It’s springtime in East Coker, and alongside the spectacular show of daffodils in the village paddock, it is, I have now learned, also goose egg season!
‘It’s a very short season, but one that is very popular with the home bakers in the village, a goose egg is the equivalent of three hens eggs and they have the biggest and brightest yolks’ says Lindsey from Goose Slade Farm Shop.
This year sees the Dunning family celebrate 100 years of farming in the village, as well as the 20th anniversary of their very popular farm shop. ‘We want to be in harmony with nature. Under the term of regenerative agriculture, we are restoring, improving and future-proofing the ecosystem on our farm.’ says Joe Dunning. ‘This means that the spring lamb which you serve for Easter will be both tastier and healthier!’
It is no surprise that the Grade 1 land in this South Somerset village is actively farmed today, but if you turned the clock back to the 1800s, the predominant occupation of the villagers was in fact linked to the textile industry. The fields would have been growing hemp in order to meet the manufacturing demands for the nationally coveted ‘Coker Canvas’ used abundantly as sailcloth by the admiralty.
Martin Salzer, an East Coker resident and trustee at the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society says: ‘It may come as some surprise to those who have only known East Coker for the past 40 years or so, but the textile industry was incredibly significant here until the 1980s.’
Just up the road in West Coker is Dawes Twineworks, where the Coker Rope & Sail Trust is working with textile artist, Ella Kearvell to reproduce Coker canvas. ‘We’re going to make and sell Coker canvas tote bags with rope, Victorian fonts and hand stitching.’
Life here seems to have successfully captured the rural idyll. With its thatched hamstone cottages, sleepy winding lanes and plentiful footpaths, it is easy to see why East Coker is renowned as one of South Somerset’s finest villages.
The busy tea room, popular local pub and thriving village school all add to the multi-generational community which fills the village diary with plentiful events, clubs and committees. The local ‘sawmills’ plays home to several independent businesses where talented signwriters and decorative ironworkers can enjoy their work whilst surrounded by the gentle sloping fields stocked with grazing sheep. And, if you borrow a book from the bus stop ‘library’ you can wander along to the ‘Natter Corner’ where you can sit awhile and admire the year-round floral displays.
It can all feel rather poetic here, which of course offers me the ideal segue to St Michael’s Church and the burial place of noble prize winner, T.S. Eliot. This year sees the poet being celebrated with stanzas from his poem ‘East Coker’ being incorporated onto new village signage as well as being used to title a village arts festival in May.
Led by Coker-based OSR Projects, the Od Arts Festival, ‘Still and still moving’ will see specially artworks pop up around the village. Curator, Simon Lee Dicker says: ‘During the recent pandemic the distinctive ‘deep shuttered lanes’ in East Coker, as described by T.S.Eliot in his 1940 poem of the same name, became vital networks for our community. We shared footpaths on our daily walks, watching spring unfold in front of our eyes, almost in slow motion.’
The countless footpaths weaving through the village give plenty of opportunity for further exploration. Whether you wish to immerse yourself in the rich heritage, poetry, great local food or the sunken sandy lanes, I certainly recommend embracing the better weather this spring and taking a goosey-gander!
Population
1667 (2011 census)
Did you know?
Poetry
The East Coker Poetry Group meets once a month and is free for all to attend. Read, share, discuss or listen to poetry within a friendly group. eastcokerpoetry.org.uk
Living off the land
A Roman mosaic dating to 4AD was found in a village field, and is currently on display in the Museum of Somerset in Taunton. The mosaic panel shows two men and their dog returning home with a hunted deer.
Stay or Buy?
Located down one of the quiet lanes synonymous with the village, you’ll find Flo’s Cottages. Welcomed with a locally-sourced hamper and surrounded by countryside views, your self-catering holiday is made complete with access to an indoor heated pool. floscottages.co.uk
Greeted with hamstone gates previously used for carriages and footmen, Park Lodge has been extended and completely renovated to offer a luxurious four-bedroom home set in 1.3 acres. Panoramic views complete the package. £1.5million (Symonds and Sampson).
