Finding Bittescombe on maps
If you have a map published by the Ordnance Survey, then you should be able
to use these grid references to locate the Manor and Hill. The appropriate
Landranger map is no. 181 - Minehead and Bredon Hills.
- Bittescombe Manor - grid ref: ST011299
- Bittescombe Hill - grid ref: ST012272 (about 2 miles due south of the Manor)
If you're looking at a different map, one of the following methods
should allow you to find the Manor, if you don't mind pencil marks on your map.
Method 1
If your map shows two lakes (Wimbleball Lake, Clatworthy reservoir) in the
Brendon Hills, mark the point on the shore of each lake which is closest to the
other lake. Draw a line joining these two points, and find its midpoint. The
manor is on this line, about a quarter of a mile from the midpoint towards Clatworthy reservoir.
Method 2
Both lakes are man-made, and I've seen a map printed in my lifetime showing
only one of them. In case they're not on your map, here's a more complicated
method, which has been tested:
- Find Junction 26 of the M5 (outside Wellington). Mark this as point A. If the M5 isn't on your map,
then mark point A about 2.5 km ESE of the middle of Wellington.
- Find the junction of the A39 and A396 about 2 miles SE of Minehead. Mark this as point B.
If you can't find Minehead, go north from A until you hit the coast, then about 11 miles
west.
- Draw lines north and west of A, south and east of B, to form a rectangle. In theory you should
adjust for the fact that Grid North is about 1 degree west of true north, but it's unlikely to make much
difference.
- Starting at point A each time, mark a point 90.5% of the way along the E-W side, and another one
41% of the way along the N-S side.
- Now draw lines N and W from these points into the rectangle. Where they cross is the site of the Manor.
Editor: Peter Biddlecombe
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