Uffculme
Encyclopedia
Uffculme is a village
located in the Mid Devon
district, of Devon
, England
.
on the B3440, close to the M5 motorway
, near Cullompton
Uffculme is on the upper reaches of the River Culm
. Historically, it was a parish in Bampton
Hundred, under the Peculiar jurisdiction of the Prebendary of Uffculme, Salisbury Cathedral. Uffculme is of particular interest to local historians because the wills & inventories for Uffculme have survived due to the parish being a peculiar of the Bishop of Salisbury
, and hence they were not among the Devon probate records that were destroyed by fire in Exeter following a bombing raid during the Baedeker Blitz
of World War II
.
The earliest (1801) census put the population of Uffculme parish at 1837. The 2001 census indicated the population at 2631. From the 16th century, Uffculme was a significant part of the West Country
's wool industry, reaching its height in the middle of the 18th century "when large quantities of Uffculme serges were exported to Holland by the Tiverton merchants".
Coldharbour Mill, the last woollen mill to operate in the village was built in 1799 by Thomas Fox.
In 1983, the mill was opened as a working museum.
A path on the route to Coldharbour Mill takes in the old railway bridge.
Uffculme now has two schools - Uffculme Primary School, and a secondary - Uffculme School which specialises in mathematics and computing. Uffculme School is one of the few secondary schools in the country to be rated 'outstanding' by OFSTED and has now become an academy. Other utilities include a public house (The Ostler), a male-only working-men's club (the Uffculme Men's Institute), three churches, some shops and a take away which sells various foods.
There is also a Vets, Library, CO-OP and Post Office / General Stores. The Mill at Coldharbour remains a popular tourist attraction as do the scenic old railway and riverside walks.
Until 1998, Uffculme housed a fireworks factory, which was destroyed by an explosion on November 17, 1998.
During 2008 the village's Langlands Business Park featured in the Channel 4
fly-on-the-wall documentary Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory, being the location of Willie Harcourt-Cooze
's chocolate factory, one of the first places to make cocoa
in the UK since the Cadbury family
.
The singer Joss Stone
lived near Ashill, a hamlet in the parish of Uffculme, and attended Uffculme School.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
located in the Mid Devon
Mid Devon
Mid Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in Tiverton.The district was formed under the Local Government Act 1972, on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Tiverton and Crediton urban district together with Tiverton Rural District, and Crediton Rural...
district, of Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
History
Situated in the Blackdown HillsBlackdown Hills
The Blackdown Hills are a range of hills along the Somerset-Devon border in south-western England, which were designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1991....
on the B3440, close to the M5 motorway
M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from a junction with the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley...
, near Cullompton
Cullompton
Cullompton is a civil parish and town in Devon, England, locally known as Cully. It is miles north-north-east of Exeter and lies on the River Culm. In 2010 it had a population of 8,639 and is growing rapidly....
Uffculme is on the upper reaches of the River Culm
River Culm
thumb|Old stone bridge with pedestrian refuges over River Culm at Culmstock The River Culm flows through Devon, England. It rises in the Blackdown Hills at a spring - - near Culmhead and flows west through Hemyock, then Culmstock to Uffculme...
. Historically, it was a parish in Bampton
Bampton, Devon
Bampton is a small town in Devon, England close to the south-eastern corner of Exmoor and on the River Batherm, a tributary of the River Exe. It is about 10 km north of Tiverton.-History:...
Hundred, under the Peculiar jurisdiction of the Prebendary of Uffculme, Salisbury Cathedral. Uffculme is of particular interest to local historians because the wills & inventories for Uffculme have survived due to the parish being a peculiar of the Bishop of Salisbury
Bishop of Salisbury
The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset...
, and hence they were not among the Devon probate records that were destroyed by fire in Exeter following a bombing raid during the Baedeker Blitz
Baedeker Blitz
The Baedeker Blitz or Baedeker raids were a series of Vergeltungsangriffe by the German air force on English cities in response to the bombing of the erstwhile Hanseatic League city of Lübeck during the night from 28 to 29 March 1942 during World War II.-Background:Lübeck was bombed on the night...
of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The earliest (1801) census put the population of Uffculme parish at 1837. The 2001 census indicated the population at 2631. From the 16th century, Uffculme was a significant part of the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
's wool industry, reaching its height in the middle of the 18th century "when large quantities of Uffculme serges were exported to Holland by the Tiverton merchants".
Coldharbour Mill, the last woollen mill to operate in the village was built in 1799 by Thomas Fox.
In 1983, the mill was opened as a working museum.
Geography
The Culm Valley Light Railway, which opened in 1876, had two stations in the village; Coldharbour Halt and Uffculme Station. The railway, operating between Tiverton Junction and Hemyock closed to passenger traffic in 1963, and completely in 1975.A path on the route to Coldharbour Mill takes in the old railway bridge.
Culture
A grammar school was founded in 1701 by Nicholas Ashford who endowed it with £47 per annum.Uffculme now has two schools - Uffculme Primary School, and a secondary - Uffculme School which specialises in mathematics and computing. Uffculme School is one of the few secondary schools in the country to be rated 'outstanding' by OFSTED and has now become an academy. Other utilities include a public house (The Ostler), a male-only working-men's club (the Uffculme Men's Institute), three churches, some shops and a take away which sells various foods.
There is also a Vets, Library, CO-OP and Post Office / General Stores. The Mill at Coldharbour remains a popular tourist attraction as do the scenic old railway and riverside walks.
Until 1998, Uffculme housed a fireworks factory, which was destroyed by an explosion on November 17, 1998.
During 2008 the village's Langlands Business Park featured in the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
fly-on-the-wall documentary Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory, being the location of Willie Harcourt-Cooze
Willie Harcourt-Cooze
William "Willie" George Harcourt-Cooze , is a British-based entrepreneur. He came to public prominence in 2008 with the airing of the Channel4 fly-on-the-wall documentary, Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory, which centred around his efforts to grow, import and produce his own...
's chocolate factory, one of the first places to make cocoa
Cocoa solids
Cocoa solids are the low-fat component of chocolate. When sold as an end product, it may also be called cocoa powder, cocoa, and cacao....
in the UK since the Cadbury family
Cadbury family
The Cadbury family is a prominent British family of industrialists descending from Richard Tapper Cadbury.* Richard Tapper Cadbury , who financed John** John Cadbury , family patriarch and founder of the chocolate company...
.
The singer Joss Stone
Joss Stone
Jocelyn Eve Stoker , better known by her stage name Joss Stone, is an English soul singer-songwriter and actress. Stone rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist...
lived near Ashill, a hamlet in the parish of Uffculme, and attended Uffculme School.