Dunster Castle

Dunster Castle stands on a steep hill called the Tor, overlooking the village of Dunster in Somerset. The site has been fortified since the late Anglo-Saxon period, when a local nobleman built a burgh to guard against sea-borne raiders. After the Norman Conquest, William de Mohun erected a timber castle on the same spot, later replaced by a stone shell keep by the early 12th century. The Luttrell family took ownership in the late 14th century and held it for over six centuries. The castle’s defences were slighted after the First English Civil War, when Parliament ordered their destruction. In the 19th century, Anthony Salvin remodelled the castle to suit Victorian tastes, giving it a Gothic appearance. The castle’s history is marked by sieges, ownership changes and architectural evolution. It survived a siege during the Anarchy in the 12th century, when William de Mohun defended it for Empress Matilda. By the 13th century, the Lower Ward contained a hall, chapel and prison tower, while the Upper Ward held living quarters and kitchens. The Luttrells expanded the castle in the 15th century, adding a grand gatehouse of Bristol sandstone and creating a deer park. The family later built a manor house within the Lower Ward in 1617, which was modernised in the 17th and 18th centuries. Visitors find a mix of medieval ruins and Victorian remodelling. The gatehouse, with its three storeys and apartments, still dominates the entrance. The Upper Ward retains traces of the shell keep and earlier fortifications. Inside, rooms reflect later additions, including Salvin’s Gothic touches. The surrounding grounds include the deer park, once a source of prestige and venison. The village of Dunster, with its historic priory and abbey, adds to the setting. The castle remains a Grade I listed building, cared for by the National Trust.