Sherborne Old Castle
The ruins of a strongly fortified palace of the bishops of Salisbury, later associated with Walter Raleigh and a destructive Civil War siege.
The ruins of a strongly fortified palace of the bishops of Salisbury, later associated with Walter Raleigh and a destructive Civil War siege.
Register entry — SHERBORNE OLD CASTLE. National Heritage List for England reference: 1119378. Recorded designation: Grade I listed building.
First listed: 1951-07-11. This is the listing date, not a construction date.
Source: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1119378
The register identity was cross-checked against the official record name, coordinates and grade on 21 October 2026.
An English editorial overview and visiting guidance are available in this dossier. Check the linked official information for current opening times, access and booking arrangements.
Eintrag
- Ruins of a fortified episcopal palace
- Vereinigtes Königreich
- Castleton
- South West England
- other
- 1951-07-11
Redaktionelle Einordnung
English Heritage describes Sherborne Old Castle as an episcopal palace for more than half its history. Surviving elements include the great tower, chapels and a substantial south-west gatehouse, showing the combination of residential, religious and defensive functions.
The property was leased to Walter Raleigh in the Elizabethan period. During the Civil War it became a Royalist stronghold and fell to Parliamentarian forces in 1645 after an eleven-day siege. The ruins therefore reflect a long sequence of occupation and conflict, not a building that was always maintained as a picturesque monument.
Our editorial reading: consider how the bishop's palace operated within a fortified enclosure, and how the remaining fragments differ from a complete domestic building. This page concerns the Old Castle rather than the separate later house associated with the Sherborne Castle name.
Source: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/sherborne-old-castle/ (checked 21 October 2026).
Besuchsempfehlung
Check current opening and access guidance. The official information describes grass, gravel, a bridge approach and sloping access towards the moat; the exposed site offers limited shelter in poor weather.
Lage und Besuch
Bestätigen Sie aktuelle Öffnungszeiten, Zugangsbedingungen und Reservierungen direkt beim Ort. Diese Angaben folgen dem Quelldatensatz.
Quellen & Credits
Quelldatensatz: Wikidata
Quelldatensatz: Eigen redactie
Quelldatensatz: National Heritage List for England (Historic England)
Quelldatensatz: Wikimedia Commons
Die Region erkunden
Auf Grundlage des erfassten Landes und der Region. Die europäische Einteilung ist eine redaktionelle Entscheidung. Dieser Link öffnet die regionale Sammlung auf Englisch mit Orten aus mehreren Mondes und verknüpften Publikationen.