East Quay
Harbour Road

Etched into the neat plywood sheets lining East Quay’s second sleep pod, there’s a picture of a female goose named Derek. This bird, often found waddling around the marina, was so loved by the people of Watchet, that when she died, funds were raised for a memorial. 

Links to Watchet’s spirit, history and remarkable geology run through this incredible cluster of buildings, which comprise a two-storey art gallery, café, 14 artist studios, geology workshop, educational space (designed by local schoolchildren) and, most recently, five sleep pods created by architects PEARCE+Fægen. You’ll find reminders everywhere, from the powder pink local sandstone used to make the bones of the place, to the working paper mill at its heart.

Run by 74-year-old Jim Patterson, who began his career at Wansbrough Paper Mill, once the lifeblood of Watchet’s economy, Two Rivers Paper produces specialist rag paper for artists, and it’s thriving. “Paper-making was put on the critically endangered list two years ago,” says Jim. But his new venture at East Quay makes space for two young apprentices to continue the craft. 

It was important to the group of tirelessly ambitious women at the helm of this project, known as the Onion Collective, to work with and for the town. To improve its social mobility, create new jobs and apprenticeships, boost the local economy, and find ways for tourism to enhance coastal communities. 

“We were a bunch of friends who used to meet at the Esplanade Club every Thursday, watch Elvis impersonators and talk about what Watchet needed,” says co-director Georgie Grant. “We didn’t want housing for people’s second homes. We wanted something accessible for everyone: holidaymakers and people who, like us, lived here.” 

It hasn’t all been plain-sailing. “Even if you believe that what you are doing is right, there will always be someone who doesn’t like it,” says Georgie. But fears dissipated once East Quay opened last September, and people saw it for what it was, a great place to have a cup of coffee, some good food (try the beetroot falafel sabih), engage with art, feel part of a community and listen to the tinkle of bobbing boats on the water.

What’s next? Plans are afoot for more outdoor live music events and even a mycelium fungus factory. Watch this space.

Quay’s five new sleep pods

#1: Object Exchange

The shelves of this pod are filled with objects left by guests, each with a story of how they were found.

#2: Stories & Imagination 

Fully accessible and decked in murals based on mythical and real stories about Watchet. 

#3: Industrial Heritage

This pod comes with a bathtub on its mezzanine floor.

#4: Playful Architecture

Look out for a hidden semaphore message in rhubarb and custard paint. We love the cargo net, great for kicking back, and the rainbow-tiled bathroom inspired by a ‘perfect sunset’. 

#5: Participatory Art

A white space to be filled with art, which will change every year. It’s currently coated in street art by Bristol artist Andy Council.