Nunney Castle (Somerset)
A Small, French-style castle surrounded by a deep moat, said to have been based on the Bastille in Paris
Introduction
It is a small, French-style castle surrounded by a deep moat, built for Sir John Delamare in 1373, and said to have been based on the Bastille in Paris, and shows a strong awareness of contemporary french practice. A veteran of the Hundred Years' War, Sir John would later become Sheriff of Somerset.
It was later the property of William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester, before passing to several owners and in 1577 was sold by Swithun Thorpe to John Parker who only kept it for a year before selling it to Richard Prater, at a cost of £2000.
Open seven days a week, all year round.
History to the present day
During the English Civil Wars (1642-51) Colonel Richard Prater, who held the castle until 1645, lost it to Fairfax, the commander of Cromwell's forces in the battle that took place at Nunney. The castle was besieged for two days, but capitulated when Cromwell's men used cannon to blast a great hole in the north wall of the castle. It was never lived in again. Nunney Castle stands today, but all of the floors were removed or burned and the roof was removed to render it uninhabitable And not until Christmas Day 1910 did the gun-damaged portion of the wall finally collapse. Its moat, walls, and towers are still intact.
