A haven for creatives in London

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DRIVE THREE HOURS southwest of London and you’ll find yourself amongst the rolling hills of Somerset, their smooth plains punctuated by hedgerows and grazing sheep. Possibly the former home of King Arthur’s court, the English county is a centuries-old agricultural center known for its cheddar and cider apples. It has also long been a destination for those seeking tranquility – or a party. By AD 76, the Romans flocked to the spa complex they had built around the natural hot springs in Bath. Georgian-era English aristocrats followed suit, staying in the arched row of 18th-century stone-walled mansions known as the Royal Crescent for Bath’s social season. More recently, the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset has drawn many people – Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar and Paul McCartney headlined this year – but mostly the area has endured as a sleepy retreat. John Steinbeck mentioned the six months he spent writing “The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights”.” (1976) in the medieval town of Bruton in Somerset, one of the happiest of his life.

It’s a sentiment that seems to be shared by the latest wave of visitors to the area, including London artists, directors and fashionistas who come on weekends or major holidays, alongside an influx of new full-time residents, who are able to to work more flexibly since the start of the pandemic, have exchanged the city for the country. “I can never get enough of the greenery — it’s color therapy,” says jewelry designer Solange Azagury-Partridge, 60, who owns an 1860s stone cottage and a garden full of wildflowers, including daisies, poppies, and buttercups, just outside. gross. “It’s as if the landscape is bathed in fairy dust.”

This lichen-stained mansion, now a hotel, was the seat of the Hobhouse family for 200 years. Their oil portraits still hang on the sage green and steel blue walls of the library, drawing room and bar, which the current owners – Koos Bekker and Karen Roos of the Babylonstoren hotel outside Cape Town, South Africa – have updated with contemporary sofas by Moroso and Ames . The 40 bedrooms each honor multiple eras: No. 2, for example, has a mahogany four-poster bed, Patricia Urquiola’s free-standing Agape bath, and views of the croquet lawn, while rooms in the year-old Farmyard complex, a short golf cart ride from the mansion , are more rustic (although it has its own pool and bar). Meals are made with produce and meat from the 1,000-acre estate, and breakfast can include Eggs Benedict with wafer-thin slices of ham, while dinner can include grilled game with Jerusalem artichoke and poached quince. Guests have out-of-hours access to the public grounds, where they can sample 267 varieties of apples and a glass-walled café serving cider, as well as sites such as Villa Ventorum, unveiled last June, a reconstruction of a 1,600-year-old Roman villa whose remains were found on the estate. thenewtinsomerset.com.

Opened in 2019 like the Newt, this hotel consists of a five-bedroom townhouse on Bruton’s main street, as well as outbuildings dating back to the 15th century and now housing seven additional bedrooms. The cozy interiors of London-based design firm Frank & Faber feature eccentric candlesticks and mosaic mirrors made with porcelain fragments by local artist Candace Bahouth, floral wallpaper by Morris & Co. and striped curtains by Pierre Frey. The hotel’s sitting room is decorated with 1960s fashion photography by Terence Donovan, among others, which Claudia Waddams, who owns the hotel with her husband Aled Rees, was given by her fashion editor mother, Brigid Keenan, and the iron railing of the hotel. grand 18th century staircase was made in the former blacksmith shop at the back. numberonebruton.com.

Merlin Labron-Johnson was 24 and ran the kitchen of the Portland restaurant in London when it won its Michelin star in 2015. Three years ago, he returned to his West Country roots to open Osip, which is on the ground floor of Number One Bruton, but is well worth the effort. a reservation, even if you are not staying overnight. The dining room has white wall tiles, green leather benches and dried flowers hanging from hooks, and the menu emphasizes all things local, including wild garlic and elderflower, which is harvested nearby. The offer changes regularly. You could start with a Kingston Black aperitif made with Burrow Hill Cider and garden–herb broth with wild garlic oil, then choose between intriguing combinations such as gnudi with nettle sauce and smoked whey or oca root with raw trout, bone jelly and smoked cream. For a less formal meal, try the dishes – including trout and zucchini carpaccio with candied lemon and nasturtiums – at the Old Pharmacy, Osip’s sister wine bar, bistro and supermarket, next door. osiprestaurant.com.

The Queen’s Arms

The Platonic ideal of an English country pub, this Georgian-style inn in Corton Denham got a makeover last year and is within striking distance of Cadbury Castle – the Bronze and Iron Age fortress that, as far as some Somerset residents are concerned, was the site of King Arthur’s Camelot. (The Cornish and Welsh dispute this.) Anyway, the grassy ramparts around the fort, which offer views across the Somerset Levels to Glastonbury Tor, make for a lovely walk. Afterwards, sip a West Country ale or draft cider—perhaps Corton Denham’s own oak barrel Lawrence’s Cider or Wild Beer—on the sunny patio. The inn’s 10 rentable bedrooms have patterned curtains and headboards by British textile designers, including Jane Churchill and Christopher Farr, as well as toiletries from British botanical brand 100 Acres. For a summery meal with seasonal dishes, look for local market fish and Somerset strawberries with elderflower ice cream and meringue. thequeensarms.com.

The Somerset outpost of the global gallery outfit raised eyebrows when it arrived in 2014, followed by collectors and tourists. But locals have become enthusiastic about this art venue in a series of restored farm buildings, whose exhibitions have featured the work of Bharti Kher, Louise Bourgeois, Martin Creed and others. Currently, through early September, there is an exhibition of abstract sculptures created over six decades by early 20th-century English artist Henry Moore. As well as the main galleries, you can visit two bookshops selling art books, sheepskins and seed packets – the latter inspired by the gardens designed by Piet Oudolf, an enchanting array of colors and textures whatever the season. A 10-minute walk from the converted farmhouse is the new Bruton showroom of Make, Hauser & Wirth, dedicated to art from local artisans. hauserwirth.com.

Montacute House

Montacute House, an Elizabethan Renaissance uprising of Dutch gables, mullions and obelisks on a 260-acre park, was built of golden Hamstone by the lawyer-turned-politician Sir Edward Phelips, who was implicated in the prosecution of Guy Fawkes and his colleague -gunpowder plotters. It is now managed by the National Trust, who take visitors on a tour of the paneled library, with its heraldic stained glass windows and geometric bandwork ceiling, as well as England’s longest gallery, a more than 170m-long space where Elizabethans would practice and play games and whose side rooms are hung with portraits of the courts of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and James I. nationaltrust.org.uk/montacute-house.

BUY THIS

What to take home as suggested by the locals we like?

Denim Saddlebag from Rag of Colts

“Rag of Colts makes beautiful handbags and accessories from recycled saddle leather that get better with age and last a lifetime,” said Rosanna Wilson Stephens, co-owner of the birthday boy. Wilson Stephens & Jones Gallery on Bruton High Street. “You can choose a ready-made item or have something made to order. Each piece is hand stitched and I love the depth of color and patina of the materials.” The designer’s new Bruton store is open most weekdays, morning to mid-afternoon, as well as by appointment. From about $470, ragofcolts.com.

“We love local artist Richard Pomeroy’s handcrafted porcelain so much that we’ve found many uses for it in our restaurant, clubroom and patio,” said Catherine Butler, owner of restaurant and guest house Bruton. In the chapel. “Our favorites are the coffee and tea mugs in mandarin orange, the tealight cups in cobalt blue and primrose yellow and the cachepots in moss green. Amazingly, despite being porcelain, they are dishwasher safe.” From about $50, richardpomeroyporcelain.com.