Whits Wood

Foresters Arms Hotel, Dunster. The building also has an Ordnance Survey bench mark. SS9843 : Ordnance Survey Bench Mark

This mark is located at the Foresters Arms Hotel, Dunster. These marks were used by Ordnance Survey for mapping purposes. SS9843 : Forestersv Arms Hotel, Dunster

The Milepost is located in the hedge on the East of the road.  Parish of Dunster (West Somerset District). Cast iron post, Somerset County Council iron casting design, erected by the County Council in the 20th Century. An earlier photograph can be found here: Link  Inscription reads:- DULVERTON / 15½ : : MINEHEAD / 3 : : SOMERSET / C {BADGE} C / 1913 Milestone Society National ID: SO_MHEB03

This OS cut mark can be found on the east parapet of Cow Bridge. It marks a point 62.410m above mean sea level.

This OS cut mark can be found on the SW angle of St Petrock's Church. It marks a point 81.800m above mean sea level.

Looking towards the church tower.

This photo shows a map of Dunster Castle and Gardens on a board which is in the gardens. The key is on the left hand side while in the lower right hand corner is a blue notice which has the following wording: For your safety Having once been a fortified castle, our gardens have many steep slopes, steps and paths with uneven and loose surfaces. We advise wearing sensible and sturdy shoes. The pond and river are both unfenced and there are low bridge parapets, so please take care and supervise children at all times. Please be aware of moving vehicles using the access drive to the castle and outside our Stables and toilets. Access to the Keep Garden by pushchair or wheelchair requires a strong companion.

This information board erected by the National Trust, is by the River Gardens near the Watermill and has the following wording and images: Left column These gates lead you into the River Gardens toward the Watermill. The River Avill winds its way through the gardens amongst lush vegetation and beneath three bridges, fast flowing in winter and a meandering stream in summer. The sheltered climate of the River Gardens enables a mix of sub-tropical plants to thrive. Explore some of the paths that leave the main walk and discover the Giant Redwood. Don't miss the serpentine path and log play area. Middle column The story of three bridges Two of the three bridges, Lawns' and Lovers' are attributed to designs by Richard Phelps of Porlock. Phelps was an artist who designed many of the buildings for Dunster Garden and Park, and was also well known locally for the designs he worked on with Copplestone Warre Bampfylde of nearby Hestercombe in Taunton. The bridges were commissioned by Henry Fownes Luttrell in the late 18th Century as part of his re-landscaping of the grounds. A more modern, metal structure called Marshall's Bridge stands between them. Image of four polo players on the Lawns. Lawns' Bridge gets its name because it used to link the castle to the early road entrance which was through an avenue of Tulip Trees (Liriodendron tulipfera) across Dunster Lawns towards Carhampton. The Lawns' were later to become known as the Polo fields during the early part of the 20th century and are now owned by the Crown Estate. Lawns' Bridge has a simple three-arched Palladian style, incorporating an ornamental weir beneath. It replaces an earlier bridge which is known to have existed in 1733 and is depicted in an engraving by Samuel and Nathaniel Buck (above right). There is also speculation that a Chinese style bridge was in this area, possibly where Marshall's Bridge now stands. Image: A painting by William Tomkins shows a Chinese style bridge. Right column Image: Print of the North East View of Dunster Castle in the County of Somerset. A modern bridge for the Marshalls. The next bridge you will come across is Marshall's Bridge which was named after Jim Marshall, a former National Trust Gardens Advisor. He worked alongside Mike Marshall (no relation!) who was the first Head Gardener employed by the Trust in 1980. The bridge leads to Marshall's Garden, an area designed by Mike, and creates a riverside walk to re-join the main garden path at Lovers' Bridge. Image of Marshall's Bridge. Riverside romance Lovers' Bridge was built in the wild, gothic style loved by the late 18th century landowners. With a simple Lovers' seat carved into the stone, and boulders positioned underneath to form a rocky cascade, it was designed to make people stop and admire the rusticated bridge and look across to the Mill in the distance. It has captivated many visitors in the past - even prompting several marriage proposals! Image of Lovers' Bridge.

