From the Welsh Black Mountain flock that graze our estate to the life-sized sheep that watch over our Baa Bar, sheep are synonymous with Thyme and are well and truly a part of our family.
From the Welsh Black Mountain flock that graze our estate to the life-sized sheep that watch over our Baa Bar, sheep are synonymous with Thyme and are well and truly a part of our family.
The History
Since Roman times, the Cotswolds have been intrinsically linked to sheep and their wool. Indeed, the name 'Cotswold' means 'sheep shelter'. The ancient honey-grey stone Manor houses, farms and villages which nestle among the rolling green hills were built with money made from the wool trade. Quintessentially English, they are steeped in history.
While Southrop Manor features in the Domesday Book of 1086, its history goes back beyond it, and the magnificent medieval Manor barns and farmhouses have found a new life as Thyme’s “Village within a village”.
Sheep have grazed our water meadows and pastures for centuries and so the Thyme Sheep epitomise the farm and its beautiful old buildings.
The idea for the Thyme Sheep was born during the restoration of the barns while the bar was being created from the old lambing sheds. The Baa's sheep theme (which includes some wonderful paintings of sheep on the walls) exemplifies Thyme's ethos of being true to its history and maintaining its link to the land.
Our sheep seats are handmade in the Cotswolds by local craftspeople based at the Pangolin workshops in Chalford and upholstered by Richard James in nearby Nailsworth. The finishing touch is a solid silver ear tag by Kristina Charrington, identifying each individual with a Thyme Sprig and a unique identification code.
The classic design of our sheep is based upon the breeds of our two flocks: the large, white Cotswold, also known as Cotswold Lions, and the small, black Welsh Mountain.
