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Arts and crafts in Somerset

Somerset (including Bath and North East Somerset, Mendip, North Somerset, Sedgemoor, South Somerset, Taunton Deane and West Somerset) is in the South West of England. It has a population of around 900,000 and covers approximately 420,000 hectares. Here is a list of nearby or neighbouring counties: Bristol, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire.

County flag of SomersetSomerset is located to the north east of Devon, has a coastline on the Bristol Channel and the River Severn Estuary and its county town is Taunton. Farming is an important part of the local economy and includes the production of cheese, wool and willow, which is used in basket making. The county was settled during the Palaeolithic era and its archaeology includes 13,000 year old cave art found in the Cheddar Gorge, Neolithic stone circles and Iron Age hill forts. Visitors to The Museum of Somerset can see exhibits which reflect the counties history, using multimedia and displays such as the Frome Hoard, which is the largest single collection of Roman coins found in Britain. Evidence of Roman occupation includes temples, villas and the famous baths of the city of Bath, which during the eighteenth century was a centre of fashion and attracted artists such as Thomas Gainsborough and writers such as Jane Austen. Performing arts venues in Somerset include the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil, the Playhouse in Weston-super-Mare and the Theatre Royal in Bath.

In 1987 Bath became a World Heritage site and its many attractions include theatre productions, cultural festivals, museums such as the Fashion Museum, galleries such as the Victoria Art Gallery and Holburne Museum of Art and the cities Georgian architecture. Somerset has a long tradition of folk arts and starting as a music festival in September 1970, the now world famous Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts became an annual event in 1980, taking place during June in Pilton, near Shepton Mallet. Glastonbury also plays a central role in the Arthurian legends, which have inspired works of art for hundreds of years. Across Somerset there are thousands of listed buildings, hundreds of monuments and many conservation areas, parks and gardens. National Trust properties include Tyntesfield, a Victorian Gothic Revival house decorated with stone carvings, and Montacute House, an Elizabethan mansion which houses a number of Tudor and Elizabethan portraits, a range of period furnishings and textiles and has picturesque formal gardens. Other attractions in Somerset include Glastonbury Abbey, Wells Cathedral, Dunster Castle, Clevedon Pier, Cheddar Gorge Craft Village, Barrington Court and Somerset Rural Life Museum in Glastonbury.

Alexs Baskets

Alexs Baskets

Bridgwater, Somerset

My name is Alex and I have been weaving for about a year and a half now. I used to be ...

Hog and Tallow

Hog and Tallow

Winsham, Somerset

We are Jess and Emma founders of Hog and Tallow soaps based in rural Somerset. At Hog ...

Bonnika The Magic of Needlefelt

Bonnika The Magic of Needlefelt

Bridgwater, Somerset

At Bonnika , I craft and create a range of Waldorf Inspired magical Needlefelted Angels, ...

Venus In Glass

Venus In Glass

Frome, Somerset

Hello there! My name is Justyna and Im stained glass artist based in Somerset, UK. I ...

A Prertty Penny

A Prertty Penny

Bruton, Somerset

I make unique hand crafted, cut coin pendants. I have made over 700 different designs ...

Sui Generis Arts and Crafts

Sui Generis Arts and Crafts

Shepton Mallet, Somerset

Home made arts and crafts grown from painting for better mental health and also the desire ...

Pure Rooster

Pure Rooster

Frome, Somerset

Pure Rooster produces pencil and trinket boxes, memo and peg boards plus cards, brooches ...

hellopeachx

hellopeachx

Frome, Somerset

We sell handmade goods including: - Scrunchies - Bottles - Glasses - Keyrings - Tumblers ...

SilasCreates

SilasCreates

Bath, Somerset

My name is Silas, I am a self-taught artist and sell wire-wrapped necklaces and rings ...

j9Style

j9Style

Cannington, Somerset

Whimsical and quirky practical craft objects inspired by my watercolour art. Fine art ...

Rock Farm Candles

Rock Farm Candles

Shepton Mallet, Somerset

Our candles are handcrafted from all-natural, sustainable vegetable and vegan wax, making ...

Boo Bazaar

Boo Bazaar

Radstock, Somerset

My name is Katie and I live with my partner in Bath. I am a disabled, autistic creator ...

Spice Freaks

Spice Freaks

Shepton Beauchamp, Somerset

I am a seller of spicy snacks and sauces all made within the UK. We have a great variation ...

FramptonGibson Designs

FramptonGibson Designs

Templecombe, Somerset

I design and make beaded Jewellery and paint on canvas (acrylic and oils). I still look ...

Fused Glass by Sheila

Fused Glass by Sheila

Burnham on Sea, Somerset

From my workshop at home I have produced a varied portfolio of pieces. I have a particular ...

Becky and Owen

Becky and Owen

Wellington, Somerset

We sell Sterling silver handmade jewellery with Australian Opal earrings, pendants , ...

olliesopals

olliesopals

Wellington, Somerset

Olliesopals is our business on etsy we selling opal and other fine handmade silver jewellery ...

Sara Nelson

Supplier

Pensford, Somerset

Recycling, reclaimed and found by the sea , elegant designs of pieces of driftwood in ...


Harold Gilman

(Born 1876 in Rode in Somerset), Painting

Harold Gilman, British artist, painted portraits and landscapes and was a member of the Camden Town Group.

John Brodribb Henry Irving

(Born 1838 in Keinton Mandeville in Somerset), Theatre

He was the first ever actor to be awarded a knighthood. He performed at the Lyceum in the West End of London. There is a statue of Irving behind the National Portrait Gallery in London. He is believed to be the inspiration for Bram Stokers Dracula.

Edwin Longsden Long

(Born 1829 in Bath in Somerset), Painting

Edwin Longsden Long, English artist, painted portraits and historical scenes.

Margaret Fownes Luttrell

(Born 1726 in Dunster in Somerset), Art, Painting

An English artist, born in and heiress to Dunster Castle, where you can see two of her paintings (View of an Imaginary Castle with a Round Tower - View of an Imaginary Castle with Two Towers). Also at the castle, you can see four painting of Margaret.