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

Corfe Castle

click photo to enlarge

Corfe Castle is the name of a village and of the ruined castle to be found there. The village was an area of occupation c.6000 BC and was probably still so c.50AD during the Roman occupation. It is an area of limestone in the Purbeck Hills, Dorset, and many of the the village buildings and roofs are made of this stone. The castle we see today was founded shortly after 1066AD. In the Civil War of the C17 Corfe Castle was a Royalist stronghold and after hostilities ended Parliament ordered that it be "slighted" i.e. deliberately wrecked with explosives. What we see today is the remains following the slighting with further damage by local people who saw it as a useful quarry for building stone. It was my misfortune to see it on an afternoon when the sky was virtually cloudless.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Time and stone stairs

There is a dilemma concerning the stone stairs of Britain's cathedrals, castles and other historic buildings: are they to be left alone to show, through their wear, the passage of time and many feet; or are they to be restored, made safe and level, and consequently never cited in a court case involving an accident to one of the many visitors who pass up and down them? The stairs above, can be found in Chepstow Castle. They appear to be untouched since being installed. But have they been so expertly renovated so that the wear appears to be the result of centuries?

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

St Briavels Castle

The castle at St Briavels was begun in the twelfth century and became a frontier fortress, a royal hunting lodge, a place from which the area was administered. The two "D" shaped towers and gatehouse were added in 1292. For many years it was the main centre in England for the manufacture of crossbow bolts for Forest of Dean iron was mined. In subsequent centuries it was a court and debtors prison. In 1948 it became a youth hostel and it remains so today. Photographing the gatehouse proved difficult when the trees were in leaf, but a winter visit made the job easier despite the dullness of the day.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Wilton Castle

The English counties that border Wales, known collectively as the Welsh Marches, have more castles and remains of castles than any other region of the country. One of the lesser known examples is in Bridstow, on the opposite side of River Wye from the town of Ross on Wye. It was built around 1300, became ruinous and had a house built inside its walls in the 1500s. Further damage in the English Civil War of the seventeenth century made that uninhabitable and what remained was converted into a house two hundred years later in the nineteenth century. This is what we see today, nestling in the ragged walls and towers of the former castle.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Europe's oldest castle doors

It is remarkable how well-made wooden doors can survive the ravages of weather, man and wood-boring beetles. During my travels I've come across several church doors that date from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and one that may be even earlier. Castle doors, of course, have more to contend with than zealous parish clerks pinning notices on them. Battering rams, cannon shot and more mean that not only do they have to be strongly made, they must also be ready for an onslaught at all times. The doors in today's photograph hung in Chepstow Castle's main gateway until 1962 when they were replaced by copies and the originals displayed under cover. Dendrochronology dates them no later than the 1190s, making them the oldest castle doors in Europe.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10