As an official guide for Castle Combe, Carly Batten is more used to leading a party of 10 – 15 people round the streets of her lovely village.
However she was not in the least fazed by the audience of 60 – 70 people attending the February meeting of the historical association, who report, “Her presentation was informative, showing a detailed knowledge of the history of the village and it was illustrated with a mix of present day pictures to compare with the very early postcards showing how very little the village had changed in the last hundred years. Yes, the stonework had been cleaned and repointed, the woodwork renewed and painted, and the ivy and other vegetation stripped away, but the essence of the village still remains unspoiled.
“We were treated to numerous anecdotes of the various people who had lived in the village and were sad to see that all the small shops that had once been bakers and grocers etc were now given over to residential, but this is happening everywhere. The most important thing is that the village remains in its unspoiled state for future generations and with devotees like Carly Batten showing such dedication, this is likely to be so.”
