Conygar House, Dunster
Conygar House, 2a the Ball, Dunster, Somerset, TA24 6SD, England
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Places to see in ( Dunster - UK )
Places to see in ( Dunster - UK )
Dunster is a village, civil parish and former manor within the English county of Somerset, today just within the north-eastern boundary of the Exmoor National Park. It lies on the Bristol Channel coast 2.5 miles (4 km) south-southeast of Minehead and 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Taunton.
Iron Age hillforts testify to occupation of the area for thousands of years. The village grew up around Dunster Castle which was built on the Tor by the Norman warrior William I de Moyon (d. post 1090) shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Castle is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. From that time it was the caput of the Feudal barony of Dunster. The Castle was remodelled on several occasions by the Luttrell family who were lords of the manor from the 14th to 20th centuries. The benedictine Dunster Priory was established in about 1100. The Priory Church of St George, dovecote and tithe barn are all relics from the Priory.
The village became a centre for wool and cloth production and trade, of which the Yarn Market, built by George Luttrell (d.1629), is a relic. There existed formerly a harbour, known as Dunster Haven, at the mouth of the River Avill, yet today the coast having receded is now about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) from the village and no sign of the harbour can be seen on the low lying marshes between the village and the coast. Dunster has a range of heritage sites and cultural attractions which combine with the castle to make it a popular tourist destination with many visitors arriving on the West Somerset Railway, a heritage railway running from Minehad to Bishops Lydeard. The village lies on the route of the Macmillan Way West, Somerset Way and Celtic Way Exmoor Option.
Dunster is mentioned as a manor and Dunster Castle as belonging to William I de Moyon (alias de Moion, also de Mohun) in the 1086 Domesday Book. After the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century, he constructed a timber castle on the site as part of the pacification of Somerset. A stone shell keep was built on the motte by the start of the 12th century, and the castle survived a siege during the early years of the Anarchy. At the end of the 14th century the de Mohuns sold the castle to the Luttrell family, who continued to occupy the property until the late 20th century.
Dunster Castle was positioned on a steep, 200-foot (61 m) high hill. Geologically, the hill is an outcrop of Hangman Grits, a type of red sandstone. During the early medieval period the sea reached the base of the hill, close to the mouth of the River Avill, offering a natural defence and making the village an inland port. Nearby is the Dunster Park and Heathlands Site of Special Scientific Interest noted for nationally important lowland dry heath, dry lowland acid grassland, wood-pasture with veteran trees and ancient semi-natural oak woodland habitats.
Dunster, in Exmoor National Park, has many listed buildings including 200 Grade II, two Grade I and two Grade II*. The 17th century Yarn Market is a market cross which was probably built in 1609 by the Luttrell family who were the local lords of the manor to maintain the importance of the village as a market, particularly for wool and cloth. Nearby was an older cross known as the Butter Cross which was constructed in the late 14th or early 15th century and once stood in the High Street.
Other notable buildings include the Nunnery, Dunster Watermill, Dovecote and the Priory barn, which belonged to Dunster Priory. Dunster Working Watermill (also known as Castle Mill) is a restored 18th century watermill, situated on the River Avill, close to Gallox Bridge, in the grounds of Dunster Castle. It is a Grade II* listed building. Conygar Tower is a folly used as a landmark for shipping. It is at the top of Conygar Hill and overlooks the village. It is a circular, 3 storey tower built of red sandstone, situated on a hill overlooking the village. Dunster Doll Museum houses a collection of more than 800 dolls from around the world.
Dunster railway station is on the West Somerset Heritage Railway, though the station is over a mile from the village. The station was opened on 16 July 1874 by the Minehead Railway. Road access is via the A39 and A369. The nearest international airports would be those at Exeter or Bristol.
( Dunster - UK ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting the city of Dunster . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Dunster - UK
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Conygar tower!
The Conygar Tower in Dunster, Somerset, England was built in 1775 and has been designated as a Grade II listed building. It is a circular, 3 storey folly tower built of red sandstone, situated on a hill overlooking the village.
Dunster Beach
Dunster is a village and civil parish in west Somerset, England, situated on the Bristol Channel coast 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south, south east of Minehead and 20 miles (32.2 km) north west of Taunton. The village has a population of 860 (2001).
The village has numerous restaurants and three pubs. West Street is the oldest street; although a quieter street than the high street it has three specialist shops - Christmas shop, a kitchenware shop and a gift shop, and at the end of West Street is Dunster Working Watermill.
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, and used to have a significant harbour, known as Dunster Haven, which was used for the export of wool from Saxon times, however it was last used in the 17th century and has now disappeared in the dykes, meadows and marshes near the shore.[2] 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. The chalets, measuring 18' by 14' can be let out for holidays, some owners live in them all the year round.[3]Just south west of Dunster are Bat's Castle and Black Ball Camp on Gallox Hill (also known as British Camp). They were Iron Age hill forts.[4][5] There was a similar earthwork on Grabbist Hill.[6]
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 Garrison who re-enact, plays, battles and life in the civil war.
Dunster was the birthplace of the song All Things Bright and Beautiful when Cecil Alexander was staying with Mary Martin. The nearby hill, Grabbist, was originally heather-covered before tree plantation and was described as the Purple headed mountain. Mary Martin was daughter of one of the owners of Martins Bank.
