Village Information

There are no schools in Wanstrow, but school bus services from Wanstrow provide access to nearby schools, including the nearby Upton Noble Primary School [link opens in new tab].

Wanstrow Village Hall is a large, modern building planned to be eco-friendly, using the latest sustainable technology and is equipped with full disabled access.  There is a large hall and a smaller committee room, separated by a removable divider along with a kitchen and bar.  The hall is the venue for a range of village events, exercise classes and meetings and can be hired for private events and parties.  For further information visit https://www.wanstrowvillagehall.co.uk.

The adjoining Village Green was opened in April 2012 and is open to the public at all times. It has state-of-the-art play equipment, adult exercise machines and an open space for games.

The King William IV pub serves local real ales, local ciders, lagers and good pub food and has a skittles alley which is in regular use during the week by the Skittles League.

Read Agriservices on the outskirts of the village provides everything for farming, but is also a useful place to get hardware, plumbing supplies, workwear and those all-important wellies.

Byrne Motors in the village will service your car and also have a selection of used cars for sale.

The Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary holds services of worship (Church of England) approximately monthly and monthly Messy Church sessions for children (accompanied by adults)

There is no mains gas so most houses are heated by oil.  There is a local bulk buying scheme which aims to reduce costs by combining orders and achieving a discount.

Water is provided by Bristol Water and is rated as Very Hard.  Most of Wanstrow is on mains drainage with treatment provided by Wessex Water.  Outlying properties and the other villages in the parish all have private treatment, often using septic tanks.

Broadband is via copper cabling at present and is slow, around 2 – 6 Mb/s.  Many villagers connect via either 4G routers or wireless broadband providers such as Voneus.

Collection of household and garden rubbish is organised through the Somerset Waste Partnership.  There is a weekly kerbside collection, usually on a Friday, for a wide range of recyclable materials, and more types of recyclable waste will soon be collected.  Non-recyclable waste is collected fortnightly, also on a Friday, and taken to an energy from waste plant.  Garden waste can also be collected on payment of an additional fee.  Further details on https://www.somersetwaste.gov.uk.

There is no public transport available in Wanstrow, so a car is practically essential although a good taxi service is also available from Frome.  The nearest train stations are in Frome and Bruton, both approx. 5 miles away, which connect to Westbury for trains to London (Paddington), Exeter, Portsmouth and Bristol.  There are also trains to London (Waterloo) from Gillingham and coach services to London from Frome.

Frome is nearest and provides a lively community with many interest groups, Theatre, cinema, library and interesting shopping with literally dozens of coffee shops  There is a weekly market and the town centre is closed off once a month for a large artisan market.  Visit https://www.frometowncouncil.gov.uk for further information.

Bruton is a small town easily reached from London, by rail (Castle Cary station) and from the A303.   Arts and crafts flourish and it’s one of Somerset’s local centres of creativity, punching far above its weight.  As well as all the local artistic ventures, it now boasts the exciting new Hauser and Wirth gallery, including a Piet Oudolf garden, with constantly changing exhibitions and the nearby Newt in Somerset garden and hotel.

There are two highly regarded boarding schools within Bruton – King’s School (independent) and Sexey’s School (state boarding).

“We have made many friends and everyone we have met has been very welcoming.”

Much goes on at the Village Hall. Regular events include Pilates (Monday evening, Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning (2 classes) and evening), Yarn Time (a textile crafting group for adults meets every other Thursday afternoon), an Activity Lunch once a month for the over 50s, and outreach Post Office services from 1 – 3 pm on Thursdays.

One-off events organised by or in the Village Hall also form a good way of meeting people – “We have enjoyed the Wanstrow Open Gardens in June, the Harvest Celebration in September, the Christmas Fair in November, the Christmas Lectures in December and the New Year’s Eve party.” Other events include the occasional breakfast or lunch, an Over 60s Tea Party in January, Bingo evenings and other social occasions.

The skittles alley (traditional nine pin) in the King William IV pub has two games a night (6 players per team) playing from Monday to Friday starting at 8pm and it is another way to meet the locals.  Most teams are in need of new players (men or women), no experience is required, and you will quickly meet a new bunch of people at each game.

Or just take a dog for a walk – other dog-walkers will quickly make you welcome.