Posted in Days Out, Holidays, Travel

Barrington Court – Somerset 2019 (3)

Recently we spent the weekend in Somerset, just to get away for a couple of days. Staying in the pretty village of Montacute. After a morning at Montacute House, we hopped into the car and drove the 10 miles to Barrington Court a Tudor Manor house near Ilminster.

Somerset 2019 - Barrington Court

We’re on a bit of a budget at the moment, and so we decided to check out a couple of nearby National Trust sites, as we are members, so get free entry to lots of sites in the UK, which of course we haven’t explored before!

You can read part one and part two of our trip by clicking the links.

Barrington Court

Barrington Court is a Tudor Manor house; largely abandoned and neglected until the 1920’s; when it was beautifully restored. Within the house you can learn all about the family of Colonel Lyle, that completed the endeavour, and their life in the house.

Somerset 2019 - Barrington Court

We were going to stop for a drink when we arrived but at 1pm, as National Trust properties always have lovely on site cafes. Though it was incredibly busy. So we chose to leave it a while and headed into the house. See below for more information.

The property itself is largely empty, unlike many. Though there are some items, for illustrative purposes; it is definitely worth a look for the impressive renovations and architecture.

Helped along with an array of photographs and interestingly projected images, the walk around the house is utterly beautiful.

As a creative, I couldn’t help but see Barrington Court as a grand-scale upcycling project! Undertaken by Colonel Lyle and the family, as they had a lot of salvaged panelling from before the war; as well as tiles and other items used to create the house you see today. The effect is truly seamless, and cannot be faulted; the result is astounding.

The gardens and surrounding orchards are extremely beautiful here, and it was such a great sunny day to explore them. With several small gardens, pretty flower borders and interesting features.

There is so much thought and attention paid to the design and layout of the gardens, and it doesn’t disappoint, generations later.

The Café

Returning to the café after exploring the house and gardens… Well, honestly, the system at Barrington Court was incredibly confusing!

Where many National Trust sites have a simple counter café; at Barrington Court there is a station with till point; where we were advised by a staff member to choose a table; and then go to the till to order… But you could visit a room with some cakes, and choose something; and then you go on to the till to pay and order a drink; which is then brought out to you.

In our opinion it just seems needlessly complicated; and instead we decided we had time to visit another nearby National Trust site and try our luck there instead! Overall we enjoyed Barrington Court, its lovely gardens, and the stories about the house.

Somerset 2019 - Barrington Court (6)

This post has not been sponsored in any way, and is based on our experience; though you can find out more about Barrington Court and other properties on the National Trust website.

Check out this post for where we went next!

If you enjoyed this post, I’d love to hear from you! Please consider sharing on social media, or leaving a comment below. You can of course follow me on Instagram, where I share some of the days out as they happen in my stories!

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