A converted wheelwright's yard, and a promise to slow down.
Fernwood began in 2009 when Dr. Eleanor Whitcombe took over the old wheelwright's yard behind the market square and turned the timber workshop into a consulting room. The brick and beams are still there. So is the idea she started with: that a good appointment is one where nobody feels rushed.
We are deliberately a small practice. Two vets, two nurses, one very calm reception. That means the person who examines your dog in March is likely the same one who sees them again in September, and remembers that they hate the nail clippers.
"We'd rather run ten minutes late and get it right than move you through like a conveyor belt."
Most of our clients live within a mile or two, in Millbrook, Ashcombe and the cottages out along Weir Lane. We know the fox that patrols the allotments and which stretch of the towpath floods after rain. That local knowledge shows up in the advice we give, from tick season to which fields to avoid in lambing time.
We're proudly independent. No corporate targets, no upselling. If your pet doesn't need a treatment, we'll tell you so.
