Gatehouse, Dunster Castle, Somerset

Dunster Castle is a large property of the National Trust and was owned by the Luttrell Family until 1976 when it was given to the Trust. The gatehouse dates from the 13th Century and is one of the oldest parts of the castle. The main building is of much later date and was drastically rebuilt by the architect, Anthony Salvin in the early 1870's. Salvin worked on a number of large houses in Sussex, so has local connections to home.

I visited Dunster today, a 30 mile drive from Curry Mallet and tried a different and better route around Taunton which was much better and as easy going back as it was going out. Dunster is a very picturesque large village with a lot of old houses, many of which are Medieval in origin. The church is large and contains a large wooden screen that was installed in 1500. The chancel was once used as the Monk's choir as the church was originally part of a monastery.

The Castle has extensive grounds and a working watermill. The gardens are laid out around the slope of the steep hill that the Castle stands on. The weather was showery, but I managed not to get as wet today as I did yesterday. This is a place that is well worth visiting, though it was very crowded due to the peak season!