Dunster Castle

History

Dunster Castle sits atop a steep, 200-foot hill known as the Tor, looking down on the Somerset village of Dunster. Back in the early medieval period, the sea came right up to the base of that hill, near where the River Avill meets the coast. That made the village a handy inland port and gave the hill a natural defensive advantage. There were several Iron Age hillforts in the area, like Bat's Castle, Black Ball Camp, and Grabbist Hill, but the first sign of a fortification on the Tor itself was an Anglo-Saxon burgh. Built on the summit, it was probably meant to guard against raiders coming by sea, and by the mid-11th century it was in the hands of a local noble named Aelfric.

Everything changed in 1066 when the Normans invaded and won the Battle of Hastings. After that victory, William the Conqueror put his half-brother Robert of Mortain in charge of taking the south-west of England. Expecting a fight, Robert marched west into Somerset with help from Walter of Douai, who came in from the north, while a third force under William de Mohun landed by sea along the Somerset coast. William de Mohun had been given 68 manors in the area, and by 1086 he had built a castle at Dunster.

It became the main castle, or caput, for his new lands, and it also helped protect the coast from any more sea attacks while controlling the coastal road from Somerset to Gloucestershire. This first castle was a motte and bailey design, built right on top of the old Anglo-Saxon burgh. They carved the top of the Tor into a motte, or Upper Ward, and shaped the area below into a bailey, or Lower Ward.

After the failed rebellion of 1068, Somerset settled down. It was common for the Normans to put up religious houses near their big castles, so William de Mohun founded a Benedictine priory at Dunster in 1090, linked to the abbey at Bath. The River Avill was key for trade, and the land around Dunster was full of fisheries and vineyards, so the castle did well. In the early 12th century, they added stone fortifications, probably building a shell keep around the top of the motte.

Today

Dunster Castle is now looked after by the National Trust and open to visitors. The medieval fortress is mostly gone, with only the Great Gatehouse and a few tower remains in the Lower Ward surviving. The main building today is a 17th-century manor house that has been heavily changed over time. Among the castle’s notable features are its 13th-century gates, a Tudor-era copy of Hans Eworth’s allegorical portrait of Sir John Luttrell, and a set of leather tapestries depicting the story of Antony and Cleopatra.

There is also a piano that belonged to composer Vivian Ellis. The gardens cover about six hectares and hold the National Plant Collection of Strawberry Trees, while the wider parkland stretches across 277 hectares. Just south of the castle sits a restored 18th-century watermill. In 2017, the castle welcomed 209,245 visitors.

It is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Monument, and its grounds are listed at Grade II on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. The castle needs ongoing upkeep, especially on its roof, which is itself an important historic feature. Work has been done to redecorate the interior in a period style, using reproductions of original wallpapers and materials. In 2008, the National Trust installed solar panels behind the battlements on the roof to generate electricity and reduce environmental impact. This was the first time the Trust used this approach on a Grade I listed building, and it is expected to save 1,714 kilograms of carbon each year. In 2015, the Trust announced plans to open a 19th-century reservoir to the public, and it was formally opened for viewing in April 2016.