For my birthday, I went to Nunney Castle, which is not far away, or very large. I can't go for long trips out anymore, and I did not want to tire myself out for my brithday, so this castle was the perfect size for a 30 minute look around.
Nunney Castle (or, if you want it to sound Scottish, Castle Nunney) is partially derelict. At the end of the English Civil War, many castles were "slighted", which means they were deliberately damaged in order for the place to be rendered useless as a future fort. Nunney Castle, however, was actually just shot at.
It was shot at by a canon in 1645, so avoided slighting. It was not until Christmas Day 1910, however that the damaged wall finally collapsed. Bit strange - makes it sound like they only wanted to shoot it.
The English Civil War saw Parliament fighting against the Royalists (those who supported the King, Charles I). Somerset was one of the few remaining Royalist places, and so the owner of Nunney Castle let refugees and Catholics (or indeed, Catholic refugees) hide away in the castle. I enjoyed my time at the castle. There was no one there but a small group of mildly disinterested school children. It was nice and quiet, and feels a bit more like a castle that happens to be in the park, than an attraction for tourists. It was however a slightly muddy and wet day, so maybe in the summer it will be more busy. |
The stained-glass window has nothing to do with the castle, actually. It is part of a building right next to the castle where we parked the car. Then I went home for some nice soup and Kinder chocolate.