BRUTON

The town of Bruton has seen quite a transformation since Guild Anderson was first approached for bespoke kitchen design in this upcoming Somerset town.  Originally founded in 2013, the most exciting element of Bruton, depending on who you spoke with, was Kings Bruton School.  Now this 700-year establishment has dropped down the pecking order, usurped by younger and cooler upstarts such as At The Chapel, Hauser and Wirth, The Newt in Somerset and fashionable Osip restaurant.

Some locals seem quite perplexed about Bruton’s rise to fame; once considered a bit if a rural backwater, the town now attracts an A list of inhabitants keen to enjoy the quirkiness of the town and its surrounding Somerset countryside.  As a result, country house property prices have jumped, and while we would once rarely be asked to design bespoke kitchens and cabinetry into the period houses surrounding Bruton, we are now being asked more often to do just that.

Bruton’s period architecture is a mixture of medieval, austere Georgian and Somerset agricultural, and it is by no means earth shattering in its beauty although it has a great deal to be desired in is eccentricity.  The principal draw for many of Bruton’s newest inhabitants is the surrounding countryside and boutique villages and towns such as Batcombe, Shepton Montague, North and South Brewham, Frome and Castle Cary. Being close to a mainline to London also has its advantages although, thankfully for Bruton residents, it’s not quite near enough for the daily commute to London.

From an industry point of view, Bruton has also seem quite a transformation, led by the relentless charge of Wyke Farms, now Britain’s most popular Cheddar cheese brand.  Other industries have grown along with it including Godminster Cheese and the more niche Chocolate Society.  Bruton sits on the eastern flank of Somerset’s cheese and cider triangle, the two being quite a religion to many of those born and raised in Somerset.

Our bespoke kitchen designs work well in the country houses surrounding Bruton, many of which are large Georgian farmhouse kitchens.  We are also fortunate to have designed several pantries, boot rooms and sculleries for the newer residents of the town.