What to Do in Frome, Somerset
14 September, 2020
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Sightseeing around Frome
The great thing about Frome is its walkability – relics of the town’s past are scattered in among its more contemporary offerings. While you’re exploring the artisan quarter that hugs Catherine Hill, stop by Valentine’s Lamp, a gaudy gaslight hung with a George V post box from which to send your love letters. Bring stamps. With Cupid on his way, tap “Cheap Street” into Google Maps to see the leat that flows down the road – after all, Frome’s name, roughly means “brisk flowing river”. Beyond this, we recommend scouting out your future home among the honey-stone buildings: Blue House, Rook Lane Chapel and Gentle Street are camera-ready spots to add to your itinerary.
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Black Swan Arts
This is a great springboard for first-time Frome visitors keen to get to the town’s creative heart. Peep into local artists’ workshops and explore the centre’s programme of contemporary arts and crafts events. Once you’ve pootled around an exhibition, make a beeline for the café; it serves a great brunch and is where you’ll find those in the know swanning about with a glass of wine on preview evenings. Like this? Check out Rook Lane and the Silk Mill.
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Merlin Theatre and ECOS Amphitheatre
Built into a steep hillside, Merlin Theatre is Frome’s one-stop-shop for all things film, theatre and drama. Consider yourself a movie buff? Frome Film Club shows niche world cinema and indie films here on the second Wednesday of every month. That being said, the real standout is the neighbouring ECOS Amphitheatre, an outdoor stone structure built in 1990 to mark the town’s friendship with Europe. It comes to life with theatrical events and concerts in summer – the programme here is at its best during July’s Frome Festival.
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Cheese & Grain
Better known as the “Cheeser” among locals, this not-for-profit social enterprise is one of the South West’s solid choices for great entertainment. Expect performances from big bands (generally of Foo Fighters vibes, not brass) alongside regular events including a roller disco, community bingo and the monthly Frome Vegan Market. We like heading here on a Wednesday to scout about the flea market before catching the live-music Roots Sessions in the Grain Café Bar. Like this? Check out 23 Bath Street for more live music and other performances.
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Calendar of events
Frome’s locals tend to be of the creative, community-first breed who love a good get together – and this manifests in the town’s bursting calendar of events. Plan your visit in September for the Frome Agricultural & Cheese Show and the Frome Carnival, which began as a parade in 1929. In July, the local-favourite Frome Festival draws visitors with a programme of music (Van Morrison once played), literature, drama and such.
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Explore Somerset
If you’re in Frome for a longer break, use it as your base for walks across the Mendip Hills – the Frome Valley Walkway leads you along the town’s namesake river and through South Gloucestershire’s green corridor that leads towards Bristol. Alternatively, Frome makes a great pit-stop on a rural road trip that joins the dots between Somerset’s darling villages – Bruton, Shepton Mallet and Castle Cary are all within a half-hour drive.