MEM24797 - 19th Century enclosure north of River Avill Bridge (Monument)

Stone wall footings noted during excavations in 2017 may relate to an enclosure, possibly an animal pound, shown on late 19th Century mapping. It may have had decorative embellishments. Some parts of the structure may still be extant.

A watching brief was undertaken in February 2017 to monitor groundworks during the construction of a new compost area in Dunster Castle Gardens, to the east side of the castle and north of the River Avill Bridge. A short section of a rubble stone wall, aligned northwest to southeast, was exposed, and was noted to continue beyond the exposed area. Its placement corresponds with a former squared enclosure, which appears to have been constructed between 1840 and 1887 and may have been used as a pound. The wall may have replicated the rusticated style of some elements of the River Avill Bridge. [1] The enclosed space is shown on the 25 inch 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map. Centred at SS 9928 4349, it is roughly square, and appears to join the walls of the River Avill Bridge directly. It appears that some of the boundary walls of the feature may be extant in extant boundaries shown on the 2018 MasterMap data, particularly the eastern corner at c. SS 9929 4348. [2,3]