Clicket: Finding Exmoor's 'Lost Village'
- luke38knight
- Jul 11
- 3 min read
By Luke Knight
If you walk the steep, wooded valleys between Timberscombe and Luxborough, you might encounter whats left of a deeply rural civilisation. Yes it is beautiful, quiet, and seemingly untouched — but it wasnt always. Because beneath the moss and bramble lies one of Somerset’s most intriguing secrets.
This is the story of the now abandoned village of Clicket.
Clicket doesn’t appear on Google Maps, and unless you have an Ordnance Survey map, or just know exactly where to look, you could walk within metres of it and never realise what’s hidden in the undergrowth. Winter is the best time to visit — when the trees shed their leaves and the ruins reveal themselves again. Its almost like Exmoor's own Atlantis.
Official records for Clicket are scarce. The area was economically deprived, and few documents were ever produced. But the earliest clue comes from a medieval lay subsidy of 1327, which names a man called Nicholas Clicket living in nearby Porlock. His surname may be the origin of the settlement’s name.
By the 14th century, at least one farmstead and a mill existed here, and Clicket appears again on the 1844 Tithe Map, confirming it as a small but established settlement.
By the mid‑19th century, Clicket had grown into a tiny but thriving community. It included:
Thorn Farm.
A corn mill serving surrounding farms - it even had a female miller at one time called Ursula Tarr, which was quite rare for the time.
Cottages scattered along the valley floor.
Lime quarries on what is now Allercott Farm, complete with two surviving lime kilns.
Despite this industry, Clicket had no church, no shop, and no school. Residents walked to Timberscombe or Luxborough for services, and children trekked two miles through the valley — sometimes in snow — to reach the nearest classroom. Attendance was often sporadic, especially during harvest.
Clicket’s isolation shaped every part of life. The narrow tracks meant donkeys were used to carry goods in and out of the valley. One story goes that one of the donkeys was a 'homing donkey', which used to find its way in and out of the village to deliver goods from the mill. Clever donkey!
A large house in the village was reputedly used for meetings and religious gatherings. One 19th‑century Christian magazine even mentions a congregation of 70 people attending an event here.
Why then is Clicket a ruin?
In 1846, the repeal of the Corn Laws allowed cheap imported grain to flood the British market. Rural mills like Clicket’s simply couldn’t compete. Combined with the arrival of the railways — which offered residents the chance to leave for better work — life in the valley became unsustainable.
By 1881, census records show just five families living in Clicket.
The last person believed to have been born in Clicket is Lilly Bryant, who was born in 1889.
By 1891, they were all gone.
The mill was abandoned around 1900, and nature began its slow reclamation. But thankfully, you can still see some of the remains of the village today.
Clicket is quiet now, but thanks to local historians, walkers, and Exmoor’s own stubborn landscape, its story continues to rise slowly back into the light.
You can only reach Clicket on foot, from Timberscombe or Luxborough. The paths are steep, muddy, and sometimes hard to follow — so tread carefully and leave no trace. Try and imagine yourself leaving here 150 years ago. A community bonded through isolation and a determination to be self-suffient.
Its one of Exmoors greatest hidden wonders.
Comments