Dunster Butter Cross

Dunster Butter Cross is a surviving fragment of the market life that helped make this Somerset village prosperous. The cross dates from the fifteenth century and probably originally stood in the High Street, where wool and cloth were traded; by the seventeenth century it was associated with the sale of butter. Its upper shaft and cross-arms have disappeared, but the stepped base and surviving stonework still mark a recognisable medieval landmark. It was moved to the road towards Alcombe in the late eighteenth century. Visitors enjoy making the short walk through Dunster to find it, though the lanes near the cross are narrow. English Heritage recommends village parking followed by the lane beyond St George's Street, with viewing from the road. Toilets, shops and places to eat are in the village. Dogs on leads are welcome.