THIS MONTH WE VISIT Rickford
Somerset Life|October 2020
In our special series Catherine Courtenay takes a look at village life in Somerset
Catherine Courtenay
THIS MONTH WE VISIT Rickford

Driving along the A368 between Churchill and Blagdon, you may spot an unusual building just off the road beside a rather lovely stretch of water.

It has a look of a Swiss chalet and, with its woodland backdrop and tumbling stream that flows from the mill pond it stands beside, it could be a scene from a child’s storybook. It’s actually the former Baptist chapel at Rickford, built by the Wills family (of Bristol tobacco company fame) in the late 19th century.

Rickford is a hamlet in the parish of Burrington and if you pull off the main road and follow a lane leading from the chapel, you go past the Grade II-listed Mill House, which dates back to the 17th century and the Gauge House, a quirky waterworks building that sits across the stream and was also built at the time of the chapel.

At the heart of Rickford lies its 17th-century pub, The Plume of Feathers, which for the past 15 years has been owned and run by Kate and Dan Jackson.

It’s never been anything other than a pub and like all good hostelries, it’s both a welcoming spot for visitors and is at the heart of community life.

“We have our core group of locals - all with their own drinks, glasses - and quirks!” says Kate.

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.

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