Dunster Castle

With 1,000 years of history the castle has plenty of great stories to tell. The last family to live here, the Luttrells, moved in in 1376 and out in 1976, and changed a medieval stronghold into a comfortable family home.

 

 

Discover what happened at dinner when the Maharaja of Jaipur came to stay, and what Alys Luttrell thought of her 1950's kitchen.

 

 

 

Admire the scenery from the Conservatory window with views that reach across to Exmoor and the Quantock Hills. You can also see hints of the old carriage drive.

 

 

One of the glories of the castle collection, the Leather Gallery is dedicated to a leather hanging of European importance and depicts the love story of Antony and Cleopatra. The lights in the room have recently been changed to LED bulbs which bring out the intricacies and craftsmanship in this seventeenth-century work of art.

 

There has been a library at Dunster Castle since the seventeenth-century however the room you see today was created by Anthony Salvin in 1870-

 

The impressive Grand Staircase was built in 1680, with each panel carved from a single piece of elm. The intricate carvings depict a fox and stag hunt, some Charles II shillings, and a trophy of arms which commemorate Col. Francis Luttrells' military career.

 

Discover Dunster Castle's diverse collection of paintings, silver, furniture and porcelain on the National Trust Collections website.

 

Dunster Castle was once the centre of a great estate, which included forests, farms and land. However in the 1950s much of the estate was sold to cover death duties. Find out more about the Dunster estate as it stands today.