Rap 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

View down High Street past the old Yarn Market. Even 50 years ago, parking was a problem in the town.

View up Dunster High St with the Yarn Market in the distance in the centre of the image.

The 16th century yarn market is the focal point for this very picturesque town, or is it village?

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

Looking towards the church tower.

The building is 9.4m in diameter and has a massive central octagonal based stone pier from which spreads a heavy timber framework with verticals, resting on a low rubble stone wall. A wide counter forms a sill to the openings on each of the eight sides, some being stone, others oak. The floor is cobbled. The timber framework carries a slate roof with a central wooden lantern surmounted by a weather vane with the initials 'GL' and the date 1647. There are eight gabled dormers, each with three-light leaded wood casement windows with moulded wood mullions. It has wide prehanging eaves on bracket and pillar supports. The Yarn Market was built in 1609 by George Luttrell, who then owned the castle, and the date 1647 refers to repairs done by Francis Luttrell. Dunster cloth and kerseymere were sold there. The monument is Listed Grade I and in the care of the Secretary of State. Link

Situated in Marsh Street TA24 6PN, this TE dates from the early 1980s and replaced a smaller building in the same locality. It has the code WWDUNS and provides telephone and broadband services to approximately 961 residential and 63 non-residential premises in Marsh Street plus Blue Anchor, Carhampton and Dunster nearby. The numbering range of this TE is (01643) 82xxxx, the (01643) referring to the Minehead group of six TEs.

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 view is taken from Dunster Castle and shows The Lawns in the foreground and Blue Anchor Bay and the Quantock Hills in the distance.

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 information board is at the north end of the car park in Dunster Steep. It has the following words and images: Left column Welcome to Historic Dunster An idyllic medieval village with a wealth of heritage and history dating back to 700AD. Spend a couple of hours discovering Dunster for yourself. Wander along the ancient High Street. past the Old Yarn Market. Visit the castle, with its dramatic hill top location overlooking Exmoor and the Bristol Channel. Explore the ancient parish church, Tithe Barn and Dovecote. Find a host of individual shops, then take a break in one of our traditional pubs or tea rooms. Why not explore a little further? Allow extra time to follow one of our country routes to Dunster Mill, Gallox Bridge and Dunster Park: Grabbist Hill or Butter Cross. Image (7): Gallox Bridge, originally used to help pack animals cross the River Avill Centre Column Map of Dunster village with an image of Dunster Castle below it Right column Image (1): The Old Yarn Market, in the High Street Image (2): Dunster Castle, owned by the National Trust Image (3): St George's Church, built in the 14th century Image (4): Tithe Barn, c 16th century Image (5): The Dovecote has 4ft thick stone walls and was built in medieval times Image (6): The Water Mill, dating back to the 18th century and now restored to working order In the lower right hand corner is an image of the 'Welcome to Historic Dunster' leaflet and the wording: Follow the suggested core village route to get the most from your visit today. Leaflets are available in the National Park Centre. They can also be downloaded at Link.