The Newt in Somerset

Set among orchards, farmland and ancient woodland near Bruton, The Newt is a working Somerset estate centred around historic Hadspen House. Centuries of horticultural heritage have been revived alongside productive gardens, livestock and cider orchards, creating a place where almost everything — from the food on the table to the landscape outside your window — tells the story of the surrounding land.

Story

The Newt’s story stretches back more than three centuries. Hadspen House began life as a farm in the 1600s before William Player started building the present country house in 1687, laying out formal gardens, avenues and fountains around it. The estate later passed to the Hobhouse family, who would shape both house and gardens for more than two centuries.

Its horticultural history is particularly remarkable. In the late 19th century, Margaret Hobhouse transformed the gardens with terraces, rockeries, pools and rare plants. Her daughter-in-law, influential garden designer Penelope Hobhouse, later restored them, followed in the 1980s by Canadian gardeners Nori and Sandra Pope, whose celebrated experiments with colour made Hadspen internationally known.

The estate's latest chapter began in 2014, with its gardens reimagined by Italo-French architect Patrice Taravella. Today, that history lives alongside working orchards, farmland, restaurants, cider-making and gardens — preserving Hadspen not as a static historic house, but as a productive country estate.

Why we selected The Newt

From the estate, to the table

British White cattle and other livestock are reared on the estate, vegetables come from its market gardens and ingredients are gathered from surrounding hedgerows and woodland, creating a genuinely local expression of Somerset.

Somerset traditions brought to life

Cider-making, orcharding, farming, foraging and seasonal cooking aren't presented as heritage displays — they're active parts of daily life at The Newt.

Centuries of horticultural heritage

From Margaret and Penelope Hobhouse to Nori and Sandra Pope, generations of influential gardeners have shaped Hadspen. Today's gardens build upon that history rather than erasing it.

A genuine working Somerset estate

The gardens aren't simply decorative: vegetables are grown, livestock reared, apples harvested and food produced across the estate, reconnecting the country-house experience with the agricultural purpose these estates historically served.

Local life & traditions

Somerset has always been an agricultural landscape, shaped by orchards, livestock, fertile farmland and small market towns. Cider-making is one of its most distinctive traditions, with generations of growers cultivating local apple varieties and turning their harvest into the drink synonymous with the county. The Newt continues that tradition with orchards containing around 70 apple varieties and cider made entirely from apple juice on the estate.

The surrounding countryside retains much of this rural character. Hadspen sits between the old market towns of Bruton, Castle Cary and Wincanton, among villages built from local orange sandstone and Blue Lias, with orchards, farms and traditional country pubs scattered through the landscape.

Seasonal rituals remain central to life here too — harvesting apples, tending kitchen gardens, foraging for mushrooms and hedgerow ingredients, beekeeping and gathering around food grown nearby. The Newt brings these traditions into the guest experience, offering a glimpse of Somerset not simply as countryside, but as a living agricultural culture.

Authentic experiences in the area

Discover the art of Somerset cider-making

Follow apples from orchard to press in the estate’s cider cellar, learning about heritage varieties, fermentation and a craft synonymous with Somerset before tasting four estate-made ciders.

Explore centuries of English gardening

Walk through Hadspen’s historic gardens, from the Parabola and apple-tree maze to woodland and productive gardens, tracing the horticultural ideas and gardeners that have shaped the estate over centuries.

Forage from the Somerset landscape

Join seasonal workshops and walks exploring mushrooms, edible plants and ingredients growing across the estate’s woodland, gardens and hedgerows.

Go behind the scenes of a working estate

Meet the gardeners, farmers, beekeepers and cider-makers responsible for the landscape, with experiences including bee safaris and seasonal workshops revealing how the estate works throughout the year.

Protecting culture & land

The Newt approaches preservation through active stewardship. Hadspen's historic gardens have been restored rather than recreated from scratch, retaining layers left by generations of gardeners while allowing the landscape to continue evolving.

Agriculture is equally important. The estate describes the health of its soil as fundamental to everything it grows and rears, with farmland, livestock, orchards and productive gardens treated as interconnected parts of the landscape.

Cultural traditions are preserved through practice: heritage apples are still grown and pressed into cider, food is cultivated and foraged on the estate, and workshops in horticulture, ecology, heritage crafts, cider-making and foraging pass knowledge on to visitors.

Location & surroundings

The Newt lies in the rolling countryside of south Somerset, almost equidistant between Bruton, Castle Cary and Wincanton.

Beyond the estate, apple orchards, traditional villages and farmland lead towards some of Somerset’s most characterful places, from contemporary Bruton to Glastonbury and the ancient landscapes associated with Arthurian legend.

Key details

Address

The Newt in Somerset
Bruton
Somerset BA7 7NG
United Kingdom

Getting here

By train: Castle Cary is the closest mainline station, with direct services from London Paddington.

By car: Approximately 2.5 hours from London; the estate is close to Bruton and Castle Cary.

By plane: Bristol Airport is the closest major airport.

Transfers: Private transfers can be arranged.

Facilities

Hadspen House & Stable Yard accommodation

Indoor-outdoor swimming pool

Traditional hammam, steam room & sauna

Halotherapy room

Gym, yoga & wellbeing programme

Bicycles for exploring the estate

Hadspen Spa

Farmyard Kitchen

The Botanical Rooms restaurant

More

Estate: Working farm, gardens, woodland & orchards

Gardens: 30 acres of formal gardens

Main house: Historic Hadspen House

Dining: Estate-grown and locally sourced seasonal produce

Words from the owners

“Hadspen limestone and blue lias pops out of the local quarry, while the skill of local architects, blacksmiths, carpenters and stonemasons sustained us.”
— Karen Roos, Co-owner, The Newt

Every stay booked direct keeps value with the people of this place, so they can reinvest in culture, community and land

We believe travel should give back more than it takes; that it can protect cultures, not erode them.

That is why we connect you directly with each hotel’s own website. By booking direct, value remains in the hands of those who shape these places, enabling reinvestment into local culture, community, and land.