Bruton
| Bruton | |
|---|---|
Bruton viewed from the Dovecote | |
Location within Somerset | |
| Population | 2,907 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | ST684350 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BRUTON |
| Postcode district | BA10 |
| Dialling code | 01749 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Town Council |
Bruton (/ˈbruːtən/ BROO-tən) is a small market town, and civil parish in Somerset, England, on the River Brue and the A359 between Frome and Yeovil. It is 7 miles (11 km) south-east of Shepton Mallet, just south of Snakelake Hill and Coombe Hill, 10 miles (16 km) north-west of Gillingham and 12 miles (19 km) south-west of Frome. The town and ward have a population of 2,907. The parish includes the hamlets of Wyke Champflower and Redlynch.
Bruton has a museum of items from the Jurassic period onwards. It includes a table used by the author John Steinbeck on a six-month stay.
The Brue is flood-prone – in 1768 it wrecked a stone bridge. The 242.8 mm of rain that fell on 28 June 1917 left a river watermark on a pub wall 20 feet above the mean. In 1984 a protective dam was built upstream.