The Old Nunnery, Dunster

This building is a terrace of three dwellings. The ground floor walls are made of stone and the two floors above are timber-framed. The roof is slate covered and the first and second floor walls are finished with slate hanging - an uncommon feature in the UK. The name fixed to the ground floor wall calls it "The Old Nunnery" though there is no evidence of it having such a purpose. However, in 1346 the site was granted to the Abbot and Convent of Cleeve by Hugh Pero of Oaktrow, and there is speculation that the building was an almonry or guest house attached to the priory. Dendrochronology shows the of roof timbers were felled between 1453 and 1489.

 photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Reservoir, Dunster Castle

The highest point within the walls of Dunster Castle is, essentially, a lawn encircled with flower beds, shrubs and trees. However, hidden underground and entered by a door is the former reservoir of the castle which supplied it with water. It was built in 1870, one of a number of improvements made at the time by the owner, and held 40,000 gallons. In 1897 the water was being supplied to houses in the village, quite a luxury for rural dwellers at this time. Today it is empty and features an audio-visual presentation. The photograph shows my wife on the installed stairs. We had popped inside when a light shower of rain appeared (hence the rain hat).

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Dunster dovecote

The dovecote at Dunster, Somerset, is probably medieval in origin, perhaps built by the monks of the Benedictine priory. Its circular shape with no windows, an entrance door, and entrance from above for the doves, is widely used in such buildings, and this form was retained through the rebuildings of the C18 and C19.

The interior has 501 nest holes and it was from these that the newly hatched nestlings (called squabs) would have been collected to provide fresh meat. During winter the older birds were gathered to provide meat at a time of year when it was scarce. The rotating ladder called the "potence" allowed easy access to the holes.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Yarn Market, Dunster

The design of market houses varies from county to county. Dunster's is a fairly common shape - octagonal - but is quite small and has dormer windows. It has a central stone column with a lean-to roof of stone slates supported by timber columns. The design is topped off with a weather vane. In medieval times Dunster was a focus of the local Somerset wool trade, and this market house would have been a centre of buying and selling. The building we see today was probably built by George Luttrell, the owner of Dunster Castle, c.1589. It is known to have been repaired in 1647 after being damaged in the Civil War.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Dunster, village and castle

Dunster in Somerset is one of the many UK villages and towns that grew up below the walls of the adjacent castle. Today many of these castles are derelict, having suffered during or after warfare. However, the castle at Dunster was remodelled and extended over the centuries and transformed from a predominantly military structure to a large, private house. Since 1976 it has been in the custody of the National Trust and welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5