Dunster

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Dunster Yarn Market

Dunster is a village in north west Somerset, England, situated on the Bristol Channel coast 2.5 miles south south east of Minehead and 20 miles north west of Taunton. The village has a population of 860 (2001).

Dunster was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Torre, meaning 'The rocky hill' from the Old English tor. The prefix 'Duns' may well be a reference to the Saxon Dunn, who held land in nearby Elworthy and Willet before 1066.^[1]

Dunster Beach is located half a mile from the village. The beach site has a number of privately owned beach huts (or chalets as some owners call them) along with a small shop, tennis court and putting green.

1 Notable buildings
2 History
3 Local Customs
4 SSSI
5 References
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Notable buildings

Dunster has over 200 grade 2 listed, 2 grade 1 listed and 2 grade 1* listed buildings.

Dunster Castle is situated on a steep hill overlooking the village. Of the Norman castle, sited on what is now the keep, little remains except for the 13th century gatehouse. The present building was developed in 1617 with susequent refurbishment in the 1680s including fine platerwork ceilings and the main staircase. The castle was largely remodelled in the Victorian period by Antony Salvin. Salvin added towers and turrets giving the castle its fairytale appearance. The castle came into the possession of the Luttrell family in the late 14th century and remained in their ownership until it was given to the National Trust in 1976.

The 17th century Yarn Market (1609) facilitated the dominant wool trade. An interesting feature of the building is a hole in one of the roof beams, a result of cannon fire in the Civil War. Other notable buildings include the Nunnery, Dunster Mill and the Priory barn.

With its oldest section dating from 1443, the Luttrell Arms was formerly a guest house for the Abbots of Cleeve. The Hotel is one of the South West’s, most famous hostelries. There are 28 en-suite rooms.

[edit] History

One kilometer south west of Dunster is Black Ball Camp on Gallox Hill (also known as British Camp). It was an iron age hill fort.^[2]

During the English Civil War, Dunster was initially held as a garrison for the Royalists. It fell to the Parliamentarians in 1645 and orders were sent out for the castle to be demolished. However, these were not carried out and the castle remained the garrison for Parliamentarian troops until 1650.

Dunster is regularly home to Taunton Garrisson who reenact, plays, battles and life in the civil war.

During the Second World War, considerable defences were built along the coast as a part of British anti-invasion preparations — in spite of the north coast of Somerset being an unlikely invasion site.^[3]

[edit] Local Customs

On the evening of May 1st the Minehead Hobby Horse visits Dunster and is received at the Castle. A local newspaper printed in May 1863 says "The origin professes to be in commemoration of the wreck of a vessel at Minehead in remote times, or the advent of a sort of phantom ship which entered the harbour without Captain or crew. Once the custom was encouraged, but now is much neglected, and perhaps soon will fall into desuetude".

Another conjecture to its origin was that the hobby horse was the ancient King of the May. Luckily the custom did not die. On the 1st of May the inhabitants of Minehead are awoken by the beating of a loud drum. The Hobby horse dances its way around the town and on to Dunster Castle. The Sailors' horse with drummers and a squeezebox or accordion playing the special tunes that have been handed down. From Dunster It then comes back to Minehead collecting donations on the way. The horse searches out money in the pubs and originally would cheekily sneak into houses too leaving good luck behind him.

A more recent tradition is Dunster by Candelight which takes place every year on the first Friday and Saturday in December when this remarkably preserved medieval village turns its back on the present and lights its streets with candles.

To mark the beginning of the festival on Friday at 5pm, there is the Lantern Lighting Procession that starts on the Steep and continues through the village until all the lanterns in the streets have been lit. The procession of children and their families is accompanied by colourful Stiltwalkers in fantastic costumes who put up the lanterns.

[edit] SSSI

Nearby is the Dunster Park and Heathlands Site of Special Scientific Interest.

[edit] References

^ Robinson, Stephen (1992). Somerset Place Names. Wimbourne: The Dovecote Press Ltd. ISBN 1874336032.
^ Adkins, Lesley and Roy (1992). A field Guide to Somerset Archeology. Stanbridge: Dovecote press. ISBN 0946159947.
^ Foot, William (2006). Beaches, fields, streets, and hills ... the anti-invasion landscapes of England, 1940. Council for British Archaeology, p95-101. ISBN 1-902771-53-2.