MEM24810 - Post-medieval walled garden east of Dunster Castle (Monument)

A walled garden is depicted at the bottom of Dunster Castle mound in a painting by Wood in 1735. A plan of the feature was also drawn in c.1750. At this time, the Castle estate was in the hands of Dorothy Luttrell, who employed Sir James Thornhill as an interior decorator (and probably architect). The latter often collaborated with Charles Bridgeman, the Royal Gardener, who may or may not have been involved in the scheme at Dunster. The garden had a central walk, flanked by square ponds or plats, with ornamental entrance gates and a two storey garden pavilion. Some of the features within the garden have been picked up during a geophysical survey in 2004. It appears the garden may have been altered when the castle was occupied by Henry Fownes Luttrell, after 1747; he may also have later been responsible for the removal of the garden. [1] The National Trust HER record for the site notes that the garden has been located through two phases of geophysical survey work. [2] A number of anomalies were noted during a magnetometer survey in September 2022. This includes right angled linear ditches and banks that together form part of an enclosure. These square features were noted to be visible on the LiDAR plot, terraced into the subtle slope; the ground was noted to be uneven in this location during the survey, with stands of nettles different to the surrounding grassland. It was suggested that these may represent garden features, although the report suggests they might otherwise relate to activities associated with the historic Dunster Show. [3] The anomalies mentioned in [3] appear to relate to the walled garden. [4]