| Where: | Dunster, Somerset at the Luttrell Arms on the High Street and Axmouth, Devon at the Harbour Inn on Church Street |
| When: | 24th December |
| Time: | Evening: 8pm Dunster, 8.30-ish Axmouth |
The Ashen Faggot is a West Country Christmas custom – it’s a large log with withies bound around it to make a bundle which is burned indoors in the hearth. A sip is consumed as each withy breaks in the flames, which sounds like an excuse for a good drink! The practice still survives in country pubs notably the Lutrell Arms in Dunster, Somerset and the Harbour Inn at Axmouth in Devon and in both these cases, the burning normally takes place on Christmas Eve (in some other locations it takes place on January 5th or 17th which are Old Christmas Eve and Old Twelfth Night respectively, if you adhere to the pre-Gregorian calendar). At Dunster their faggot consists of twelve thick sticks bound in a bundle using ash withies and the Dunster Carol is sung while it burns in the vast fireplace. It’s a revived custom dating back to the 1930s but with much older roots. At Axmouth a six-foot-long faggot is constructed in a bundle of hazel twigs, filling the fireplace; as the faggot burns carol singing and recitations take place.
Helpful Hints
The event at Dunster hasn’t happened now for a few years and its future is uncertain for safety reasons so I’ll be checking for future years to see if it’s permanently lapsed. The Luttrell Arms is a hotel with long history and played its part in the English Civil Wars, whilst the Harbour is a picturesque thatched pub. Both events are public – you don’t need to be a resident or diner to take part.
Double check the timing of the event as the Faggot may burn quickly and you wouldn’t want to miss it! When we went to Dunster in 2015, the burning was late because the landlord wanted to wait for the fire to die down before placing the faggot in the hearth (a tradition he didn’t want to repeat was that of the chimney catching fire which has happened several times before!).
Click here for Dunster: https://www.facebook.com/TheLuttrellArmsHotel and https://www.luttrellarms.co.uk/contact/
and here for Axmouth: https://www.facebook.com/HarbourInnAx/
Photo by Simon Wood.
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