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Welcome to the Coombes Farm Experience
Farm tours for everyone
Lambing
Time Phone to book 01273 452028 Come
Fishing at Passies Pond . Farm
Tours Please phone to Book for families and groups See
News & Events for
Tractor
and trailer trips around the farm Thank
you for voting for us in Farmer of the year Are
you interested in the countryside and Coombes is a small village in West Sussex, set against the backdrop of the South Downs and only a stones throw away from the English Channel. Coombes
Church Farm is a fully working family run business that runs day
tours and also coarse fishing in the well stocked lakes. To
contact Passies Ponds directly: 01273 465257
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The word 'Coombe' means a dry valley. The parish was first mentioned in The Doomsday Book. When it was owned by William Fitz Norman and had 34 residents (compared with 36 in 1997) The Coombes road and the A283 are on the same line as the red banks of the river Adur which had one time led to the thriving Harbour and Bramber (before becoming silted up). Bramber Castle was built overlooking the harbour and because of the rich traders; smuggling was rampant in those days and signs of secret tunnels have been found, stories tell of the possibility of treasure from the Spanish Armada, being thrown overboard, but never found. As the river receded the water was panned for salt, there were 42 salt pans in the Adur Valley each one paying 2/6 tax per year. The largest one being 4 acres across, they were worked by the sun evaporating most of the water. The rest finally boiled away. Salt was used mainly for preserving meat, and among the buyers were the monks of St Pancras in Lewes who farmed sheep and cattle. When food for the livestock became scarce on the feast of St Martin in November, excess animals not required for breeding were slaughtered and the carcasses salted and put in salting houses for use as food during the winter months.
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