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Fenny Castle

Buildings and structures in Mendip DistrictCastles in SomersetMotte-and-bailey castlesScheduled monuments in Mendip District
Castle Hill, Fenny Castle geograph.org.uk 83383
Castle Hill, Fenny Castle geograph.org.uk 83383

Fenny Castle is the remains of a motte and bailey castle in the parish of Wookey, Somerset, England. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, but not accessible to the public.It is sited on a natural hillock of Lias approximately 20 metres (66 ft) above the surrounding flat land on the edge of the Somerset Levels. Such sites were typically chosen for castles in low-lying areas.The original builder of the castle is unknown, but it may be associated with the Anarchy, 1135–1153, a period of English history during the reign of King Stephen which was marked by a succession crisis between the supporters of Stephen and those of his cousin, the Empress Matilda. In 1327 the owner was William atte Castle. By 1480 it was described as a ruin by William Worcestre who saw the plan of "all the houses and offices there". During the 19th century the quarrymen found twenty skeletons which were reported as dating from an unspecified period before the construction of the castle.The castle gave its name to a hamlet of the parish of Wookey named 'Castle', one mile south-west of the main village. A stone cross in the hamlet, marking its importance, was still to be seen in 1839.Little remains of the stonework, and there is evidence of extensive quarrying. The mound is now covered in grass and scrub with a few trees. However, the site was described in The Archaeology of Somerset (1982) as still having "interesting and prominent earthworks".

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Fenny Castle
Ash Moor Drove, Mendip Wookey

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Latitude Longitude
N 51.189444444444 ° E -2.7052777777778 °
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Address

Ash Moor Drove

Ash Moor Drove
BA5 1NW Mendip, Wookey
England, United Kingdom
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Castle Hill, Fenny Castle geograph.org.uk 83383
Castle Hill, Fenny Castle geograph.org.uk 83383
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St Dunstan's School, Glastonbury
St Dunstan's School, Glastonbury

St Dunstan's School is a secondary school in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. The school is for students between the ages of 11 and 16 years. It is named after St. Dunstan, an abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, who went on to become Archbishop of Canterbury in 960AD. The school was a 'new-build' in 1958 with major building work, at a cost of £1.2 million, in 1998, adding the science block and the sports hall. It was designated as a specialist Arts College in 2004 and the £800,000 spent at this time paid for the Performing Arts studio and facilities to support pupils with special educational needs. In 2011, the school became an academy. On 1 June 2016, St Dunstans joined the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership. under head, Mr K Howard. Since St Dunstans joined the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership it has undergone significant refurbishment as part of an ongoing programme to ensure the school has an inspiring environment, with modern facilities to support high quality learning. Teaching is enhanced through collaborative working to share best practise, allowing students to access new activities and events across the MAT partnership. In July 2018 for the first time in the history of St Dunstans school, Ofsted inspectors graded the school 'good' in all categories. Inspectors said ‘The headteacher, trust and senior leaders have transformed St Dunstan’s; it provides a good quality of education and students are safe.’ They are ‘highly ambitious for the school, each pupil and the community.’ This report comes two years after the school was put into Special Measures.