Sam Wilmot, who has spent seven years scoring public benches on his Instagram account, has awarded his first-ever perfect 10/10 rating to a bench at St John The Baptist Church in Old Sodbury, South Gloucestershire — the same spot where he married his wife, Sophie. The couple returned to the bench in their wedding outfits for photographs immediately after the ceremony, prompting Wilmot to revise his earlier score.
Wilmot launched the Rate This Bench Instagram page in 2019, initially as a joke while walking with friends, and has since reviewed more than 300 benches worldwide, attracting close to 18,000 followers.
How did the bench earn its perfect score?
The bench overlooking countryside towards Bristol and Wales had originally received a 9/10 rating from Wilmot before the wedding. After marrying Sophie and returning to the same spot for photographs, he decided it deserved the top mark for the first time in the account's history.
"The first time I reviewed it, I gave it a 9/10. But when we first discussed getting married, I mentioned that I would like this church to be involved purely on the basis of this bench."
"On the wedding day we came back in our suit and dress, and I reviewed it again and it was the very first 10."
"It had been the ongoing thing with the page, that people are always asking why there's never been a 10, and I think the sort of feeling and euphoria of marrying a person you've loved for so long, I'm never going to sit on a bench again that's going to have that."
According to Dexerto, Wilmot described the missing element in previous reviews as the "wow" factor, saying it was ultimately completed "In Sophie, and this bench."
How did the project begin and grow?
Wilmot has previously said the idea came about almost by accident.
"I was jokingly judging benches whilst out on a walk with friends, and one of them said 'that'd make a good Instagram account', so I just went for it."
The account has since expanded well beyond casual walks, with Wilmot reviewing benches across England, Wales and Dubai. Followers regularly send him personal stories and photographs explaining why particular benches hold meaning for them, a connection he says has become one of the main reasons he intends to keep the page running even after finding his highest-rated bench.
The hobby has attracted attention before. A 2024 article noted that Wilmot had already reviewed a bench in Shirehampton, Bristol, describing it as "rather nice", showing that his bench-rating activity had featured in regional coverage prior to the wedding story. His pastime also drew wider notice years earlier, when a 2020 BBC Radio 4 programme titled The Untold, The Perfect Bench explored his unusual hobby.
How does the scoring system work?
Wilmot applies a detailed set of criteria when assessing each bench.
"They need to have armrests and a backrest, there needs to be curvature to the seat, I like a bench to be made out of wood."
"There's one mark for the base - concreted or paved so that you're not getting muddy feet - it's up to three marks for the view and location, there needs to be a dedication or a plaque, or something to read, and then the 10th mark is always the wow factor."
Not every bench fares well under this system. Wilmot said the lowest score he has ever awarded is 1/10, typically reserved for benches found in city centres.
"The ones I've given the lowest tend to be in city centres where you have the sort of middle barriers and dividing sections, and the arm rest in from the edge."
"It qualifies as a bench, but it's not really a bench."
Sophie Wilmot has photographed the page's benches since she and Sam first met, and said the role has carried personal significance throughout their relationship.
"Taking the photos of all the benches is something I feel very grateful for, not only to help, but mainly be a part of the journey."
"The walk to the bench, the conversation after the photos were taken, and the appreciation of the little things in life that are to be enjoyed."
"When I met Sam and we discovered the bench in our early time of dating, I knew it would be a place of significance for us."
"When we decided it was the place we would get married it was only right to mark the occasion once again, but this time I was able to be on the other side of the camera, in Sam's company moments after getting married."
"The best view, on the best day, sat on the best bench."
What happens next for Rate This Bench?
Despite reaching what many followers may see as the peak of the project, Wilmot has indicated the account will continue. According to Dexerto, he said the marriage does not mark the end of Rate This Bench and that he expects to keep posting new reviews going forward. The outlet also reported that the account's first-ever perfect rating was shared publicly in a post following the wedding, giving followers a first look at the milestone score. No specific date has been given for the next bench review.
Key Facts
- Sam Wilmot founded the Rate This Bench Instagram account in 2019 and has reviewed more than 300 benches worldwide.
- The account has almost 18,000 followers.
- The perfect 10/10 score was awarded to a bench at St John The Baptist Church in Old Sodbury, South Gloucestershire, after Wilmot's wedding there.
- The bench had previously scored 9/10 before becoming the account's first perfect rating.
- According to Dexerto, Wilmot plans to continue reviewing benches following the wedding.
