Dunster, Somerset – Architectural features and vents

Having made a visit to Dunster castle and village at the weekend we thought we’d share our “ventilation” snaps with you.

This is of course Dunster in Somerset, not too far from Minehead in the North of Somerset .

Despite being the end of January, it was a beautiful day and even on a Sunday the shops were open and so was the magnificent castle for a walk round.

Some of the features of particular note apart from the castle are the working water mill that was milling flour as we arrived, the stables which are now the national Trust shop, the Yarn market and also the dovecote. You can read up on these at https://www.discoverdunster.info/explore/

We had discovered a few grilles and architectural features along our walk and here are the highlights and low lights …

The cellar vent at the front of the Yarn market hotel is likely to vent the Victorian sewer line that runs underneath the front pavement, there are a few gaps and missing vents along the walls in some buildings and thankfully evidence of a huge amount of restoration and pointing to upkeep the stonework around the entire village. Hardly anywhere  is there much evidence of decay although there one or 2 vents that have had possibly a 100 years of paint on them and are now no longer venting! Looking at one of the walls the building is being supported by multiple ties, the gutters are neatly created and maintained using stones driven into the ground to create a liner pattern in the direction of flow and there are neat stone steps leading to entrances over the gutter with a Chanel cut to allow the drain water to run down the street. Casting an eye higher up one can see the roof tiles are cleverly and neatly finished with cut outs in the barge boards . This is typical of this lovely village where attention to detail in the majority of building restoration is so evident.