Sherborne Abbey
Sherborne Abbey is located in the middle of the town and guided tours are available on Tuesday mornings and Friday afternoons from Easter to the end of September. Building of the present Abbey began in the late 15th century although the site has been consecrated for more than 1200 years.
Whilst not open to visitors, Sherborne School does host several community activities through the year. Founded in 1550 it is situated close to the Abbey.
Sherborne Old Castle
The remains of the Old Castle, administered by English Heritage, were originally built in the early 12th century. The castle survived intact until the late 16th century when the then owner Sir Walter Raleigh, decided it was too old and draughty, and built Sherborne Lodge, in the grounds nearby.
Sherborne Castle
Sir Walter lived in the house for little more than ten years and, after his death on the block accused of treason, his estates were forfeited to the crown. King James I allowed Sir John Digby to purchase Sherborne Castle in 1617 and it has been the home of the Digby family ever since.
Prince William of Orange was entertained here in 1688, and George III visited in 1789. Splendid state rooms and collections of art, furniture and porcelain are on view in the Castle.
'Capability' Brown created the lake in 1753 and gave Sherborne the very latest in landscape gardening, with beautiful lakeside gardens and grounds. For details of Opening times and Admission Charges visit www.sherbornecastle.com.
Sherborne attractions
Close to the entrance to the Old Castle is the recently restored Castleton Water Wheel which can be visited on occasional open days through the summer.
10 miles to the north at Yeovilton in Somerset is the Fleet Air Arm Museum. This is one of the world's largest aviation museums and amongst its collection of over 90 aircraft is the British prototype Concord.
Sherborne is situated in the far north of Dorset, close to the county boundary with Somerset. It has its own railway station, just half a mile from the town centre. This provides direct links with Salisbury and London to the east and Exeter to the west. It is also on the Yeovil to Wincanton bus route which has an hourly service.
