The aim of the Queen Camel Community Land Trust is to build the resilience of the village and rural area, by promoting homes, employment, training, and educational opportunities to meet the needs of the local and wider community. Following the relocation in June 2016 of the County Primary School to a new build site in the village, Somerset County Council decided to dispose of the vacated premises, known as the Old School. The CLT acquired the premises on 3rd May 2019. They are now being developed into a community enterprise in the heart of this rural area.

Our vision is to develop the Old School into a self-sustaining, vibrant enterprise that has strong ethical values and business practices, promotes greater learning and enhances health, wellbeing, creativity and employment, and supports new and small businesses.  This  includes creating training and employment opportunities, providing workspace, promoting and supporting the arts and protecting local heritage. The interior is being transformed to provide modern amenities presented in a rural style befitting of its location and history.

The history of the Old School in Queen Camel

The original schoolhouse is steeped in history. Now Grade II listed,  it was built in 1872  by the Mildmay family and later presented to the parish by Hervey St John Mildmay  ‘in memory of  my beloved parents’ .  The plaque recording his gift remains on one of the walls within the old schoolhouse.

Queen Camel is a semi-rural village with a resident population of approximately 1000 situated 9 miles west of Wincanton and 7 miles north of the towns of Yeovil, and Sherborne in Dorset. The village is conveniently located half a mile south of the A303, the main commuter route connecting the South East via the M3 with the South West.