A shining star
Somerset Life|October 2020
It’s the go-to place for the rich and famous, but Bruton still retains its links to the past and reveals a thriving sense of community spirit, as CATHERINE COURTENAY discovers
CATHERINE COURTENAY
A shining star

Richard Hollingbery knew immediately that he wanted to buy Godminster Farm. Having traversed the West Country looking for the place to fulfil his dream of becoming a dairy farmer, he arrived in Bruton.

“Before I even came down the lane, I just knew,” he says, recalling his reaction to the breathtaking scenery surrounding the farm.

Almost 30 years later, he is still as passionate about both the farm and the landscape it sits in.

“There is something special about it…a sense of the ancient,” he says, describing the view from the farm across to Alfred’s Tower and Glastonbury Tor.

Richard went on to develop Godminster as an organic dairy farm, producing award-winning Cheddar. But he is thankful for the knowledge of those who farmed this land before him – in particular, Cheyney Champion, his first farm manager. “Cheyney means ‘man of the oak woods’, and he’d been here since he was 16 – he was a good mentor to have.”

It’s good to remember these links to the land and the past when visiting Bruton today. It’s now one of most written-about towns in England due to its ability to attract the rich and famous, who come for a weekend country escape, or to buy a home.

Denne historien er fra October 2020-utgaven av Somerset Life.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra October 2020-utgaven av Somerset Life.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

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