Historic Places in Somerset

Nunney Castle is a remarkable and unusually well-preserved fourteenth-century castle near the village of Nunney in Somerset, a dramatically turreted fortification built between 1373 and 1383 by Sir John de la Mare and based closely on the contemporary French castle-building tradition. The castle is a rectangular tower with a massive round tower at each corner, surrounded by a wide moat that survives to this day in excellent condition, creating one of the most complete and visually striking small castles in England. The castle was held by Royalist forces during the Civil War and was bombarded by Parliamentary artillery in 1645, causing one of the castle walls to collapse. The ruined castle and its complete moat are managed by English Heritage and freely accessible in the centre of the attractive Somerset village. Nunney Castle is one of the finest late medieval fortified towers in England.

Wells Cathedral in Somerset is the smallest city in England's cathedral church, a building of exceptional quality and completeness that represents one of the finest achievements of English Gothic architecture. Construction began around 1175 and progressed steadily through the Early English Gothic style that gives the cathedral its characteristic light, pointed elegance, producing a building that is internally consistent in a way that cathedrals subject to more prolonged and varied construction histories often are not. The result is a building of remarkable harmony and clarity. The west front of Wells Cathedral is the supreme achievement of English medieval sculptural programmes, a screen of around 300 figure sculptures arranged in registers across the full width of the facade in a carefully organised theological programme that once formed the most complete example of medieval figure sculpture in Britain. The figures, ranging from small figures of prophets and angels to large standing apostles and bishops and a central tier of scenes from the New Testament, were originally painted in vivid colours that have long since faded, but the scale and ambition of the programme remain entirely impressive even in their weathered state. A restoration programme has cleaned and conserved the surviving figures and given them the best possible protection against further deterioration. The interior of the cathedral reveals the scissors arches at the crossing, one of the most celebrated and distinctive pieces of architectural engineering in any English medieval building. The pair of inverted arches placed across the eastern crossing to counteract the subsidence of the crossing tower in the fourteenth century created a structural solution of considerable ingenuity that is simultaneously an aesthetic feature of extraordinary visual power, their interlocking X form framing the view toward the quire in a way that draws the eye and holds the attention in ways that purely conventional Gothic architecture rarely achieves. The medieval chapter house, reached by a magnificent spiral staircase from the north transept, is one of the finest in England, its central pillar spreading into a palm of ribs supporting the octagonal vault above.

Set on a wooded hilltop within the Exmoor National Park, Dunster Castle has sweeping views over the Bristol Channel and is situated on the outskirts of the town of Dunster The castle is set in beautiful park and woodland surroundings on the side of a river. The castle's defensive walls were demolished long ago but visitors can see a medieval gatehouse, a ruined tower, an octagonal summerhouse at the highest point of the site and a Mediterranean garden terrace. The main castellated building has both Jacobean and Victorian facades and is built over four floors of a light and red coloured stone. The interiors feature ornate plasterwork ceilings, fine furniture and paintings. Facilities The park and garden are open to the public every day throughout the year (except Christmas) and the castle everyday except Thursday between mid March and the end of October between 11am and 5pm. The castle offers guided tours of the attic and basement areas which are not normally available for visitors for an extra charge and by reservation only; there is also a National Trust gift shop on site. Throughout the year on Fridays and Saturdays couples whishing to tie the knot can do so at a Civil ceremony in either the Tenants Hall which is located in the upper storey of the gatehouse or between November and February in the Inner and Outer halls. The Tenants Hall with its Tudor windows is an ideal summer wedding venue seating up to 60 guests with romantic lighting from its impressive chandeliers. The Inner and Outer Halls can seat up to 80 guests with the bride making a grand entrance down the 17th century staircase. In 1066 William The Conqueror granted the castle; which was already built on the site, to William de Mohun. The family remained at the castle until it was sold to Lady Elizabeth Luttrell in 1376 whose descendents remained there until 1976. The property was in a poor state of repair when it was inherited by Sir George Luttrell in 1571 as the family had not lived there for many years, so in 1617 employed architect William Arnold to build a new house in the lower ward of the castle. During the civil war the castle was surrendered to the parliamentarian forces who subsequently demolished the defensive walls leaving just parts of two towers and the gatehouse. During the following centuries and in particular between 1862 and 1872 the castle was restored, remodeled and added too with a landscaped park, follies, terraced garden and the addition of a fine oak staircase and plasterwork ceilings. In 1976 Sir Walter Luttrell gave the castle and much of its contents over to the National Trust.

Cary Castle stood on Lodge Hill overlooking the town of Castle Cary in Somerset. Only the earthworks of the motte and bailey castle now remain. Some of the stonework of the castle was used in the buildings of the town. The motte and bailey castle was built after the Norman conquest either by Walter of Douai or by the following owners, the Perceval family. It was besieged by King Stephen in 1138, and again in 1153. The castle was abandoned by 1468 when owners moved to a manor house which was built beside it. The site was excavated in 1890, revealing the foundations of a square tower.