The Flying Fish can host weddings, family celebrations, parties and small meetings for up to 230 guests in its barn, with eight en-suite bedrooms next door and a restaurant on site. The country pub stands on Wood Road at Windmill Hill, near Ilminster in Somerset, and was formerly known as The Square & Compass.
Seminars and company events
The barn is offered for meetings as well as for family gatherings and celebrations, which suits a team day, a client lunch or an end-of-year party in a rural setting. Groups can combine a session in the barn with a meal in the restaurant and a night in the Stables. The website does not list meeting equipment, so organisers should confirm screens, sound and Wi-Fi with Buddy or Kate, who take bookings by phone or through the contact page.
Weddings and receptions
The Flying Fish Barn is fully licensed for marriage ceremonies, so a couple can marry, eat and dance on one site. The barn has its own bar, chiavari chairs and rustic farm-style tables. Outside, a private garden offers a gazebo, an uplit flower arch tree, festoon lighting and plenty of seating for drinks between the ceremony and the meal. Couples can book a viewing before they commit, and the team can recommend other accommodation nearby for larger wedding parties.
Rooms and capacities
The barn takes up to 230 people. The private garden extends the space in good weather, and the restaurant and bar remain available for smaller groups. The site gives no separate seated and standing figures, so the layout for a sit-down dinner with a dance floor should be checked during the viewing.
Accommodation
The Flying Fish Stables, beside the barn, holds eight en-suite rooms let on a bed and breakfast basis. Six have super king-size beds and two have twin beds. The rooms are motel-style, with parking outside each door and a private veranda. One super king and one twin room are designed for accessibility, with ramps, grab rails and bathroom seating. Breakfast is freshly prepared and served in the restaurant next door.
Catering
Event menus include hot, cold and mixed buffets, hog roasts and Caribbean food. The restaurant menu mixes pub classics with modern and Caribbean-inspired dishes, and the bar carries premium rums, local ales and ciders, and a wine list. The pub also runs live music and other events through the year, which gives a sense of the atmosphere guests will find.
History and setting
The pub traded as The Square & Compass before it took the name The Flying Fish. Today the site groups the pub and restaurant, the barn, the Stables and the private garden on one plot in the Somerset countryside, so guests, food and beds stay within a short walk of each other. That layout makes it easy to keep a wedding party or a small team together from the first drink to breakfast the next morning.
Getting there
The address is Wood Road, Windmill Hill, near Ilminster, Somerset, TA19 9NX. Overnight guests park outside their own room at the Stables. Most visitors arrive by road, and organisers should plan taxis or a shuttle for the end of the evening.
