The curious, complicated and fascinating history of Combe Road

Some houses on Combe Road, Combe Down
Some houses on Combe Road, Combe Down

Combe Road has some fascinating houses and a curious, complicated history. Originally, called Coomb Lane. It can be clearly seen, along with some intended roads, on Plan from Lease and Release of Isabella Place on Combe Down dated 15-16 January 1805. Thus it was one of the earliest roads in Combe Down village.

The land to the East became part of the Hadley Estate. The land to the West was sold to Harry Salmon (1754 – 1827) a solicitor who sold leases for quarrying.

From then on cottages and housing started to be built for the quarry masters, quarry workers and others who provided services to the increasing population.

Cotterell’s map of 1852 shows what was built by then.

Combe Down 1852 - Cotterell
Combe Down 1852 – Cotterell

Unfortunately, like North Road, Quarry Bottom / Rise / Vale and Greendown Place / Greendown Terrace, the houses in this area make it difficult to find published information about the inhabitants for they were working class people and the ‘social medium’ of the day, the newspaper, did not really follow their world unless criminality or scandal was involved which gives a distorted image of people’s lives.

Prospect Place, Combe Down - Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette - Thursday 23 March 1820
Prospect Place, Combe Down – Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette – Thursday 23 March 1820

Prospect Place was, obviously, begun well before 1820 when an advert for the houses there and some land suitable for building more appeared in the Chronicle.

1 Prospect Place, Combe Down - Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette - Thursday 12 April 1821
1 Prospect Place, Combe Down – Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette – Thursday 12 April 1821
Shaggy dog, Brunswick Place, Combe Down - Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette - Thursday 11 September 1873
Shaggy dog, Brunswick Place, Combe Down – Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette – Thursday 11 September 1873
4 Byfield Buildings, Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette - Thursday 22 September 1842
4 Byfield Buildings, Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette – Thursday 22 September 1842