Midsummer Magic at Temperley

We arrived at Temperley fashion house’s Somerset HQ to find firemen up a ladder rescuing a trapped seagull from a baking roof. Scraps of Alice’s Temperley’s fabrics fluttered over the courtyard like prayer flags, giving a hint of the colour, sparkle and drama to come. We had stepped through the portal archway of the red-brick former shirt factory and disappeared into a world of creative energy, fantastical fun and clothing beauty.

Phoenix Yard, off the historic marketplace in Ilminster, was bought and renovated during Covid by international designer Alice, daughter of Burrow Hill cider brandy maker Julian Temperley, drawing her from London back close to her family. In her three-storey atelier, clothes are designed, fabrics chosen, patterns cut, and toiles fitted to models, a commitment to UK skills. The sales rooms, with their eclectic decoration, gorgeous fabrics, and stunning new and vintage wedding dresses, are as relaxed and welcoming as the staff.

Everyone dressed up for the evening’s cheese and wine pairing. We too were ‘Temperleyed’ as one guest put it, enjoying our Cinderella moment as we poured new releases and served Somerset cheeses. The heatwave was bearable in the cool breezes of the courtyard and there was magic in the air.

And the seagull. It went home with retail assistant Pearl to begin a new life on the coast.