This year we’re changing how we welcome visitors to Sherborne Old Castle, and a new way of operating is currently being developed. In the meantime, the site will remain closed but please check the website as we will share details when we have them.
Free Entry
For more than half its history, Sherborne Old Castle was a grand and strongly fortified palace of the bishops of Salisbury. You can still explore the ruins of its great tower, chapels and strong southwest gatehouse. In Elizabethan times, it was leased to the famous explorer Sir Walter Raleigh.
The castle remained a formidable fortress and became a powerful Royalist base during the Civil War. Described by Cromwell as 'malicious and mischievous, like its owner', it finally fell to Parliamentarian forces in 1645 after a fierce 11-day siege.
Today, the castle grounds are a haven for wildlife and birds, with picturesque views across the surrounding countryside.