Page 137 - Homes & Antiques (February 2020)

TRAVEL Bruton

he South West town of
Bruton has undergone
something of a
revolution of late. For
decades, a relatively
quiet stop on the road
from Frome to Yeovil on Somerset’s
eastern fringe, Bruton was best known
for its rolling countryside, !ne selection
of antiques shops, and no less than
three prestigious boarding schools.
Those a"ributes are all still in place –
but they’re no longer the headline
stories. Bruton is now a thriving hub for
contemporary design, food and culture,
blessed with restaurants, shops,
galleries and hotels that have drawn
visitors extensively from around the
Craig Joiner Photography/Alamy Stock Photo; Ken Adlard
UK and beyond.
Spearheaded by the 2008 launch of
the upmarket hotel, restaurant and
bakery At the Chapel, and cemented
with the arrival of the prestigious
global art dealership Hauser & Wirth
six years later, Bruton has joined its
neighbour, Frome, as a destination with
plenty to o#er lovers of the arts and a
weekend’s rural indulgence in some
of the most picturesque countryside
England has to o#er.
Here are our suggestions for two days
well spent in this West Country gem.

The sweeping view over the
historic town of Bruton, as seen
from the Dovecote, a
Grade II-listed c17th-century
limestone tower.
RIGHT Outdoor sculpture
The Fallow by Bharti Kher, on
display at Hauser & Wirth, part
of the current exhibition of her
work, ‘A Wonderful Anarchy’.

February 2020 Homes & Antiques 137