Challacombe
Landmarks
Believed to be the only inn in England bearing this name, The Black Venus Inn is an old stone-built pub, a historic 16th century building with low ceiling and original beams.
West Challacombe Manor is a medieval manor house in the area. It is described as a "white-washed house with rendered walls and Georgian framed windows on the south slope of Little Hangman Hill and looks like an archetypal Devon farmhouse rather than a medieval manor house." It was restored between 1993-1999. Also of note is the historic Packhorse Bridge and Challacombe Church.
The nearby Shoulsbury castle is an Iron Age hill fort.
Etymology
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Challacombe%2C_Simonsbath_road_at_the_Black_Venus_-_geograph.org.uk_-_58598.jpg/220px-Challacombe%2C_Simonsbath_road_at_the_Black_Venus_-_geograph.org.uk_-_58598.jpg)
The name 'Challacombe' literally means 'cold valley'. The name derives from the Old English words ceald ('cold') and cumb ('valley'). The village was recorded as Celdecomba in the Domesday Book.