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.[7] Some of the structures last to this day. Most notable are the pillboxes on the foreshore of Dunster Beach.[8] These are strong buildings made from pebbles taken from the beach and bonded together with concrete. From these, soldiers could have held their ground if the Germans ever invaded.
[edit]Dunster, in Exmoor National Park, has many listed buildings including 200 Grade II, two Grade I and two Grade I*.
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 subsequent refurbishment in the 1680s including fine plasterwork ceilings and the main staircase. The castle was largely remodelled in the Victorian period by Anthony 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. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building.[11]
The 17th-century Yarn Market (1609) facilitated the dominant wool trade.[12] 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 Priory Church of St George,[13] 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.[14] The hotel has 28 ensuite rooms.
Conygar Tower is a folly used as a landmark for shipping. It is situated on the top of Conygar Hill and overlooks the village. It was designed and built by Richard Phelps in 1776 and was commissioned by Henry Fownes Luttrell.[15] It has no strategic or military significance.
Trip To Dunster
Jim & Carol travelled to Dunster on the West Somerset Steam Railway on a sunny Sunday in March to visit the Conygar Tower folly and walk on the beach. The song 'Sway' is performed by Jim's band The Night Owls.
WACKY WEST SOMERSET - Episode 1 - Conygar Tower
Discovering West Somerset one upload at a time!
Join us as we visit Conygar Tower in Dunster for some history and nature on a Sunday afternoon :D
Conygar Tower
A lovely late evening video of the Conygar Tower standing guard over Dunster
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Dunster Castle Grounds & Gardens Somerset
Dunster Castle is a former motte and bailey castle, now a country house, in the village of Dunster, near Minehead, Somerset, England. The castle lies on the top of a steep hill called the Tor, and has been fortified since the late Anglo-Saxon period. After the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century, William de Mohun constructed a timber castle on the site as part of the pacification of Somerset. A stone shell keep was built on the motte by the start of the 12th century, and the castle survived a siege during the early years of the Anarchy. At the end of the 14th century the de Mohuns sold the castle to the Luttrell family, who continued to occupy the property until the late 20th century.
The castle was expanded several times by the Luttrell family during the 17th and 18th centuries; they built a large manor house within the Lower Ward of the castle in 1617, and this was extensively modernised, first during the 1680s and then during the 1760s. The medieval castle walls were mostly destroyed following the siege of Dunster Castle at the end of the English Civil War, when Parliament ordered the defences to be slighted to prevent their further use. In the 1860s and 1870s, the architect Anthony Salvin was employed to remodel the castle to fit Victorian tastes; this work extensively changed the appearance of Dunster to make it appear more Gothic and Picturesque.
Following the death of Alexander Luttrell in 1944, the family was unable to afford the death duties on his estate. The castle and surrounding lands were sold off to a property firm, the family continuing to live in the castle as tenants. The Luttrells bought back the castle in 1954, but in 1976 Colonel Walter Luttrell gave Dunster Castle and most of its contents to the National Trust, which operates it as a tourist attraction. It is a Grade I listed building and scheduled monument.
Filmed on a Canon VIXIA HF G20 Legria HF G25
Dunster First School Beijing Olympics 2008
dunster first school sports day 2008
Yarn Market Hotel, Dunster
Yarn Market Hotel, 25 High Street, Dunster, Somerset, TA24 6SF, England
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Dunster castle and surroundings by drone
Castle, Conygar Tower, Yarn Market and Orchard at Dunster, August 2019
WACKY WEST SOMERSET - Episode 2 - The Tallest Tree in England!
During half term we walked from Dunster Marsh to Nutcombe Bottom to see the tallest tree in England!
ADMIRALS CLOSE WATCHET TODAYS SIGHTS AND SOUNDS AND A FEW WEEKS AGO
It is good to see and hear signs in the early morning of the forthcoming Spring.
Beaches and Trains
Dunster, Dunster Castle and grounds, Dunster Station, Watchet Station, Watchet Harbour
Minehead beach 16/6/17
A selection of shots from a late evening fly in Minehead
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Minehead by Night
A few shots of minehead shot at 3AM
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West Somerset Railway Minehead
Some shots of the West Somerset Railway in Minehead and Dunster
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STEAM TRAINS FROM THE MINERAL LINE
Running close by, on the West Somerset Railway from locations where the two railways ran beside each other, on 13 September 2012.
The Dunster Castle Hotel - Dunster - United Kingdom
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The Dunster Castle Hotel offers contemporary style with traditional comfort at the foot of the historic National Trust property of Dunster Castle, in Exmoor National Park. With 8 individually furnished luxury ensuite bedrooms the hotel has recently been refurbished to a very high standard offering high quality Exmoor accommodation. The hotel has a Cellar Bar and Squires Restaurant which serve locally produced food. There is a private function room which opens out onto the large back garden area with views towards the Church. The hotel has a large private parking area. The Dunster Castle Hotel prides itself on it�s Exmoor food menu, using locally sourced Somerset Pork, Red Ruby Devon Beef and Exmoor Lamb. We strive to use only the finest local ingredients and pride ourselves on our Daily Fish board. The hotel is ideal for families with children and is ideally positioned to explore the beautiful area of Exmoor National Park with many Exmoor pubs and restaurants close by. Excellent base for walkers, cyclists and varied outdoor activities why not try us for a Short Break.
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