Ilminster Town

Abbotsford House B&B

admin — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:23:20 +0000

Abbotsford House, crafted from the local Hamstone, is situated on the edge of the pretty village of Broadway. Broadway is near to the ancient market town of Ilminster with it’s lovely Church, St. Mary’s.

Abbotsford House has 2 twin bedded spacious en-suite bedrooms, each furnished ;to a high standard. We provide a colour TV and Tea & Coffee making facilities in each room. Each room has lovely views into our garden and grounds and beyond into the Somerset countryside. The grounds of Abbotsford House nestle beside the river Ding, and extend to 10 acres. We currently run a smallholding, with horses, cows and chickens, as well as an abundance of wildlife.

Ilminster Angling Association

admin — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:18:24 +0000

Ilminster Angling Association offers a variety of fishing venues and matches throughout the year. If you visit the official website you will quickly realise that fish welfare is a priority for this club. The IAA enjoys an active committee and a comprehensive set of rules. Contact can be made from the committee page

The IAA website lists all the club rules along with forthcoming fishing match venues and also a complete run down on results

Oxenford Farm Holidays

admin — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 14:54:35 +0000

Oxenford farm offer a truly unique farming holiday experience. Accommodation comprises a Mongolian Yurt style dwelling. This consists of steam bent red oak uprights with a canvas covering. This type of structure leaves very little in the way of an environmental footprint. Oxenford is a true working farm with 80 Holstein Friesian dairy cows and over 50 pigs. During your stay at the farm you are welcome to take part in the daily routine by milking cows, feeding pigs or collecting eggs from the free range chickens

Meeting House Arts Centre

admin — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 14:31:34 +0000

The Meeting House Arts Centre (originally The Unitarian Church) contains an art gallery with works by local and, sometimes, national artists. The exhibitions change monthly and can range from the traditional to the bizarre – they seldom fail to evoke comment.
There is a lunch time café and for the musically minded a regular programme of concerts, jamming sessions and the occasional dance.
The Meeting House is also home to the Ilminster Tourist Information Centre.

The Warehouse Theatre

admin — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 13:56:11 +0000

Ilminster’s West End is home to the Warehouse Theatre. Established a few years ago by a dedicated band of thespians, it puts on an amazingly high standard of production; sometimes it is difficult to remember they are in fact amateurs. There are professional performances too and Ilminster’s cinema club shows its films there.

Ilminster Shops

admin — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 12:20:09 +0000

Ilminster offers a diverse number of shops, ranging from coffee shops to wedding dress and bridal outlets. If you are considering a shopping trip to Ilminster, the best place to start is by viewing the Individual Shops website. This Chamber of Commerce resource lists all the shops in Ilminster along with contact details. We have provided a link to the website and contact details to the right

Herne Lea B&B

admin — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 11:56:16 +0000

Herne Lea Bed and Breakfast has already been awarded 4 stars by the AA. This is an incredible achievement considering the B&B won the award in the first full year of trading.

The Herne Lea is hosted by Melvyn and Carole who have both lived in the local area for many years and are happy to share their local knowledge

Shrubbery Hotel

admin — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 21:04:21 +0000

The Shrubbery Hotel is situated in a beautiful part of South Somerset known as Ilminster. Although this hotel is part of the Great Western chain of hotels it has been expertly managed by the Shepherd family for over 50 years. The Shrubbery is well known as a premier business and conference centre but often takes centre stage as a hugely popular wedding venue.

The Shrubbery hotel sits just off the A303 and is approx ten minutes from the M5 Taunton motorway; this makes it a strategic overnight refuge for business men and holiday makers alike.

If you appreciate the surroundings of your chosen hotel as much as the luxury of the accommodation, then you won’t be disappointed. The Shrubbery lives up to its name enjoying over two acres of lawns and botanical beauty.

Minster Church

admin — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 17:03:27 +0000

St Mary’s Church or The Minster as it is also known dates from the 15^th century and is one of the finest parish churches in the country. The church enjoys grade one listed building status and has some intriguing features. From its beautiful new engraved glass doors to the slugs and snails on the reredos.

St Mary’s was restored to its former glory in 1825 by William Burgess followed by further restoration work in 1887 and 1902. The church boasts two magnificent bells, one dating from 1732 and made by Thomas Bilbie and the other from 1790 made by William Bilbie

For information about services please visit www.it-anglican.org

Places to Visit in Ilminster

admin — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 21:27:17 +0000

Ilminster is a charming, quiet, country town almost lost in the beautiful countryside of South West Somerset. Bypassed a few years ago, it now lies just to the east of the intersection of the A303 (London to Exeter) and the A358 (Taunton to Chard and Axminster). It is, nevertheless, a bustling town full of life and character. It boasts a good selection of restaurants, cafés and shops and presents the visitor with a wide selection of things to do. It also boasts its own industry and is home to some internationally renowned companies.

Visitors with a little bit of time to spare should try to see as much of Ilminster as possible, this is easily done on foot and the first port of call should be the Tourist Information Centre located at the Meeting House Arts Centre in East Street.

Court Barton
Behind St Mary’s Church lies Court Barton. This area is pure tranquility with the Old Grammar School buildings, Crosse House with its Georgian windows and Tuscan porch and the Chantry with its 15th century doorway. Although there is little to show that here was the court where the Abbots of Muchelney held sway for some five centuries, the atmosphere lingers.

The Market House
The Market House in the middle of town provides shelter from the West Country rain, and is surrounded by a wonderful collection of Georgian and Victorian buildings and some more recent ones.
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Shops
Ilminster still boasts a range of traditional shops including a real hardware shop, an exceptional garden shop, a proper butchers and a wonderful delicatessen.
For pure Edwardian perfection you have to visit Dyers, the haberdashers opposite the Minster. It has an unchanged interior and if you want anything in the clothing line you will almost certainly find it there.
Visit the Business Directory for a full list of shops in Ilminster.

Herne Hill
Herne Hill is situated to the South West of Ilminster. It is owned by the Town Council and is about 25 acres in size. It contains a two-mile nature trail and over the past two decades has been afforested with a variety of species that give any visitor an insight into Somerset’s flora and fauna.
The hill is a picture in the springtime when its slopes are awash with bluebells. The discerning eye will note the ancient Parish boundary bank to the southern edge and further exploration will reveal banks and ditches of what was for some five hundred years, if not more, the south eastern corner of the ancient Donyatt Deer Park.
Further information about Herne Hill and its nature trail can be found in a leaflet that is available from the Ilminster Tourist Information Centre.

Ilminster Country Houses
South Somerset boasts a number of fine 16th century country houses. Montacute and Barrington are both major houses owned by the National Trust, there is Dillington House just north of Ilminster and a few miles East and West of the town are Whitelackington Manor and Whitestaunton Manor both in private ownership.
Dillington House is a wonderful Tudor mansion run by Somerset County Council as a residential centre for professional development, adult education and the arts. The main house dates back to the 16th century and is one of the most beautiful houses in Somerset.