90 minutes on weekdays (SouthWest Coaches) Chard/Crewkerne-Yeovil. Village features and services West Coker is served by two pubs;— The Castle Inn and the Royal George. The castle Inn was completely gutted in 2013 by fire, although operated for a number of years after before being closing permanently in 2016. It is re-opening in April 2020 once again as a pub and restaurant after having a new refit. Near the village centre there is a garage (which carries out MoT tests, sells fuel and incorporates a local shop), a butcher's shop, a post office, Lanes Hotel/restaurant and a bistro. About one mile to the east are the Yeovil Court hotel and a petrol station and convenience store. There are other small businesses on the site of a former twine works in East Street. West Coker Primary school has about 80 pupils. The West Coker Commemoration Fund is a charity which administers the affairs of the village hall. Literary Reference West Coker is Thomas Hardy's Narrowbourne, and features in the story A Tragedy of Two Ambitions in his collection Life's Little Ironies published in 1894. Religious sites The Church of Saint Martin of Tours has 13th- or 14th-century origins but was mostly rebuilt in 1863-64. Within the church is a quarter of the carpet used at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Notable people Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Matthew Nathan, GCMG (1862–1939) a British soldier and civil servant, who variously served as the Governor of Sierra Leone, Gold Coast, Hong Kong, Natal and Queensland, died in the village. Lee Collins (1988-2021), professional footballer, notably for Port Vale and latterly captain of Yeovil Town died staying at the Lanes Hotel in the village. See also East Coker References Further reading Shorey, David, and Dodge, Michael and Nadine (2008). Book of West Coker: a pictorial and social history of a Somerset village, Wellington, Somerset: Halsgrove Publishing, External links West Coker Village East Coker Society Restoration of Dawes Twine Works Villages in South Somerset Civil parishes in Somerset