Weekends in Bruton have taken on an almost ritualistic quality for London’s creative class. Film directors arrive on Friday evening trains clutching weekend bags and escape plans, photographers swap urban grit for limestone cottages, and foodies trade Borough market for Somerset farmers’ shops.
What began as occasional countryside retreats has grown into something more substantial – many of these weekend pilgrims have become permanent converts – drawn by a town that somehow manages to feel both worldly and wonderfully removed from city life. For those not quite ready to abandon their London lives entirely, At The Chapel has become the perfect sanctuary – a place where you can experience the sanctity of Somerset living, without committing to actually buying a house here.
The Chapel lived many lives before it gained a spatial preposition that makes it quite tricky to reference in print. First, as an inn during the 1600s, then transforming into a silk house in the Georgian era, later becoming a chapel in the 19th century. For a short time in the 1960s, it even moonlighted as a recording studio where Genesis are said to have cut some tracks. Today, with the At attached (told you it can sound awkward), it’s one of the Top 50 Boutique Hotels in the UK.
This historic, shape-shifting building stands prettily and proudly on the High Street of Bruton, which has itself undergone a remarkable transformation from sleepy market town to artistic haven in recent years, all without (largely) shedding its soul. That’s rather like At The Chapel itself; a meticulous conversion that honours its ecclesiastical bones while injecting a shot of contemporary verve. You’ll feel reborn after staying here, too.
Idea
We’ve slept in our fair share of monasteries turned hotels (weird flex), and we can safely say that the conversion of religious buildings into hotels can sometimes feel uncomfortable, like you’re bedding down where you should be kneeling. Not here. The brilliant restoration respects the chapel’s history while giving it a new purpose, lightening things up both metaphorically and quite literally.
Though the burden of its past no longer hangs heavy, it’s a place that encourages gathering, breaking bread, and raising glasses – communal activities that feel entirely appropriate in a former place of worship.
There’s confidence in simplicity here. No need for fussy trimmings or the textural tropes of clichéd countryside hotels. Instead, it leans into what it naturally possesses – soaring ceilings, tremendous light, and the inherent drama of its sacred architecture – then complements these with clean design and quality furnishings.
Owing to its location and standing on the high street (and the lack of other places to stay in Bruton, it has to be said), At The Chapel certainly attracts a well-heeled clientele, but actual room prices remain surprisingly accessible. There’s something inclusive about the place that’s really charming as a result.
Location
Bruton itself is going through a period of seismic change. A small town of barely 3,000 residents, it’s become an unlikely magnet for creative types fleeing London without too noticeably disrupting its ancient rhythms.
The River Brue still meanders through town (those pesky interlopers haven’t drunk it dry quite yet), limestone cottages line the higgledy-piggledy streets, and the 16th-century Dovecote stands sentinel on its hill, untroubled by George Osborne’s presence at its base.
The hotel occupies a prime spot, slap bang in the middle of the (admittedly low stakes) action on Bruton’s high street, walking distance from the town’s train station. London is just a two-hour ride away, and the capital’s denizens flock here in the warmer months. They all head for At The Chapel. These double prepositions are killing me.
From this central anchor and launch pad, you’re perfectly placed to explore the town’s highlights. At The Chapel is right next door to the town’s museum, which has the largest collection of bird eggs in the country. World renowned art gallery Hauser & Wirth’s rural outpost, with its world-class sculpture and Piet Oudolf garden, is a pleasant amble through some fields away, and there’s a corner shop opposite the hotel, as well as several independent shops and restaurants just a Doulting stone’s throw away.
Further afield, the glorious gardens of Stourhead are about 15 minutes by car, and Glastonbury town is around half an hour away.
Style & Character
There are moments in hotel-seeking where you stumble upon something that makes you pause. Not the planned pauses of staged luxury hotels, but the genuine intake of breath when you find a place with its own unmistakable character. At The Chapel delivers that moment right as you step through its heavy wooden doors.
