This matter has to start in 1086 AD. In order to list the total number of property, King William II of England at that time sorted out all the assets, land, real estate, loans, as well as the new population, livestock and crops that were born every year, and then wrote them into

What kind of village hasn’t built a new house for more than 500 years?

This matter has to start in 1086 AD. In order to list the total number of assets, King William II of England at that time sorted out all the assets, land, real estate, loans, as well as the new population, livestock and crops that were born every year, and then wrote them into the Book of Winchester.

This manuscript caused tens of thousands of English civilians to cry and cry, because in England at that time, all the properties recorded (including people on the land) belonged to the king, and they could not be revoked like the final judgment. They were called " Doomsday Judgment " by the civilians.

Although this "judgment" lasted until the 18th century, many places were left out during the collection. Those who escaped were , Wiltshire . The financial and tax officials who came to inspect and register only recorded the two defense forts north of the village, and believed that the Koum Fort was the territorial place that the king gave to Baron Coum (the same name unexpectedly), which made the Koum Fort transformed into public land from then on.

In the feudal era, public land represented all things on the land had nothing to do with the lord and the landlord. Baron Koum would not pave the roads and bridges for Koumburg, and naturally the king and his descendants would not care about it. Although the civilians living in Koumburg did not have to pay land rent, they could not buy or sell or rent land without land deeds. They could only count on one day. When the king remembered it, he might be driven away again.

Unexpectedly, civilians accidentally found that they did not have to pay taxes to the lords when trading on public land. Over time, illegal trading areas like "underground markets" have been formed, gradually gathering popularity and expanding the scale of large and small towns.

By the 15th century, folk textile fabrics began to become popular all over Europe. The Baibrook River flowing through Coomburg could drive water trucks to provide power because of the rapid flow of water, and soon became a famous textile town with a radius of hundreds of miles.

​The increasingly wealthy villagers thought that three or four hundred years have passed, and the king's land has become private land, so they are not as low-key as before, and have established fabric and trade markets one after another.

Unexpectedly, Baron Coom's descendants wanted to build a deer park next to Coom Fort. When consulting the villagers to buy land, they found that the land was the king's territory from beginning to end. However, after reporting, they did not get the land naturally. Instead, they were rewarded to Sir John, who had outstanding meritoriousness, so they held grudges and made trouble and destruction in their hearts. ​

(Picture source is still from the movie "War Horse", shooting location is in Coomburg)

This Sir John made great achievements in the "Hundred Years' War" and was highly appreciated by the King of England. He is humble and generous, and has a high prestige among the people. The character Sir Falstaff in Shakespeare is based on him.

But Sir John had no clue about doing business. Although he announced tax reductions and exemptions after taking over Fort Coom, he was at a disadvantage in several confrontations with Baron Coom. In the end, they all alarmed the army to maintain order. In addition, the Baibrook River gradually dried up at the end of the 16th century, and the cloth industry suffered a severe blow. The cloth shop and workers were quickly lost, and the castle was in a depression and no improvement.

886, Koum Fort was sold to another noble and changed to a manor and farm. At this time, the number of left-behind villagers decreased from more than 3,300 at their peak to less than 200, and has continued to this day.

In 1999, when the Cotswolds Nature Reserve was established in the UK, investigators accidentally discovered that there were more than 100 ancient houses with a history of more than 500 years. There were almost no traces of damage or dangerous buildings. There were no new houses after 1,600 years, and it became a very rare antique-level town in the UK and even Europe. Among them, 107 were listed as "national protected buildings", and the rest were listed as second-level.

The "Horse Stepping Stone" in the village center has the oldest history. It was built in the early 13th century. Next to it is the earliest market stable. Merchants dismounted and unloaded goods at the "Horse Stepping Stone", tied the horses into the stable and started trading.

Driven by the British media, the silent Fort Coom quickly became a popular place for archaeology and travel, which restored the lively scene of 500 years ago. The residents seemed to be back overnight, and there were more restaurants, B&Bs and shops.

The rare thing about Koumburg is that it preserves the architectural and life scenes from centuries ago, and there is almost no change. This is indeed rare in the ever-changing current situation, and it has not been abandoned or interrupted during this period, and the lives of residents have always been recorded.

The famous director Spielberg , who directed " War Horse " in 2010, was surprised when he came to Fort Coom for the first time and praised: This town saved me a lot of money and time, and it satisfies all my ideas for a medieval town.

Subsequently, "Doctor Dolite" and " Werewolf " were also filmed in Fort Coom. The popular screenings of these movies have brought huge tourists to Fort Coom. Almost every day, tourists come to visit, which bring fame to the residents of the town, but also put them in a dilemma.

​ Should I move away or continue to live? Moving away means leaving your hometown where you have lived for hundreds of years. This is undoubtedly a kind of harm to the elderly. The cost of leaving behind a living is getting higher and higher year by year. Moreover, the roads and towns are closed from time to time when filming movies and TV series, which is extremely affecting the convenience of life.

If we start from the perspective of tourists, the tour of the town is actually not very meaningful. Although the storefront is decorated with ancient flavor and residents also have the habit of planting flowers and plants to decorate the doors, all houses are protected buildings that cannot be demolished or modified. The internal space designed and built hundreds of years ago is generally low and compact, and the drainage and ventilation are not very smooth. Living in such a B&B, the actual experience is not that good.

A small number of houses with unique courtyards are basically rented by high-end restaurants and coffee houses. The per capita consumption of a meal is often hundreds of pounds. Not to mention foreign tourists, even local British tourists dare not open their consumption.

The most important thing is that there are not many places for visit in the town. Apart from the "horse stepping on stones" and stables in the 13th century, only churches built in the 14th century are available for visiting. The tour guides basically introduce religious culture and allusions, which is difficult to arouse tourists' strong interest.

If you are interested in photography, you might as well go there. After all, the medieval style of the ancient town is easy to produce films, and there is no shooting restrictions, and you don’t need to buy tickets. You can take a picture with pleasure. ​​