It’s a warm, peaceful Saturday afternoon in the tranquil English town of Bruton. At the annual church fair, locals gossip over glasses of cider. The smell of barbecued sausages fills the air, and a tug-of-war competition is under way. It’s a quintessential summertime scene in Somerset — a county two hours drive west of London, which remains a stronghold of rural tradition.
But there’s something about Bruton that differs; it’s not quite the quaint Thomas Hardy cliché. Designer handbags are being carried by overly stylish women who gather for lunch at Bruton’s smartest brasserie, At the Chapel. The cars lining the streets are newer, shinier and, frankly, more expensive than the usual country “banger.”
Over the last few years, Bruton has gained a reputation as the “glamourati” country escape of choice. Local luminaries include singer and designer Pearl Lowe and fashion designer Alice Temperley. And this past July, tiny Bruton (pop. 2,900) joined London, Zurich and New York with the arrival of the latest outpost of Hauser & Wirth — the leading international art gallery, representing numerous established and emerging contemporary artists, including Martin Creed.
Armed with this new international powerhouse at its doorstep, England’s West Country is finally ready for its close-up. New hotels, pubs and restaurants are now opening their doors. And visitors are discovering (or rediscovering) this 100-mile slice of rolling English countryside stretching from the city of Bristol, the region’s cultural center, down to Dorset’s shoreline, overlooking the English Channel.
Bruton’s Hauser & Wirth Somerset embodies two worlds colliding. The arts center occupies formerly derelict 18th-century structures on a 100-acre plot (featured in the movie “Chocolat”). There’s a garden designed by Piet Oudolf, known for his High Line and Battery Park projects in New York, and Roth Bar & Grill, run by the same owners who opened At the Chapel. The complex also features a farmhouse, sleeping 12, which is used by visiting artists and guests. As to the exhibitions, the inaugural show of Phyllida Barlow’s giant pom-poms reflects the abstract work that has become the Hauser & Wirth trademark.
Nearby, The Talbot Inn is a 21st-century take on the classic English pub. Nestled in tiny, historic Mells, the pub’s cobbled courtyard offers an ideal spot for a cold pint. The Talbot has eight shabby-chic rooms anchored by vast beds swathed in Siberian goose-down duvets. With a vibrant bar, don’t count on an early night: when the Rolling Stones headlined Glastonbury Festival in 2013, the band’s entourage chose the Talbot Inn as their base. At $160 a night, it’s certainly a cheaper place to stay than the big player in these parts: Babington House, the country outpost of the Soho House group of hotels.
Just south is the pretty seaside town of Lyme Regis, where Mark Hix’s first hotel venture, HIX Townhouse (from $202), opened in April. Hix is a local man, but an internationally respected epicure, who spent nearly two decades at Caprice Holdings, overseeing London’s Le Caprice and The Ivy as Chef Director. Hix’s eight-room Georgian townhouse is comfortable, offering a base in the town from which to explore the Jurassic-era cliffs. There is no dining room; instead breakfast is delivered in-room in picnic hampers.
Garnering attention elsewhere on the rugged cliffs of Dorset is The Pig on the Beach (from $200) on the National Trust-protected Studland peninsula. Opened in June, it overlooks the chalk formations of Old Harry Rocks, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 23-bedroom country house retains just enough Victoriana to keep in touch with its history.
But if it’s quirky you’re after, try the brand-new Rooftop Rockets (from $166), four 1950s-style caravans occupy a rooftop trailer park in busy Bristol. British-built and modeled on Airstreams, these glamping caravans have been running at nearly full capacity since opening in May.