Talk about first impressions. There’s something properly special about entering the chapel’s main space – now the restaurant and bar. The soaring windows that once illuminated congregations now flood the restaurant with ethereal light, casting a glow across polished concrete floors and minimalist white walls. Original architectural elements—vaulted ceilings, elegant arches, and restored plasterwork—create a space that feels dramatic, sure, but the acoustics are good enough to support intimate conversation with a loved one, too.
Light floods through enormous arched windows onto white walls, creating a sense of airiness that’s grounded by original wooden floorboards. Lucy Glendinning’s ‘Faith’, an ex-voto figure mounted on the wall, looks out over the room in a nod to the space’s previous life. A glass bauble chandelier hangs from the high ceiling, a modern intervention that somehow doesn’t jar with the building’s heritage. How they’ve pulled it off, we’re not sure; this chandelier would look so jarring in just about any other dining room we can think of. Here, it’s spectacular.
This balancing act between old and new runs throughout. Contemporary furniture – much of it designed by Ahmed Sidki, who with restaurateur Catherine Butler originally transformed the building – sits comfortably against original features. There’s a refreshing absence of country house clichés: no huntsman prints, no tweed, no antlers. Instead, a palette of whites, woods and muted velvet creates a calm backdrop that lets the drama of the building shine.
The atmosphere changes throughout the day – quiet and contemplative at breakfast as sunlight streams through those immense windows; buzzy and convivial by evening when locals and visitors mingle over pizzas and wine. Unlike the studied coolness of some design hotels, there’s genuine warmth here, helped by a fireplace in colder months and staff who seem genuinely happy to be working in such a special place.
Rooms
The ten bedrooms at At The Chapel continue the clean, unfussy aesthetic established downstairs. White walls meet wooden floors, with minimal furnishings and the odd splash of colour from a chair or chaise longue. Several have dramatic ecclesiastical windows that flood the spaces with light while framing views of Bruton’s rooftops or the distant Dovecote.
Beds are blissfully comfortable – the danger being that you’ll sink so deeply into them that making it downstairs for breakfast becomes a heroic endeavour. While they vary in size, from two snug lofts to the spacious Dovecote Suite, each has enough personality to avoid that cookie-cutter feel. It feels like your own private bedroom, rather than a hotel room, which is all rather lovely.
The bathrooms are splendid – wrapped in grey and white marble, they feature walk-in showers and, in some rooms, generously sized freestanding baths positioned to make the most of the views. Quality REN products add a further touch of understated luxury.
Dogs are welcome here, and you may find the odd dog hair here and there. But given how charming the hotel is and its countryside location, it’s forgiven. Hell, it might even be deliberate; strategically placed to set a certain scene.
Actually, that would be mental.
Anyway, one of the loveliest touches comes each morning when you’ll find a paper bag of freshly baked croissants hanging on your door handle. With Somerset butter and homemade jam waiting in your minibar, it’s the perfect excuse for breakfast in bed before eventually venturing downstairs.
Food & Drink
The restaurant operates throughout the day, transitioning seamlessly from breakfast through lunch and dinner. The cooking is confident and unpretentious, celebrating local produce with a Mediterranean slant. And yes, given the setting, breaking bread here feels less like a figure of speech and more like an ecclesiastical obligation – thankfully, one that’s thoroughly enjoyable to fulfil.
Breakfast might be something as simple as those fresh bakery croissants piled high on the counter at the front or something more substantial – perhaps the signature muffin featuring Cumberland sausage, streaky bacon, a runny egg, and piquant cider-onion ham made with local Dowding’s brew that renders ketchup totally unnecessary, all inside the most beautifully formed sourdough bap. If you’re going to break bread anywhere in Bruton, make it here – literally and figuratively.
