Little Gems: a stylish, cosy pub with rooms in the Wiltshire countryside
Years ago, my father used to sing me a song called Let’s Have a Tiddley at the Milk Bar. I had no idea then what a milk bar was and I still don’t, but I think that I came pretty close to finding one when I rolled up at The Bradley Hare pub in rural Wiltshire. On the pavement outside was a small wooden shack selling fresh Milly Moo’s milk on tap. Pop in a few coins and you could fill up your own bottle, or add any one of a number of flavours dispensed from a rack on the wall to make a milkshake. A gaggle of schoolchildren were wholesomely waiting their turn.
No matter if the milk bar is not owned or run by The Bradley Hare: it is still a nice touch. And no matter either that Maiden Bradley, the village in which you will find the pub, is not the most picturesque. There is a certain charm and allure to the place that surmounts the busy main road, probably in part due to the fact that this is the stomping ground of the Duke of Somerset, whose seat, Bradley House, is barely more than a stone’s throw from the pub – known previously as the Somerset Arms.
So into the mix of dukes, Wiltshire countryside and an attractive cluster of grey- and red-brick buildings comes a young team, many with Soho House pedigree. Chief among these is James Thurstan Waterworth, a former European design director for Soho House who, in addition to his co-partner role with Andrew Kelly in the Bradley Hare enterprise, is the founder of the design studio Thurstan. His interiors style is very easy on the eye. Clearly a past master at pulling off that clever mix of old and new (‘I’m an antique dealer at heart,’ he tells me), he is brave enough to dabble in the odd bit of beautiful wallpaper and daring enough to give one room a whimsical, boxed-in cabin bed.
There are 12 rooms in total: seven – the smaller, quirkier ones – in the main house and five in the Coach House across the gravel driveway, which are larger, airier and whiter. I have a bath at the end of the bed in mine, along with hefty linen curtains, cushioned window seats, an exquisite antique oak bench and a pretty antique chest of drawers. There is nothing I don’t like and nothing I would not fancy having in my own house. The four new rooms, planned as part of an ambitious ongoing phase of development, will surely follow suit.
In the main house, the team has been careful to preserve a balance between country pub and posher restaurant (food is crafted by Jake Shantos, who earned his stripes at The Newt in Somerset). A pint of beer will be served just as readily as a fancy cocktail, and scruffy wooden floors and tables sit well alongside an interesting modern British art collection.
It is summer when I visit: the pub garden is geared up for Argentinian-style barbecues, with newly planted borders springing to life. But I can imagine an autumn or winter break here. There are log fires aplenty, cosy corners for afternoons with a book, a picturesque cottage-cum-treatment room in the Duke’s walled garden, and – just down the road – the beautiful National Trust estate, Stourhead, which is open all year round.
Ways and means
Pamela Goodman stayed as a guest of The Bradley Hare (01985 801018; thebradleyhare.co.uk), which offers double rooms from £115, B&B.
Martin Morrell1/5A mix of antiques and modern pieces gives the drawing room an informal elegance.
Martin Morrell2/5Floral wallpaper features in the garden room.
Martin Morrell3/5An upper room in the Coach House.
Martin Morrell4/5Sea bream with asparagus, whipped cods’ roe and sumac.
Martin Morrell5/5The exterior with the Coach House on the left.
