Dunster

Dunster is a medieval town with a long history.  Its fame and wealth were built on its cloth making.  The octagonal wooden yarn-market (see picture) in the centre of Dunster was built in 1609 and for many years after,  market day was the biggest event for miles around.
The town received a Charter from Reginald de Mohun shortly after the Norman Conquest.  Up until the reign of Elizabeth 1 Dunster was a busy port known as Dunster Haven. 
Nowadays the village is very popular with visitors during the summer but retains its charming, medieval air.  There are a number of tea rooms, inns, local craft shops and an Exmoor National Park Visitor Centre.  There is a beach approx. half a mile south of the village centre and there is a West Somerset Steam Railway Station.
 
The Castle is best described by the National Trust, its modern guardians:

"  Dramatically sited atop a wooded hill, there has been a castle here since at least Norman times. The 13th-century gatehouse survives, but the present building was remodelled in 1868–72 by Antony Salvin for the Luttrell family, who have lived here for 600 years. The fine oak staircase and plasterwork of the 17th-century house he adapted can still be seen. There is a sheltered terrace to the south, on which tender plants and shrubs grow, and beautiful parkland in which to walk  "


Dunster Castle hosts many events throughout the year including concerts on the lawns. Below the Castle is St. George's Church, a fine cruciform building 168 feet long which dates mainly from the early fifteenth century.  The tower is 90 feet high.  The church contains many beautiful features, the finest being a rood-screen which stretches the full width of the building (55 feet).  There are lots of fine old buildings in the village, many now housing tea shops or specialist shops of interest to visitors.   Click here for details of the Castle

Yarn market  - Castle behind