Take your time over breakfast – the unhurried rhythm of service and the light flooding the room invites lingering. Unfold a newspaper (available from across the road) or pick up one of the many Wallpaper magazines left for guests, order a second cappuccino, and let your morning unfold naturally in a space where the absence of pressure feels like a quiet luxury. Hey, this is what being on holiday is all about, isn’t it? You’ll see locals doing the same alongside other couples from out of town who you spotted dining at Osip or wandering around Hauser and Wirth.
The all-day menu features dishes that sound straightforward but deliver layers of flavour. The ingredients are good enough to speak for themselves. Spring sees dishes like burrata with preserved lemon and rocket pesto, and roasted lamb shoulder with charred baby gem taking centre stage. Unsurprisingly for a restaurant attached to a bakery, desserts aren’t a mere afterthought – a yoghurt panna cotta with rhubarb and ginger was impossible to resist. The second round, too.
The wood-fired pizzas deserve their local reputation and have quietly become this restaurant’s signature. The base—impossibly light and digestible – provides the canvas for thoughtful combinations that speak of both Somerset and Italy. Think taleggio with field mushrooms and thyme; wild mushrooms paired with goat’s cheese and truffle oil; or buffalo mozzarella made in Glastonbury with San Marzano tomatoes and pepperoni.
Sunday service here is held with the kind of reverence fitting of its chapel setting. The sirloin of beef comes with a pokey horseradish sauce that cuts through the richness, while the chicken breast is complemented by a fragrant sage and apricot stuffing. The star might be the stuffed pork belly — tender, fatty meat given vigour from an apple sauce made using fruit from local orchards. This calls for a Somerset cider or several, we think. All clock in at around £20.
By the check-in desk, there’s a small wine room, full of mostly organic and biodynamic wines from all over the place. It’s as thoughtful as everything else – not encyclopaedic, but carefully chosen with an emphasis on small producers who work sustainably.
Now to that baker. At the Chapel in Bruton has been home to head baker Tom Hitchmough’s artisanal bread craftsmanship for more than a decade. During that time, his skilled hands have been shaping the bakery’s distinctive output, establishing it as a cornerstone of the hotel’s identity and the wider community. Take home a doughnut and a sausage roll for the journey back to wherever you came from – they are the bakery’s signatures for a reason.
Facilities
At The Chapel isn’t about ticking boxes on amenity lists. There’s no spa, no pool, no gym – and it’s all the better for it. What it offers instead is substance: a destination bakery producing exceptional artisan loaves and pastries ; a thoughtfully stocked wine store focusing on small producers; and communal spaces that encourage both socialising and solitude. Considering Bruton is in the process of a massive reinvention as a global foodie destination (genuinely not hyperbolic), it all makes perfect sense.
The south-facing terrace is a sun trap in summer, while downstairs, the Clubroom offers Friday DJ night DJ sessions from 6pm to 10pm, for locals looking to get down and guests squeezing every drop of fun from their stay here.
The true heart of the place, though, is the restaurant and bar. Cultural events, from book launches to talks and film screenings, happen regularly, and you’ll spot the occasional famous face from London’s food, literary and art scene.
Why Go
In a landscape increasingly dotted with identikit boutique hotels, At The Chapel stands apart. It’s a genuine one-off – a place with heart, soul and a deep connection to its surroundings.
You feel this in the building itself, with its respectful restoration; in the food, which celebrates local producers; and in the staff, who create an atmosphere of relaxed hospitality that’s increasingly rare.
The joy of At The Chapel is that it’s not just one thing. It’s the town’s all-day restaurant, artisan bakery, wine store, bar, hotel, unofficial meeting point for locals and designated launchpad for visitors, all rolled into one.
It’s not trying to be the most luxurious hotel in Somerset, or the coolest, or the most exclusive. Instead, it offers something more valuable – authenticity, quality, and a genuine sense of place. In a world of manufactured experiences, that’s something worth seeking out.
Address: 28 High Street, Bruton, Somerset BA10 0AE, UK
Website: www.atthechapel.co.uk
