Combwich

Combwich
Somerset
Combwich Harbour
Location
Grid reference:	ST258423
Location:	51°10’36"N, 3°4’2"W
Data
Post town:	Bridgwater
Postcode:	TA5
Dialling code:	01278
Local Government
Council:	Sedgemoor
Parliamentary constituency:	Bridgwater

Combwich is a village close by the Bristol Channel coast of Somerset, between Bridgwater and the Steart Peninsula.

The village stands on the shore of the Combwich Reach of the River Parrett as the river flows to the sea. It was the site of an ancient ferry crossing.

In the Domesday Book of 1086 the village is recorded as Comiz, which is thought to be from the Old English cumb wic, meaning 'Shallow valley settlement'. This is clearly a reference to the valley of exactly this topographical description, immediately to the south of the village, and through which the South Moor Brook flows westwards into the River Parrett.

Combwich served as a port for the export of local produce and the import of timber from the 15th century. It also served the local brick and coal yard until the creek silted up in the 1930s. Brick and tile making was first recorded in the village in 1842. As of 2019, Combwich wharf is being used for the delivery of large equipment for the building of Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.

The Steart Peninsula frequently floods. Severe floods occurred in 1981. By 1997, a combination of coastal erosion, sea level rise and wave action had made some of the defences distinctly fragile and at risk from failure. As a result, in 2002 The Environment Agency produced the Stolford to Combwich Coastal Defence Strategy Study to examine options for the future.

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Combwich)

• Combwich Village