A weekend in Wiltshire

Corsham is something of a hidden gem in Wiltshire. Only ten miles from Chippenham railway station, this small market town is surrounded by beautiful countryside and is home to a number of historic buildings, including the Almshouses and Corsham Court with its Capability Brown picture gallery.

Walking down its High Street is a rare delight – where you might even be joined by a few noisy residents in the form of the town’s resident peacocks.

“Corsham has no match in Wiltshire. [There is a] wealth of good houses and there are a few of really high merit,” wrote Nikolaus Pevsner in his book Buildings of England – Wiltshire.

Particular highlights can be found along the High Street, especially numbers 94 to 112 which are the Grade II* listed buildings known as the Flemish Weavers cottages, named after Dutch workers who arrived here in the 17th century.

The nearby Flemish Weaver pub, with a collection of colourful hanging baskets outside and higgledy-piggledy rooms inside is a delightful stop-off during a meander of the High Street, and it was while having a pint in here sat on cushions featuring photographs of Poldark that we learned about Corsham’s connection to the popular BBC One drama.

All fans of the show will recognise the High Street as a location and it’s very easy to follow in the footsteps of Ross Poldark and his cohorts as the production team (based at the Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol) transformed Corsham into 18th-century Truro in Cornwall for one weekend in 2015.

The shop fronts and neat parking spaces were replaced by dirt-covered roads, rickety carts and wandering horses, and it’s easy to be transported back in history with a little imagination.

After a busy day of exploring this town’s history, both ancient and modern, we made our way to the southern edge of the High Street to the award-winning Methuen Arms, recently restored by new owners Butcombe to its Georgian grandeur.

The Methuen Arms is also a restaurant and 14-room hotel, and our family-sized room high up in the eaves, with exposed beams and comfy armchairs, easily fitted our family of four.

The spacious family room at the Methuen Arms – perfect for a game of hide and seek

Our six-year-old daughter especially loved her bed, which looked as if it was part of one of the walls, and a game of hide of seek was swiftly arranged.

The hotel would also offer everything a couple could want for a romantic stay, with comfortable beds and relaxing rainforest showers.

After exploring every nook and cranny of the room, we headed downstairs where locals propped up at the bar and were led to the circular table in the restaurant for our meal. Breakfast is also served in this dining room, the tables almost buckling under the weight of the buffet.

At Butcombe’s flagship inn, it’s amost the law to have a Butcombe-battered haddock with hand-cut chips. But there were plenty of other option too, with head chef Leigh Evans, formerly of Combe Grove Manor, The Chequers and The Royal Crescent Hotel in Bath, adopting a nose-to-tail philosophy when it comes to crafting his menus, whether it’s the fish and chips on the pub menu or a more indulgent evening meal.

With our table overlooking the gardens, we were told that the Methuen Arms has recently acquired planning permission to restore the stables into five new hotel bedrooms and the old barn for private hire.

It’s another example of bringing history into the present day in Corsham.

Martin Booth and his family stayed at the Methuen Arms, 2 High Street, Corsham, Wiltshire, SN13 0HB, where rooms start from £126 per night. For more information, visit www.themethuenarms.com, email info@themethuenarms.com or call 01249 717 060.

The Methuen Arms