Prepare to pick and press those apples – cider time is coming. Nowhere will they be gearing up more than in Kingsbury Episcopi. According to veteran cider maker Julian Temperley, there are three areas of vintage apples in England (all in Somerset) there’s Wedmore, Baltonsborough and, of course, Kingsbury. Adding with pride: ‘There’s nothing to touch it anywhere else, Devon or Hereford.’
The Managing Director is now his daughter, Matilda, but Julian took over the Burrow Hill cider making farm back in 1969 replacing the Duck family who were also respected cider makers. But whereas they produced ten barrels a year, the Somerset Cider Brandy Company and Burrow Hill Cider now have more than 200 acres of orchards, as Somerset Life discovered. A cider philosopher, he likes to talk about terroir, a word stolen from the French vineyards, which is all about the soil, the microclimate, and the traditional customs which give the crop a unique phenotype.‘We like to consider that all the apples we use will be sourced either from our own farm or come from Somerset. We use what you would call traditional practices, so we don’t use apple concentrate or flavourings with things like mango juice, we are pure apple production and that’s important in the modern industrial world, things are allowed but we don’t get up to any of those tricks and on the whole the market respects that. Everything has to be seen to be grown, pressed, matured and aged in Somerset. Not an amazing request but in the cider world, quite unusual.’
Cider Brandy, it is a practice that goes back to Tudor times but has been lately vanishing. It takes eleven litres of cider to make one litre of pure apple spirit and more than eight tonnes of apples to fill a small barrel. Earlier this year the farm received a letter from King Charles saying that he and the Queen had enjoyed one of their 20-year-old brandies over Christmas dinner – you can tell Julian was well chuffed about royal recognition. Above the farm lies the iconic Burrow Hill itself. A beautiful delicate-looking mound in the flat countryside, like a Lawrentian love-apple, and adorned with a single tree. Here, Julian tells me, people come to propose to their sweethearts and to spread the ashes of their loved ones. A place that expresses the apple of the eye.
In the late 80s the farm gained permission to move into distilling cider and producingA full list and description of historic cider makers can be found on the Kingsbury Time Travellers (local history group) website. A member of this industrious band is Adrian Wills who lives in the 15th century Chimney Cottage named after…yes, the chimney. Next door is the grade I listed Church of St Martin with its glorious ham stone coloured 99 foot tower, contemporaneous with the cottage. Between them is the old school house, the porch of which was dedicated to Elsie Tilley who died of Spanish flu in 1920 – it was just days before her marriage and she was buried in her wedding dress. The village is blessed with a plethora of pretty but historic houses, curious religious buildings reflecting levels of conformity, a 19th century octagonal lock-up, and a gem of a pub in the Wyndham Arms.
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As well as the cider and the withy, leather was another source of employment – home-working continuing until the early 2000s. According to Adrian this ‘busyness’ mindset of the village continues. He says: ‘It finds expression in the number of hours that the community are willing to contribute to good works. A philanthropic thread with the self-reliance runs through it all and goes back decades, it’s part of the DNA and literally and metaphorically…a river runs through it.’
The Main Event
For the past 27 years the big occasion in the village has been the Kingsbury May Festival on the first bank holiday of the month. Sadly, it had to be cancelled this year because of a torrential downpour that led to flooding but thoughts are already going towards 2025. Paul Carpenter, part of the organising team for 15 years, explained the fun and financial intentions: ‘It’s to welcome in the spring, celebrate the beauty of the village, create a community event that brings people together, reflects village life and enables local organisations to raise funds for themselves and others. What makes it unique is the willow, we have a willow workshop where people make willow garlands and other creations to carry in the procession. The procession goes up Church Street and then the maypole performers take over with traditional maypole dancing. The dancing and the willow is the heart of it, that’s why we get big crowds.’ Numbers like five to seven thousand, depending on the weather, with people coming from all over the county. A 15-foot-tall willow May lady leads the procession, there are two music stages (acoustic and electric), a children’s area, and 120 stalls. Even an educational theme; they’ve had birds, bees and trees; next year it is insects.
THE HUB
Although relatively new, the vital cog of the machinery of Kingsbury Episcopi is The Community Centre/sports ground/village hall/ café/village store. Financed by local fundraising and a generous lottery grant, the purpose-built hall is a venue for everything from weddings to yoga. Outside is the football pitch and play equipment for both children and adults. Once a year, the Saturday after Glastonbury, another big festive occasion takes place here: Party by the Parrett. A one day music festival with about ten bands – having a ball and raising money.
Population: 1,330 including the villages of West Lambrook, East Lambrook and Thorney (2021 census)
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