The Old Barn Croscombe

The Old Barn is a beautiful and historic holiday cottage located in Somerset, England. We offer cosy self-catered holiday accommodation for up to five people all year round.A cot is available if you need one.

The Barn is a great holiday cottage for those who want to explore the glorious Westcountry, and is within easy reach of the Mendip and Quantock Hills, Wells, Bath, Bristol and Glastonbury Festival and town.

As its name suggests, the Barn wasn’t always a holiday cottage. In fact it has had a long and varied history. It is thought it began life as the brew house for the church directly opposite and its hospital in the Middle Ages. More recently it was used as a hay barn and as a builder’s store.

The barn was listed in 1985 by English Heritage (note the English Heritage photo was taken pre-renovation!), an acknowledgement of the barn’s historical significance.

The barn lay unused, unloved and derelict for many years. When we purchased it in 2000 – having lived next door since the early 1970s – the roof was leaking and the interior was crammed with building materials and rubble. .

Our facilities
On the ground floor a large entrance hall opens on to one large fully furnished bedroom with one double bed, one single bed, a desk and a chest of drawers. There is also a modern wet room with WC and a shower and a small cupboard for coats containing a washing machine. The Barn has underfloor heating which keeps it cosy throughout the year.

Walking up the solid oak staircase you reach the gallery floor. This is the Old Barn’s main living area containing an open plan kitchen/dining/living space. The kitchen is fully equipped with an electric hob, oven, fridge, microwave/grill and cooking utensils. Cutlery, crockery and glasses can be found in the sideboard.

The living space has a double futon sofa bed as well as other comfortable seating. The Barn also has a TV with DVD player and a small selection of DVDs as well as a CD player/radio. The Barn also has free wi-fi for our guests.Please note there is no TV reception in the Old Barn but the wifi is strong enough to stream if you want to watch your favourite programmes or catch up with the news.

Croscome is on the bus route to Wells and Shepton Mallet where connections to Bristol Bath and Glastonbury and Street can be taken.Castle Cary railway station is 9km away, and for Glastonbury festival period there is a shuttle bus to Shepton Mallet( 3 km ).The actual Festival site is less than 5 km away and the taxi drivers are happy to collect and deliver throughout the time of the festival both day and night.

Wells is the closest city and is well worth a visit.The cathedral is magnificent and the Bishop's palace next door with its medieval moat can be visited too. There is a lovely cafe inside the Palace walls where,while you drink a leisurely cup of tea, you can watch the croquet on the lawns in the summer.The little museum on the Green always has an interesting exhibition and the Green provides a tranquil seat or two.Before you leave the Cathedral precincts do take a look at Priests row to the north , it is the oldest inhabited street in England. Wells was used in the film Hot Fuzz as Edgar Wright went to school here. Since then Wells has been used very often as a film set and when you visit you will see why. One that comes to mind is the series Poldark. A few more are listed here 1972 The Canterbury Tales
2002 The Gathering
2005 The Libertine ( - House of Lords interior)
2007 Elizabeth, The Golden Age ( - Whitehall Palace interiors)
2007 Hot Fuzz
2012 Jack & the Giant Slayer
2013 The World's End
2015 The Huntsman
For a comprehensive list plus locations look here : http://www.wellssomerset.com/docs/film_and_tv_location_map_for_fest_1015.pdf

In Bath there are all the Georgian buildings, and of course,The Roman Baths to visit, not forgetting the thirteen museums , something for a rainy day, perhaps.My favorite museum in Bath is the costume museum in the old Assembly Rooms.(shades of Jane Austin again)

Bristol has the famous Isambard Kingdom Brunel suspension bridge and the zoo or if you like shopping there is the centre of town The Mall and the Galleries with the out of town ones at Cribbs Causeway.Or you can wander through the ancient sector of the city.

If you like walking, the Mendip hills are just behind the Old Barn and they stretch for miles in both directions.with a myriad of footpaths, right down to the coast if you are feeling energetic. The views from the top of the Mendips are wide and lovely with the Levels spread out before you and the Welsh Mountains in the distance,if you are lucky.

Bird watching is very popular on the Somerset Levels with the most spectacular murmurations of starlings in the winter months at Shapwick which is just 30 mins drive away.

The Lions of Longleat, the house and the rest of the attractions which you can drive through can be visited 40 mins away. You can easily spend a whole day there.

Stourhead gardens are a must to visit if you like Regency Landscapes and has been used in many films over the years eg several of the Jane Austin films. it takes roughly 40 mins to drive there from Croscombe.

Lyme Regis is the most beautiful seaside town on the south coast it is 1.5 hours away.There are Georgian houses and a promenade beside the sea side to enjoy and fossils to search for along the shore.