A Guide to Living in Somerset

Somerset is a beautiful county in the south of England, with plenty to offer any prospective home buyers. The county has lush green fields and an abundance of wildlife, with some areas designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). For those looking for that quintessential English countryside experience, Somerset is hard to beat. With rolling hills, picturesque villages, and a wealth of activities on offer, prospective home buyers would be wise to consider this beautiful county.

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Best places to live in Somerset

HomeViews Top Rated Development ranking takes into account the Star Rating and HomeViews Transparency Rating of every development in the area

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Where is Somerset?

Somerset is located in the South West of England and is bordered by Devon to the west, Wiltshire to the northwest, Gloucestershire to the north, and Dorset and Hampshire to the east.

Areas in Somerset

Somerset is a large county, with plenty of areas to choose from depending on what you are looking for. If you’re after countryside living, the villages around Glastonbury and Street will be right up your alley, while Bristol is just a short drive away for those who want city amenities on their doorstep.

Bristol – a vibrant city with a great mix of shops, bars, and restaurants, Bristol is a great place to live for anyone looking for city life, but outside the hustle and bustle of London. It is also home to some fantastic schools.

Bath – an historic spa town with excellent transport links, Bath has been named one of the best places in England by The Sunday Times Best Places To Live list because of its great selection of shops, bars, and restaurants.

Yeovil – a market town in South Somerset, Yeovil has excellent transport links and an easy commute into Bristol or further south towards Taunton, making it popular with commuters who want the benefits of living away from busy cities but still having access to great amenities. The local area’s top schools are good enough for most parents to be happy with the choices available.

The New Forest – a popular place for families, The New Forest is in close proximity to Southampton and Bournemouth but also within easy reach of Bath via train or car, making it ideal for commuters who want an easier commute than those living closer to London yet still want to access city amenities.

Universities in Somerset

Bath Spa University and the University for the Creative Arts at Farnham both have campuses in Somerset, making it an excellent place to study.

Bath Spa University – popular for its courses in the arts and humanities, Bath Spa University has a campus just outside of Wells. It is well-known among universities as one that encourages students to take part in extracurricular activities such as music ensembles or sports teams. The university opened its doors in 1966 and now has over 17000 students from more than 120 countries enrolled between its three campuses (in Claverton Down, City and Newton Park) which are all within easy reach of Somerset’s other major towns including Bristol and Taunton.

University for the Creative Arts at Farnham – founded in 1882 as the Farnham School of Art, it is now one of Britain’s leading art and design universities. Like Bath Spa University, UCA encourages students to take part in extracurricular activities such as sports teams or dance groups. It has a campus just outside of Wells and enrols around 38000 students every year from over 160 countries.

Top Schools in Somerset

There are a number of excellent schools located throughout Somerset, including Millfield School, Wells Cathedral School, The King’s School Bruton and Hazlegrove Preparatory School.

Somerset. It is the largest co-educational boarding school in England. The school has been awarded ‘The Sunday Times’ Best School award four times and was voted number one co-educational boarding school in the world by Tatler magazine in 2016.

Wells Cathedral School – founded by Bishop Robert Belward sometime between 1175 and 1190, children have been educated at Wells Cathedral School for over a thousand years. It is a selective, independent day and boarding school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 18.

The King’s School Bruton – founded in 1519 by John Selwood, the then Bishop of Wells, The King’s School Bruton is the oldest continuously running school in Somerset.

Hazlegrove Preparatory School – a co-educational preparatory school for pupils aged from three to thirteen years old. It is located on an eighty-acre campus near Sparkford, Somerset.

Population of Somerset

The population of Somerset is just over half a million people, making it a relatively small county but with plenty to offer residents.

Featured developments in Somerset

Reviews in Somerset

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Good peaceful development

Verified Resident

Review Date Oct 2023

Quiet development surrounded by countryside and two big fields available to walk the dog. Road could have been slightly wider to enable easier access to my drive. Facilities are good and short walk to shops. Residents all seem friendly and good neighbours.

Please review your development:

The house design is excellent, I downsized from an older property but don’t feel short of space at all. Good storage cupboards.
Garden is a good size, just wish the landscapers had rolled the ground before laying turf as grass is extremely bumpy. I wanted to lose the worry of property maintenance and Lovell respond to any issues quickly although you do have to wait for some third party contractors to respond. On the whole I have very few issues and houses seem well built. Loving the lower energy bills from being in a well insulated house.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Wish I’d thought through the upgrades available more. When moving from a home you’ve lived in for years you forget you’ve put in good quality products and to go to builder grade items is just slightly annoying.

What is the best feature of your home:

Design of the property and insulation. Easy access to the south West facing garden through double patio doors

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User submitted image of Foxglove Meadows, BS24

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Spacious and lovely house

Verified Resident

Review Date Oct 2023

My street is quiet there are no shops or bus stops but I drive so doesn’t affect me. I have a driveway so parking isn’t a problem . Once I sorted bins out they are collected regularly.

Please review your development:

I love the design of my house .I like the spaciousness in my part of where I live as the houses are not on top of each other. The property management team always respond by email if anything needs to be fixed in the house. There is a park being built and I’m sure my grandaughters will enjoy playing there

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

How long the development was going to take to finish

What is the best feature of your home:

I love the way my house is designed.I haven’t got a favourite feature.

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An attractive and tranquil place to live.

Verified Resident

Review Date Oct 2023

The development is within a 15-20 minute walk of a local bus stop, a Tesco Express and a takeaway, another 5 minutes and you have a small parade of shops that include a post office, a hairdresser and another takeaway. There are two pubs within walking distance, although the one in the village of Hutton does not have a footpath all the way so at some points you are required to walk in the road. There are buses to the town and to the hospital, from the local bus stop, but not very regularly. A walk a little further will bring you to another stop, close to the takeaway, where the main bus route passes so these are more regular. The train station is a short drive away or approximately £7 in a taxi. The development is nice looking, and is surrounded on one side by an open conservation area. Properties have at least 2 parking spaces each, on street parking does happen and sometimes makes passing difficult as the road is not very wide. Rubbish is collected each Wednesday, some areas have bin collection points that they must be left at rather than outside of your property though but this works well. We have experienced a few teens using the driveway areas to practice wheelies on but no real anti-social behaviour as such. The estate is a cul de sac so there is no through traffic, depending on the wind you can sometime hear the traffic from Haywood Village airport road and there is a recycling centre and bus depot that start up about 6:30am when you can here reversing beepers if the wind is blowing a certain way. The development is built almost in a bowl surrounded by grassy banks and this does make sound carry.

Please review your development:

The street scene view of the development is attractive, anyone we have come to the house, even people that have lived in the area for years, comment how attractive and quiet it is. Most people don’t even know the development existed as it was built into an existing cul de sac. It will look so much more attractive once the roads are topped off and the landscaping is fully finished. A children’s play area is also under construction. Building and property management is still being done by the developers as the site hasn’t yet been sign over.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

That despite having been one of the later people to move in, almost 12 months on we would still be waiting for things like the roads to be finished.

What is the best feature of your home:

The perfect ‘downsize’ layout for us, with a lovely finish and so many things that were ‘included’ unlike other developers where these would all have been “extras”.

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Good

Verified Resident

Review Date Oct 2023

There is no playground or proper walking area in this area. Also their is no shopping facilities nearby.

Please review your development:

The design of the property is perfect and the management is also good. The roads have not yet been built it is almost 2 years now..it has been an inconvenience to all of us.I also hope that we will be getting a playground for our childrens to enjoy very soon.