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.
This story is from the October 2020 edition of Somerset Life.
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This story is from the October 2020 edition of Somerset Life.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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