English Castles-Dunster Castle

I find it fascinating that the first English castles began to appear about a thousand years ago while we still had Indians running around here in buffalo hides!

Castles were built for various reasons. Some were built to prevent invasions or attack and some simply for their beauty and magnificence.

Spotting castles along my journey in England in 2006 was such a magical experience for me. To this Texas gal, castles were only in make-believe and fairy tales.

The photo below was taken from our moving vehicle of Dunster Castle. I didn't get to stop to visit, but I have since done some research on this particular castle. I thought you might enjoy it.

The following list of English castles can be found Castles.me.uk.

Hever Castle

Windsor Castle

Warwick Castle

Leeds Castle

Pontefract Castle

Bodiam Castle

Caister Castle

Allington Castle

Dunster Castle is located high atop a wooded hill in the town of Dunster, Somerset, England. It is built of bright red sandstone. Its size and position within the trees made it most impressive from the roadway we were on below.

According to the research I've done, this castle's location was chosen for its natural defensive position when it was built some time before 1066 during the medieval time period. The castle was granted by William the Conqueror to William de Mohun, a Norman baron.

Dunster Castle became the home of the Luttrell family in 1375 and remained their home for over 600 years. When Sir. George Luttrell inherited the castle it was in pretty bad shape and needed repairs. In 1617, an architect was hired to begin erecting a new house in the lower ward of the castle. There were many modifications primarily in the 16th-19th centuries. A magnificently carved staircase and a plaster ceiling in the dining room were added in 1681.

Colonel Sir Walter Luttrell, a WWII veteran at Normandy gave Dunster Castle and the greater part of its contents to the National Trust in 1976.

Dunster Castle is now open to the public and home to the National Plant Collection of Strawberry Trees.

The National Trust has installed solar panels behind the battlements on the roof in order to provide electricity and make the premises more environmentally friendly. This is the first time this has been done on a Grade I listed building, and is expected to save three tonnes of carbon a year.