Chillerton and Gatcombe
These two villages, both recorded in Domesday Book, seem to have been connected for a very long time, making joint use of their various amenities. The 13th century Church is at Gatcombe, and about one hundred plus years ago the school was also there – a Dame School, for which the parents paid about one penny a week per child. Then, in 1865, a new school was built, this time at Chillerton. The Church was built by the Estur family as a chapel to the manor house of Gatcombe, which was partly rebuilt in 1750 by the worsleys who then owned it. The fine tower is rather overwhelming for a small church; it may have been copied from the contemporary one at Carisbrooke. A few remnants of ancient glass remain in 16th century windows, angels being depicted in curious feathered garments.
A feature of the two villages was the brook which still runs right through from springs in Hollow Lane until it joins the river Medina. The stream has now been covered in except at the sheep dip on the Green, and at Brook Lane where it is spanned by an old stone bridge. It has never been known to fail, though it was unusually low in 1973.
It is curious that this combined village has no "pub". The house called Verandah Villa was once used as a beer house, but when it closed a vote taken resulted in a "no pub" decision; however, the Village Club, which was the gift of Sir Hugh Seely in 1926, has lately been granted a licence for a small bar.
Sheat Manor, a most attractive Jacobean house, is not strictly a manor, which is shown by its name which means a "parcel" or "slice" of a manor – in this case of Gatcombe. Chillerton Farm was once a manor farm, but for some obscure reason it lost its manorial rights early in the 17th century.
Nowadays the two villages are even more firmly connected as they work together in the Best Kept Village competition, which they have won three times, and in 1973 the Project Award as well. On each occasion the Governor of the Island, Earl Mountbatten, planted a tree in commemoration.
The steep downs above the villages show a striking example of changing times, for here are the remains of an Iron Age hill-fort, and overlooking the age-old countryside is the Independent Television mast, all 750 feet of it, towering up into the air.
