‘Slice of sponge with a cup of tea?’ This isn’t the usual question one expects when weighing a parcel at the post office, but it’s very much par for the course when you live in Buckland St Mary.

The day in question is a Wednesday and the ‘travelling post office’ is making its weekly visit to the Church of St Mary where Rosanna Barton greets each and every villager with a warm welcome and a slice of homemade cake. ‘We’re a scattered village comprising of five little hamlets so our weekly post office session makes a great place to come and have a chat. It’s lovely to get people together and this is our small way of doing just that.’

Buckland St Mary lies east of Ilminster and north of Chard and is fortunate to be nestled amongst one of the county’s Areas of Outstanding of Natural Beauty (AONB), the Blackdown Hills. With Castle Neroche just a few minutes up the road, the location of the village means that locals are blessed with plentiful walks and spectacular views which on a clear day can be as far-reaching as the Mendip Hills and Glastonbury Tor. Castle Neroche, steeped in legends of folklore and ancient history, is today very much a working woodland and over the past few years been the focus of a priority project as the AONB team work in conjunction with many partners to mitigate the devastation caused by ash die-back disease.

John Greenshields, a trustee for the Blackdown Hills Trust says, ‘over the past three years we’ve planted over 6,000 native trees to help save our treescape. In addition to this we received lottery funding which enabled us to invest in 150 pedigree Longhorn cattle which are essential in keeping the undergrowth down in a natural manner whilst aiding our conservation work.’ Visitors at Castle Nercohe will be able to learn about the environmental forestry work via information boards which also have further insights into the Iron Age fort, motte and bailey castle and the legend of the treasure-stealing dragon!

Back to the village itself, you’ll find a thriving primary school, village hall and on the periphery a local Italian restaurant, La Campagna. Where it may be sadly lacking in a village shop or pub, the local community more than make up for it with a host of village clubs and events. This time of year welcomes the annual summer fete which is generously held in the private gardens of Buckland House. Saturday July 8 will see the parishioners and pupils from Buckland Primary School enjoy musical entertainment by a local band, an outdoor skittles alley, dog show, croquet on the lawn, tombola, raffle, bric-a-brac and games. Kay Wyatt helps to organise the event, ‘We were incredibly fortunate to receive a bequest of £1.2 million for our church so now the summer fete is all about raising money for charity. Last year we donated over £1200 for The Beacon Centre at Musgrove Park Hospital and this year we’re fundraising for St Margaret’s Hospice.’

As the calendar turns to August the village hall will open its doors to the annual flower show on Sunday 20th. In addition to fabulous floral displays, home grown vegetables and baking delights, one of the organisers, Sally Rixon, is keen to share that the show is all about bringing the community together in a light-hearted way, ‘ We’re a young team and we want to make sure that everyone feels welcome. We even have a celebratory cup for mishaps - any baking or making disasters are welcomed to be entered in the ‘c**k -up’ class!’

Living history

A World War Two underground wireless station was located within the ramparts of Castle Neroche. Somerset Heritage records state that the station was manned by three Royal Signals soldiers, who would have been billeted nearby at Castle Neroche Farm. The wireless network controlled from this site was called 'Chirnside' and the Castle Neroche station was designated 'Chirnside Zero'. In the event of an invasion, the soldiers evacuated their station hut and moved into a hidden underground bunker which would have been equipped with provisions, a wireless, and a generator to charge the batteries and provide power for some ventilation. The bunker was operational between 1942 and 1944 but was stood down after the successes of the Normandy Landings. The site is no longer visible and has long since been sealed off, however, a research team visited the site in 2017 and uncovered aerials which had been concealed in nearby trees!

Info

Population: 521 (2011 census)

Stay or buy:

Lodge House B&B is run by husband and wife team Neil and Kathy Arnold. A full English breakfast created with local produce, homemade bread, preserves and honey is completed with eggs from their own hens. Complementary therapies such as Reflexology, Aromatherapy and Indian head massages can also be pre-booked. lodgehousebandbsomerset.co.uk

Little Hill Farm offers true country living. Approached along a country lane you’ll find this five-bedroom farmhouse with adjoining annexe surrounded by fine rural views. The hub of the home is the 25-foot kitchen/diner which boasts a triple-aspect, AGA and French doors out to the rear garden. £950,000 (Jackson-Stops, Taunton)

Did you know?

Buckland St Mary has a village choir called The Blackdown Voices. Starting each session with tea and cake the choristers are a three-part harmony group who sing a diverse range of musical genres from pop to religious numbers. New members (soprano and alto voices please) are welcome at 4-5.15pm every Saturday, except the last Saturday of the month.