Dunster Butter Cross — Attraction in Dunster

While this is not the most spectacular attraction in Dunster when compared to the castle or the Yarn Market this cross is, nevertheless witness to a time when life was considerably more turbulent. The cross is not in its original position and was probably originally erected in the High Street in the 15th century and is fairly typical of a "preaching cross" doubling as a central position in a weekly market - presumably where dairy products were sold - hence the name, Butter Cross. The cross is likely to have been decapitated by iconoclasts, possibly by Parliamentary troops besieging the Royalist held castle in the English Civil War ( another relic of this siege is the cannonball lodged in the Yarn Market, also on the High Street). The cross was moved to its current position sometime in the late 18th century and now stands on the outskirts of the village on the back...

Lovely spot to sit and watch the world go by (mainly sheep!). Worth the diversion past the orchard and away from the hustle and bustle of Dunster village (just grab a snack and drink...

Not the original site of the Butter Cross, which dates from the medieval period, but it's a lovely walk up from the village. Unfortunately the Butter Cross is now...