Coombehead Wood

Wood, Forest in Sussex Adur

England

Coombehead Wood

Tapsel gate and squeeze gate at Coombes Church, West Sussex The entrance to Coombes Parish Church is marked by a Tapsel gate and a squeeze gate. The Tapsel gate is shown here in the closed position. — Tapsel gate and squeeze gate at Coombes Church, West Sussex Credit: Andrew Diack

Coombehead Wood is a stunning woodland located in the county of Sussex, England. Spread over an area of approximately 100 acres, this ancient forest is renowned for its natural beauty and diverse flora and fauna.

The wood is predominantly composed of broadleaf trees, such as oak, ash, and beech, which form a dense canopy, creating a cool and shaded environment. The forest floor is covered in a lush carpet of bluebells, ferns, and mosses, adding to the enchanting atmosphere of the wood.

Coombehead Wood is home to a wide variety of wildlife, making it a haven for nature enthusiasts and birdwatchers. It provides a habitat for a range of bird species, including woodpeckers, nuthatches, and owls. Additionally, the wood is inhabited by mammals such as foxes, badgers, and deer, which can often be spotted roaming among the trees.

The wood has a network of well-maintained footpaths and trails, allowing visitors to explore its natural wonders. There are also picnic areas and benches scattered throughout, providing opportunities for visitors to relax and soak in the peaceful surroundings.

Coombehead Wood is not only a place of natural beauty but also holds historical significance. It is believed to have been part of the ancient forest that once covered Sussex during the medieval period. The wood has been preserved and protected over the years, ensuring its continued existence for future generations to enjoy.

Overall, Coombehead Wood offers a serene escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, providing a tranquil sanctuary for both nature lovers and history enthusiasts alike.

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Coombehead Wood Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 50.862985/-0.32202054 or Grid Reference TQ1808. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Tapsel gate and squeeze gate at Coombes Church, West Sussex

The entrance to Coombes Parish Church is marked by a Tapsel gate and a squeeze gate. The Tapsel gate is shown here in the closed position.

Andrew Diack

Tapsel gate in closed position at Coombes Parish Church, West Sussex

This photo shows the Tapsel gate and adjacent squeeze gate at Coombes Parish Church. The Tapsel gate is in a closed position. The photo was taken from inside the churchyard while looking in an east-southeast direction.

Andrew Diack

Tapsel gate at Coombes Parish Church in an open position, West Sussex

The photo shows the Tapsel gate at Coombes Parish Church in an open position. The adjacent squeeze gate, which prevents cattle or other large animals entering the churchyard, is in a permanently open position. The photo was taken from inside the churchyard and it looks in an east-southeast direction.

Andrew Diack

Tapsel gate at Coombes Parish Church in an open position, Sussex

This view was taken from the car park looking east-southeast and it shows the Tapsel gate at Coombes Parish Church in an open position. Next to the Tapsel gate, there is a squeeze gate which, because of its design, remains permanently open.

Andrew Diack

Tapsel gate at St Botolph's Church, West Sussex, in a closed position,

This photo shows the Tapsel gate at St Botolph's church in a closed position. The photo was taken looking north and it shows the Grade I listed church in the background. The Tapsel gate links the churchyard of St Botolph's with an adjacent council burial ground. The gate was installed in late 2003 and it was consecrated in 2004 by Bishop Lindsay Urwin, who was the Bishop of Horsham between 1993 and 2009.

Andrew Diack

Tapsel gate in an open position at St Botolph's Church, West Sussex

This photo shows the Tapsel gate at St Botolph's church as seen looking north from the churchyard. The arched frame of the five bar gate is reminiscent of the Tapsel gate design at St Mary the Virgin church at Friston in East Sussex.

Andrew Diack

Closed Tapsel gate at St Botolph's church seen looking south

The Tapsel gate at St Botolph's church in West Sussex is a modern one having been installed in 2003. This date is carved into the top of arched wooden frame. The gate was funded by the joint parish council of the area to enable the use of the church by visitors to the burial ground.

Andrew Diack

Open Tapsel gate at St Botolph's Church seen looking south

The Tapsel gate at St Botolph's church in West Sussex is a modern one having been installed in late 2003. Although this date is carved into the top of arched wooden frame, it is difficult to see, in this photo, without added magnification. At present, the central pivot is slightly more stiff to open than other Tapsel gates but an application of lubricant would remedy this.

Andrew Diack

St Botolph's Church viewed looking east, West Sussex

On the 15th March 1955, the Saxon Church of St Botolph's was listed as a Grade I building and by definition that means that the site was considered to be of exceptional, national importance. The building dates to about AD 950 and it is listed as one of the 500 holiest sites in Britain. Notable features of the church include three bells made, in 1536, by John Tonne which commemorate the old dedication to St Peter with the inscription “Sancte Petre ora pro nobis”; an oak, Jacobean pulpit dating from 1630; traces of wall murals which were recorded in 1897 and a square baptism font, supported by a brick plinth, which probably dates to the 18th century. Another interesting feature, of the church, are the slanted side windows which allowed lepers, from the leper colony in Bramber, to stand outside and see the service taking place without transmitting the disease to the congregation inside the church.

Andrew Diack

View over Steyning Bowl towards Truleigh Hill

Robin Webster

View south-east over Steyning Bowl

The sea is in the distance.

Robin Webster

Field and drainage channel alongside the A283

Bob Parkes

Field drainage channels

Field drainage channels alongside A283

Bob Parkes

Annington Sewer

Looking towards the A283 by pass. Truleigh Hill is in the background.

Simon Carey

The Monarch's Way on Sopers Lane

Looking west along bridleway 2292 which is now a metaled road the route passes Maudlyn Parkway.

Peter Holmes

Annington Sewer

Drainage ditch on the Adur flood plain which rises near Annington Mere Farm suggesting a straightened course of a former tributary. Annington Hill provides the backdrop.

Simon Carey