The main street of Dunster, with its irregular outline of houses
climbing up a hill, and the quaintest old market-house at the top backed
by a dense maze of foliage beyond, is exceedingly picturesque. Judging
from the hole made by a cannon-ball from the castle in one of the oaken
beams of this remarkable "yarn market," poor Lady Wyndham had a lucky
escape. The marvel is the old structure has remained until now in so
delightful an unrestored condition. It has the colour which age alone
can impart, a red purple-grey which, contrasted with the background as
we saw it of laburnum and may, formed a picture long to be remembered.
The old inn, the "Luttrell Arms," has many points of interest--some fine
fifteenth-century woodwork, in the courtyard, a carved ceiling, and a
rich Elizabethan fireplace; but doubtless from the fact that the
landlord gets too many inquiries about these things, he is tardy in
showing them. The church has one of the finest carved oak screens of
Henry VI.'s reign in England, which to our mind looks much better in its
unpainted state. One has but to go to Carhampton, close by, to make a
comparison. The paint may be in excellent taste, and like it was
originally; but when the original paint has gone, is it not best to
leave the woodwork plain? Under these conditions the screen at least
looks old, but the fine screen at Carhampton does not. A smaller
screen in the transept of Dunster church presents yet more bold and
beautiful design in the carving; and about this and the ancient tombs
and altar, the bright and intelligent old lady who shows one round has a
fund of information to impart. She is very proud, and naturally so, of
the interesting building under her charge. Up a side street is the
nunnery with its slate-hung front: a lofty, curious building some three
centuries old or more.
Minehead Church is equally interesting. It stands high up overlooking
the sea, and commands a magnificent prospect of the hanging-woods of
Dunster and the heights of Dunkery. The rood-screen is good, but has
been mutilated in parts. The ancient oak coffer is remarkable for the
bold relief of its carving, representing the arms of Fitz-James
quartered with Turberville as it occurs in Bere Regis church.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account