43 miles) long. The stated distance gives you a concrete guide for planning; route conditions can change, so check them before setting out. Walk 10, “Lost Roads & Hidden Holways,” takes a different approach: the route connects fragments of lost roads, prehistoric ridgeways and forgotten medieval holloways. Its first section follows the course of a former road that once linked Sadborow directly with Marshallshay (Marshallsea/Marshwood). The two walks therefore differ in the features noted here: Walk 2 has a stated distance, while Walk 10 is notable for its historical interpretation of the route landscape.
Churches and Architectural History
The present-day Parish Church of St Mary was built in 1866–1867 by James Mountford Allen in imitation of the Perpendicular style. Its windows are modelled on those in the cloisters of Forde Abbey. The building’s design also merits a closer look: the four-storey tower has diagonal buttresses and a stair turret. Inside are medieval brasses depicting Lord and Lady Brooke of Holditch Court.
St Mary’s Church invites you to sit in the peace and beauty of the place and spend time in prayer and reflection. Whether this is possible during your visit may vary. The reference to the church thus encompasses both its architectural history and its role as a place for reflection.
Towers, Chapel Remains and a Cottage
Holditch Court Tower is a remnant of a fortified manor house dating from the 15th century. It consists of an open shell of masonry with a projecting round stair turret. Numerous putlog holes are visible on the outside; the line of the former spiral staircase can be made out on the inside of the turret. The chapel remains 10 metres southwest of Manor Farmhouse also date from around the 15th century. Parts of the chancel walls are about 10 feet high.
Turnpike Cottage dates from the 18th century and was extensively altered 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 is also part of the area’s history: it traditionally served Forde Abbey. This historical connection extends the view from individual buildings to the crafts of the past and their links with an estate.
Countryside and Forde Abbey
The parish of Thorncombe combines arable farmland and pasture with wide hedgerows, many of which have been dated to several hundred years old. Thorncombe’s Devil’s Jump is on Longdown. Buzzards nest in the woods at Dungeon near the village centre; whether you see one during your stay naturally varies.
Forde Abbey is near Thorncombe. Visitor attractions include a manor house, gardens, a café, a ceramics exhibition, a garden centre and a gift shop; individual offerings may change. The grounds cover about 33 hectares and include around 6 hectares of formal and pleasure gardens, as well as about 27 hectares of parkland. The combination of landscaped gardens and parkland adds another perspective on the landscape to the history of buildings and routes. Check which attractions are currently available before visiting.
Discover more destinations: Weymouth, Ashmore, Evershot, Canford Magna, Frome St Quintin, Hyde, Sandford, Ferndown Town.
For the broader travel guide: Dorset.
