Three Maud beds for the Bridge House, Bampton

Seven years ago, husband and wife Nigel and Caroline Lamacraft moved to the historic charter town of Bampton, Devon and bought the Bridge House bed and breakfast.

Located on the edge of Exmoor National Park, Bridge House hotel Bampton was originally built in 1750 as a private home. Since then, it’s been through many guises, and has welcomed overnight visitors for the last 100 years; first as The Cyclist’s Rest, then as a temperance hotel and later, with the introduction of Bampton’s railway line, The Railway Hotel.

The renovations

In 2014, after six months of building renovations, the Bridge House’s restaurant reopened. However, due to problems with the roof, as well as three chimneys that needed rebuilding, the accommodation did not open for another two years.

It was very much worth the wait. After carrying out essential repair works, Nigel, a chef by trade, working with Caroline’s architect father, was able to meticulously design each bedroom to maintain the style of the 250-year building, whilst adding all of the home comforts that one would expect in a countryside bed and breakfast.

The bedrooms

The Bridge House bed and breakfast has three guest rooms – Batherm, Exe, and Barle – each named after local rivers. Centre stage in each bedroom is a Maud bed from The Cornish Bed Company.

Each bedroom is slightly different, but all of them use natural materials and Farrow & Ball paint.  They all feature wool carpets, wooden floors in the bathrooms, and handmade wooden cupboards and wardrobes finished with traditional ironmongery.

Local suppliers

So why did Caroline and Nigel choose our Maud beds? They have always opted to support British, and in particular, South West suppliers. Each of the bedrooms has Devon-made wool duvets and mattresses, British 100% wool carpets, and British-made lighting. This also extends to the restaurant’s food offering, with as many ingredients as possible coming from local suppliers.

Having read about us in a magazine a few years back, Caroline and Nigel popped into our Topsham showroom.

Although they did have a look into other suppliers, they soon decided that they didn’t want to compromise on quality and style. They chose our Maud bed, which is an authentic Victorian-style bed, made at our Cornwall foundry using traditional casting techniques.

They said: “The Maud was exactly what we wanted; the quality, the traditional look, the second-to-none craftsmanship and to be so local too.

“There was a great choice of colours and bespoke options. We could even have the bed with no foot-end, which was perfect for our guest rooms.”

Since adding the Maud beds to the guest rooms, Caroline and Nigel have had many compliments and enquiries about the beds, and as a result, have added our details to the guest information book in each room.

So what’s the verdict? Caroline said: “We love the traditional look and feel of the beds and the beautiful quality of craftsmanship. They are solid and well-made, and will certainly last a lifetime – we just need one for ourselves now!”

To find out more about the Bridge House bed and breakfast in Bampton, visit its website.