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Book Launch, 14 November 2023

A History of the County of Somerset
Volume XII: Dunster, Minehead, and Carhampton

This volume, the twelfth in the Somerset series, describes the history of the eastern part of Carhampton Hundred. Bounded by the Bristol Channel and Exmoor with steep hills forming a backdrop to a coastal plain, the area has at its heart the picturesque village of Dunster, one of the county’s most enduring tourist attractions. Its castle was home to the Mohuns and their successors the Luttrells, the area’s dominant landowners. From the early 15th century the port of Dunster was overtaken by Minehead, which thrived on trade with Wales, Ireland, Europe and the West Indies and, from the 19th century, from the tourists brought by steamer and from 1871 by railway. In the early 21st century Minehead, best known as a genteel seaside resort and from 1962 for its holiday camp, serves as the commercial hub of the area. The neighbouring parish of Carhampton includes the small resort of Blue Anchor and on the higher ground, the parish of Timberscombe, and most of Rodhuish and Withycombe lie within the Exmoor National Park.

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