Dunball, situated to the west of Puriton village and in close proximity to Bridgwater town, is a quaint hamlet. Just north of Dunball lies Down End, which encompasses Down End Castle, a motte-and-bailey castle that holds the distinguished status of a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Positioned on the A38, adjacent to Junction 23 of the M5 motorway, Dunball features a wharf on the River Parrett. This wharf, established in 1844 by coal merchants from Bridgwater, remains the sole operational section of the Port of Bridgwater in contemporary commercial use.Additionally, Dunball accommodates a small industrial estate, constructed on the site where the hostel blocks of the Royal Ordnance Factory once stood. Furthermore, a hotel graces the area, known as the Hotel at Dunball, which has undergone notable modern additions. Originally named the Greenhill Arms after the Greenhill family, who held the title of Lords of the Manor of Puriton until 1920, the establishment transformed into the Henry Fielding during the 1980s and 1990s. It subsequently adopted its current name in the early 2000s following extensive reconstruction.
Previously, the wharf was connected to the Bristol and Exeter Railway by a rail track that crossed the A38, positioned on the right-hand side of the hotel. Coal merchants constructed this link in 1876, initially operating it as a horse-drawn tramway. However, it was dismantled during the implementation of the Beeching Axe, and on October 5, 1964, Dunball lost its railway station, which had been in operation since 1873. During World War II, the wharf played a vital role in transporting Welsh coal to the nearby Royal Ordnance Factory, ROF Bridgwater. Presently, the wharf serves as a landing site for stone products, primarily marine sand and gravels dredged from the Bristol Channel. This camera was installed and is maintained by the Environment Agency and can be viewed
here. All content is available under the
Open Government Licence v3.0. At Dunball, the King's Sedgemoor Drain converges with the River Parrett, connected by a clyse located adjacent to the wharf. The clyse, having been relocated from its original position, now obstructs the entrance to a small harbor neighboring the wharf. In response to the winter flooding of 2013–14 on the Somerset Levels, high-volume pumps from the Netherlands were installed at Dunball. Moreover, river silt was dredged from this area to produce Bath bricks, an early cleaning material.
