Coombe Hill, Buckinghamshire

This article is about Coombe Hill in Buckinghamshire. For other places called Coombe Hill, see Coombe Hill.

Coombe Hill
The monument on Coombe Hill
Elevation	260 m (853 ft)
Location
Coombe Hill Coombe Hill shown within Buckinghamshire
Location	Chiltern Hills, England
Coordinates	51°45′09″N 0°46′17″W / 51.75257°N 0.77149°W / 51.75257; -0.77149Coordinates: 51°45′09″N 0°46′17″W / 51.75257°N 0.77149°W / 51.75257; -0.77149
Topo map	OS Landranger 165
OS grid	SP849067

Coombe Hill is a hill in The Chilterns, located next to the hamlet of Dunsmore, Buckinghamshire, England, near the small town of Wendover, and overlooking Aylesbury Vale. It is not to be confused with another Coombe Hill on the flank of Haddington Hill, some two miles (3 km) to the north-east.

The majority of the hill (an area of 106 acres (43 ha)) once formed part of the Chequers Estate but was presented to the National Trust by the United Kingdom government when they were given the Estate in the 1920s. The summit of the hill is 852 feet / 259.7 m above sea level.

Coombe Hill Monument - Second Boer War

For most of human history, war memorials were erected to commemorate great victories; remembering the dead was a secondary concern. Coombe Hill Monument is one of the first and largest examples of a war memorial erected to honor the names of individual men who fell whilst fighting for their country. The monument is an iconic Buckinghamshire landmark and a Grade II Listed monument. At 260m above sea level, it sits on one of the highest and most striking spurs of the Chilterns, commanding a wide view of the Vale of Aylesbury. On a clear day it can be seen from the Berkshire Downs and Salisbury Plain to the south-west and the Cotswolds to the west.

According to Computer-generated virtual panoramas, there is a rare significance that seven county tops^[1] are visible from the summit. These are Arbury Hill (Northamptonshire), Dunstable Downs (Bedfordshire), Haddington Hill in Wendover Woods (Buckinghamshire), Pavis Wood cannot be seen as this is on the southern facing side of the woods, but also included are Bushey Heath (Middlesex), Botley Hill near Westerham Heights (Greater London), Leith Hill (Surrey) and the Uffington White Horse (Oxfordshire). Although this claim could prove deceptive, as this does not include the trees preventing the view from the south and therefore only three can be made viewable. Also it is very unlikely that Ivinghoe Beacon and Dunstable Downs can be seen because of trees. It has been claimed that the Malvern Hills can be seen on a clear day, this does not get a mention in the virtual panorama, but if it is viewable, then it will include an eighth county top in Worcestershire. The view overlooks Chequers, the country home of the Prime Minister. The view extends as far round to the east as Ivinghoe and as far to the north as the eye can reach.

The monument was erected in 1904, by public subscription, in memory of 148 men from Buckinghamshire who died during the Second Boer War. Coombe Hill Monument was almost totally destroyed by lightning in 1938 and was rebuilt in the same year. The original bronze plaque and decorations were stolen in 1972 and replaced with a stone plaque and iron flag. The new stone plaque was also inscribed with the additional names of nine men believed to have been missing on the original. The monument was again badly damaged by a lightning strike in the early 1990s and spent several months in repair. It is now equipped with conductors to prevent the mishap happening again. The monument and a few square yards of surrounding land are owned by Buckinghamshire County Council.

The 2010 Restoration

On 21 October 2010 the monument was rededicated after substantial restoration work. The work was done by Buckinghamshire County Council with funds raised by the Coombe Hill Monument Appeal Committee. The committee consisted of: The Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire, Sir Henry Aubrey Fletcher Bt JP (Patron); Major General Stuart Watson CBE (Chairman); Mark Bailey, Buckinghamshire County Council (Project Manager); Lt Col (Retd) Ingram Murray, Honorary Secretary of the Friends of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry; Patricia Birchley, Elected Member, Chiltern Ridges; Johanna Sienkiewicz, local resident, Project Researcher; Chris Arnold, Ellesborough Parish Council; Pam Priestley, Elected Member Wycombe District Council; Paul Rogerson, Elected Member, Buckinghamshire County Council; and Neil Harris, The National Trust

A new plaque corrects spelling errors in the original and adds 2 names that were previously omitted ^[2] . The memorial was deep-cleaned, weathered joints were replaced, fresh gold leaf has been applied to the finial, and the county crest and bronze flags above the plaque have been restored .^[3]

Triangulation point and plaque

In front of the monument is a rectangular concrete pillar that is the trig point and it is topped with a metal plaque donated in 1988 that points to true north and to the following distant features: The Cotswolds (53 miles), Brill Hill (13 miles), Waddesdon Manor (10 miles), Calvert Chimneys (15 miles), Aylesbury Church (5 miles), Mursley Water Tower (15 miles), Wingrave Church (8 miles), Leighton Buzzard (12 miles), Mentmore (9 miles), Edlesborough Church (11 miles) and Ivinghoe Beacon (9 miles).

Flora and fauna

Coombe Hill has 3 different types of land including Acid Heathland, Chalk Grassland and Deciduous Woodland. It is home to much interesting wildlife — including Red Kites, Yellowhammers and Firecrests — as well as the rare Chiltern gentian. It also holds the habitat to many rare plants, such as heather and orchids. The acid moorland is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), because of its rarity.

Origin of name

The word coombe is of Brythonic origin and means "hollow".

External links

• Coombe Hill Monument Appeal - Buckinghamshire County Council
• Summer Solstice is celebrated each year atop Coombe Hill

Computer Generated Panoramas - Coombe Hill [1]

Notes

1. ^ County tops are the highest elevation of the land in a county.
2. ^ Dunhill, Lawrence (24 Aug 10), "Spelling errors on Coombe Hill war memorial to be corrected", Bucks Free Press, http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/8348318.Spelling_errors_on_war_memorial_to_be_corrected/, retrieved 24 Dec 10 
3. ^ "Dedication ceremony for Coombe Hill monument plaque", BBC, 24 Aug 10, http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/threecounties/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_9114000/9114066.stm, retrieved 24 Dec 10