Nunney is holding a World War 2 exhibition about its involvement in the war.
This information had been held in secret for many decades, but at last it is known by all and sundry that Nunney was one of Britain's secret plans to defeat Nazi Germany in WW2.
The Nazis had come across information that there is a castle in Nunney which could have prevented their invading Britain. The Luftwaffe and German Paratroops had been organized to do a drop in Nunney to take the castle and so minimize Britain's resistance. So the British War Office had organized a new division of Dad's Army to prevent the castle being taken. The Home Guard and Captain Mannering were put on full alert to prevent this happening at all costs.What the press say:
Nunney during World War II exhibition
The exhibition Keep Calm and Nunney On is back in Nunney Church until 30 November.
The exhibition was designed and produced by Visit Nunney for the Nunney Community Association’s 2012 Nunney Street Market and Fayre, with sponsorship from The Selwood Foundation, Roland John Hair Studio and Visit Nunney. It was printed by Corsham Print. Nunney during the wartime years was also the theme of that year’s fayre.
Many people said they either did not have a chance to see the exhibition during last year’s Nunney Fayre or wanted to have more time to study it.
The exhibition will therefore go back on display in the South aisle of the church between Monday 14 October and Saturday 30 November. Admission is free; the exhibition is open during normal opening hours of the church, except during services.
Consisting of over a dozen screens, the exhibition tells the fascinating highs and lows of life in Nunney between 1939 and 1946. Drawing on the personal accounts and archives of local residents past and present as well as Somerset County Archives and other collections, the exhibition recounts the stories of the local Home Guard, Air Raid Patrols and Invasion Committee.
The exhibition is illustrated with many photos and documents that have hardly ever been seen in public, such as photos of the 1943 Wings for Victory Week – a fundraising carnival parade and other activities in the middle of the war.
Well-known locals such as Owen Hillier, Phyllis Smith, Fred Lestrange and Dorothy Wilcox give their personal accounts, making the exhibition a valuable piece of living history.
The display materials for this exhibition were kindly donated by Andy Whiting of Rage Displays in Bristol. This means that the church will be able to mount future exhibitions.
Ultimately, there are plans to create a visitor and heritage centre in the church as part of a planned £50,000 upgrade of its facilities.
The exhibition will be on display on Remembrance Sunday. After the exhibition ends, the Christmas Tree Festival will take place in the church.
Nunney Castle
Nunney Castle was built after 1373 by Sir John De la Mere and came under siege during the English Civil War.
The moated 14th century Nunney Castle dominates the centre of Nunney and adds a unique charm to it. But what do we know about the history of Nunney Castle?
The moated 14th century Nunney Castle dominates the centre of Nunney and adds a unique charm to it. But what do we know about the history of Nunney Castle?
After William the Conquerer invaded England, he commissioned a list of all the assets in his new realm: the Domesday Book. Nunney is mentioned in the Domesday Book as one of two local manors, belonging to William De Mohun. He lived in a Norman manor house that was located next to the castle was later built. The name De Moyon may sound unfamiliar, but the related surname Moon was common in Nunney until recently.
In 1373 the then lord of the manor was Sir John De la Mere, who had fought in France alongside the Black Prince during the Hundred Years War. He returned with the spoils of war – ransom money gained from the families of French noblemen held hostage – and applied to King Henry Edward III for permission to fortify and crenellate his manor.
Inside the castle
Nunney Castle had three floors. On the ground floor were the kitchen and other service areas. Visitors can still see where the old well was located inside the castle, plus the chimneys of the great kitchen fireplaces. Some of Nunney Castle’s fireplaces were removed after the English Civil War and placed inside cottages all over Nunney.
Above the kitchen was Nunney Castle’s great hall. This is where the lord of the manor and his family would dine and entertain visitors. On the top floor were the living quarters for the owners of Nunney Castle.
It must have been pretty dark inside Nunney Castle in those days and the stairs were narrow. The walls of the great hall were decorated with heavy medieval tapestries, judging by the thick bronze rings still visible in the walls to this day. Sir John De la Mere was buried inside Nunney Church. The castle was completed by his son Philip De la Mere and decorated by his grandson Elias.
Civil War siege
Nunney Castle after a wall collapsed on Christmas Day 1910.
Nunney Castle was passed down various families for generations. In the early 16th century its owners made substantial changes to Nunney Castle. The floors and ceilings were replaced, with the new ones placed above the level of the old ones as visitors can still see today. The windows were made much larger, a Catholic altar was installed and a grand spiral staircase was put in one of the towers. At the same time a terrace was created around the castle, much as we see today.
The English Civil War was the only time in its history that Nunney Castle came under siege. Nunney Castle came under siege from Parliamentarian troops under the command of Fairfax the next year. Prater defiantly raised a flag with a Catholic crucifix so large that it was later taken to London and presented to Parliament.
The castle, however, lasted just three days. Defended by Irish mercenaries, it fell after a single cannon ball was shot from the top of the hill above Nunney Castle through one of its walls. The wall didn’t collapse until Christmas Day 1910 though. After the siege, the castle was slighted and sold as ordered by Parliament, despite protestations from the Prater family.
The ruined castle has long been a tourist attraction. In 1889 the ruins were enclosed by a wall around the moat, and a small charge was introduced for viewing it. “The shrubs, the festoons of ivy and the large fragments of stone hanging from the shattered battlements impart to it the most picturesque effect,” one visitor wrote.
English Heritage
Nunney Castle still stands today as a ruin, a romantic folly even at the time it was built. Visitors wander in and out across its little wooden footbridge and marvel at Nunney Castle’s prominent machicolations and shoots – or toilets. Unlike at nearby Farleigh Hungerford castle, Nunney Castle requires a little more imagination to see where the castle, the tithe barn, the tombs in church of former occupants of Nunney Castle fit in.
For those who take time to take it all in, however, Nunney Castle remains a charming gem of the West Country, a treasure of British heritage now managed by English Heritage. The architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner described Nunney Castle as “aesthetically the most impressive castle in Somerset” and few would argue with him.
Here is the Castle that the Nazi Government thought would stop their invasion. Someone had been telling porkies..... For this video we must thank Steven Law
Steven Law writes: Published on 21 Oct 2012
The striking and picturesque moated castle of Nunney was built in the 1370s by Sir John de la Mere, a local knight who was beginning to enjoy royal favour. Extensively modernised in the late 16th century, the castle was held for the King during the Civil War, but quickly fell to Parliamentarian cannon in 1645: not until Christmas Day 1910, however, did the gun-damaged portion of the wall finally collapse.
A half decent day in October, Located in Frome Somerset, Nunney Castle. Set in the middle of a village, quietly tucked away from everything. A gorgeous castle, with FREE admission.
come and check it out.
A half decent day in October, Located in Frome Somerset, Nunney Castle. Set in the middle of a village, quietly tucked away from everything. A gorgeous castle, with FREE admission.
come and check it out.
See my own pictures on Nunney Castle
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