MSO12106 - Castle Mill Bridge, Mill Lane, Dunster (Building)

Mid/late 18th century; picturesque bridge built by HF Luttrell (of Dunster Castle) to replace medieval mill bridge over River Avill. Brick and stone. Two pointed arches. Low brick parapet south side. Parapet to north side raised but damaged. Rock faced rusticated voussoirs. [1] English Heritage Listed Building Number: 264701. First Listed on 04/08/1983. [2] An eighteenth century bridge spanning the River Avill in the grounds of Dunster Castle lies at SS 9916 4333, 200m upstream from the Palladian bridge (SS 94 SE 103). The bridge is built in a "rustic" style, designed to be viewed from the north. The double-arched span curves over the river, and a waterfall and island have been created downstream. The bridge is built of local stone with a brick capping. A brick seat is built into the parapet. The northern side is faced with undressed stone and pebbles to create a rustic effect; the southern face is plain. The bridge takes a footpath over the river and out of the Castle grounds towards the Deer Park. It was designed by Richard Phelps, and is part of the 18th century enhancement of the grounds of Dunster Castle, for H F Luttrell. [3, 4] The 2002 Conservation Area Character Assessment states that "at the end of Mill Lane within the grounds of Dunster Park is a mid-late 18th century river bridge built by the Luttrells “to replace a medieval mill bridge over the River Avill.”. It is in a picturesque style built of brick and stone with parapets, two pointed arches with rock-faced rusticated voussoirs." [5] The building was visited in April 2012 as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor's Listed Buildings 2012-13. It received a BAR score of 5A. [6] The building is depicted and labelled "FB" (footbridge) on 2018 MasterMap data. [7]