Meet Us
We're Ben and Georgina, a couple who made the leap from a 2-bed flat in London to a 17th-century cottage in Somerset. We moved to Apple Trees in November 2025 with big dreams and muddy boots.
Ben Huss
Immersive Technologist
Ben builds immersive experiences: VR training, 360° documentaries, and stories that play when you step onto the right street corner. Founder of Immersi (VR and immersive storytelling) and CTO at Cobble, where the city tells its own stories as you walk.
He's worked with Aston Martin, Cartoon Network, Virgin Galactic, and the UN. Taught at UCL for seven years. Vodafone Techstarter Award winner. NVIDIA Inception member.
Hosts The Immersive Technologist podcast and writes on Substack about immersive tech and AI tools.
Side projects: Fileseal (encrypted document collection for UK professionals), Barklife (verified dog-friendly venues), Bramble Maps (GPS-triggered story maps for estates and gardens), and Still Point (focus exercises for ADHD brains).
Georgina Rose
Florist
Georgina worked at Rebel Rebel in East London (bold, unconventional arrangements) and at Electric Daisy Flower Farm, early movers in the British cut-flower scene. Her final role was Senior Florist and Visual Merchandiser at The Real Flower Company in Hampstead.
Originally from near Frome, she's returning to her roots.
She's now planning to grow her own personal cutting garden here at Apple Trees.
The Cottage
A Piece of History
Apple Trees Cottage has deep roots in Clanville. The oldest part of the building dates back to the 17th century, making it the oldest surviving building in the hamlet.
The site was once home to a dairy farm, and you can still find original stone walls in the garden. The cottage has been extended and adapted over the centuries, but retains its historic character with thick stone walls, low beams, and that unmistakable sense of permanence.
The Land
We're fortunate to have around one acre of garden to explore and develop. The property includes several mature apple trees (hence the name!) and a magnificent large pear tree that dominates one corner of the garden.
The previous owners clearly loved this land, and we're committed to nurturing it further while making it our own.
Our Plans
We have plenty of ideas for Apple Trees. Watch this space.
Why This Guide?
When we got here we kept finding things: the perfect dog walk, a brilliant farm shop, a pub with real character. We started keeping notes, and those notes became this guide.
It's mostly a reference for ourselves. But there's a lot to find around Castle Cary: Iron Age hillforts, the gardens at Stourhead and The Newt, Charles Dowding's no-dig veg patch a few minutes up the road, cider farms still running on the same presses they always have. We're still finding new stuff.
If you spot something we've missed, tell us.