This photo shows the Keep Garden with a gazebo at the far end. The garden was made into a tennis court in the 1920s, but is now a flat lawn.

This photo shows the entrance to the castle which dates from medieval times. It had been in the ownership of the de Mohuns who came from Normandy soon after William the Conqueror became King of England in 1066. It was then sold in 1376 to the Luttrell family who lived in it until the 1970s. Subsequently, it was given to the National Trust in 1976.

This information board erected by the National Trust, is by Lovers Bridge near the Watermill in the gardens of Dunster Castle. It has the following wording and images: Left column Lovers' Bridge, with its two arches, is thought to have replaced the Mill Bridge mentioned in the medieval Domesday records. On one side it has a Lovers' Seat carved into the simple brick framework allowing a view towards the mill and arched gateway (designed by Richard Phelps and built in 1782). On the other side, the bridge is rusticated (a special finish applied to masonry in the mid to late 18th century). It was designed with the intention of causing people to stop, take a seat and admire the mill in the distance. Image of Alys Luttrell Handkerchief - necessary items for your toilet bag? The Mill gardens across the Mill leat (stream) were largely created in the 1920s by Alys Luttrell. Prior to this, they had become fairly overgrown with conifers, Rhododendrons and bamboos, but Alys arranged for the area to be cleared and established a bank of Azaleas instead. Most of the shrubs and trees you see today are still attributed to Alys Luttrell, with one notable specimen being the Handkerchief Tree (Davidia involucrata). Alys brought the tree back from South Africa, secreting it as a tiny seedling in her toilet bag! She planted it and the little tree flourished in the temperate, sheltered conditions. Image of Handkerchief Tree Right column Medieval estates often had flour mills and there had been a mill at Dunster since at least the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066. Mill tenants would grind corn for the family, but also to sell to the local community, giving a certain proportion of the income back to the Lord of the Manor as part of the feudal economy. By 1427, three mills known as the Overmylle, the Nethermylle and the Newmylle had been constructed here on the River Avill. The Newmylle became known as the Lower Mill and was the only mill still in existence when Henry Fownes married into the Luttrell family in 1747. By the early 1900s, the mill wheels often stood idle, but the need for self-sufficiency during World War II led to the re-opening of the mill. Bread was baked on the premises using local flour and sold to the castle and village. After the war, the mill ground only animal feed until its closure in 1962. Sir Walter Luttrell gave the mill to the National Trust in 1975 and it firsr opened to the public on Easter Sunday, 1980. The attractive setting of the mill has long inspired artists and in the late 1930s, visitors paid half a crown for permission to sketch in Mill Walk'. Visitors can still see flour being ground at the mill which is open to the public. Image of The Castle Mill, Dunster Illustration of the mill with the wording: How our medieval mill may have looked: an illustration from 'the Luttrell Psalter' belonging to Sir Geoffrey Luttrell of Irnham, Lincolnshire. Alys established a preference for exotic planting within the River Gardens and this is something our garden team are continuing. The plan is to keep this botanical collection going and adding exotic plants with a ground covering of bulbs. Indigenous bulbs such as Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), Wood anemones (Anemone nemorosa) and Winter aconites (Eranthis hyemalis) will be planted to add some vibrant spring colour. Images of (left) Winter Aconites and (right) Bluebells.

This view is of the street running north west across the north eastern section of the grid square. The picture was taken from near the castle entrance looking north west.

The castle is situated in the south western section of the grid square. This view was taken from the A39 into Dunster looking more or less west.

This view of the castle was taken from loxhole Bridge.

Taken from the south with Conygar Tower in the background

Dunster Castle has a splendid position at the entrance to the Avill valley on Exmoor.