Sherborne Museum

Sherborne Museum, with over 15,000 items of local history, is in the heart of the town close to five of the most ancient buildings in its history: the Abbey, Sherborne School, the Almshouse, the Conduit and the Old Church House. Apart from a few purchases, the items have all been donated by local residents, and the displays are enhanced by models, illustrations and back-drops by local artists.

The following notes highlight a few of the items from different periods which are on display at Sherborne Museum:

In 1136 Bishop Roger completed a fortified palace a little to the East of the Abbey. Only the ruins now stand, but models and drawings show the impressive scale of the Old Castle which survived for 500 years until destroyed under Cromwell.

A wall painting of 1480, taken from a medieval house nearby, was discovered only in 1962 under layers of paper and whitewash. It illustrates a legend, explained in a panel, concerning a cleric who conjured a (disarmingly perky) devil into a boot.

In 1592 Sir Walter Raleigh acquired the Castle and Manor of Sherborne and intended to spend his retirement years there. He built a fine new house a short distance away, retaining the Castle for ceremonial use. His house forms the heart of what is now known as the New Castle. Sir Walter and his wife enjoyed their new home for less than nine years before his execution under James I.

In 1617 the estate with the two castles was purchased by Sir John Digby and has now remained in the Digby family for nearly four centuries. Plans, drawings and other items in the Museum illustrate Sir Walter Raleigh's original building and the several enlargements made by the Digby family.

Nineteenth-century Sherborne is brought to life by a very wide range of items. Of particular interest is the Gerald Pitman collection of photographs; paintings and drawings of Sherborne; and the David Hunt photographic collection of 5000 prints and 9000 plastic negatives and glass plates recording events and people in the town since 1880.

The Costume Collection, of which a selection is on display, contains a number of items with links to local people.

The fully furnished Sherborne Dolls House is on permanent display for the delight of children of all ages.

We have expanded our education programme and have close links with local schools. Loan boxes are now available on a number of topics and outreach visits can be arranged.Thanks to the latest technology the Sherborne Missal can be viewed as a digital 'Turning the Pages'

The staff and the curator of the Museum are always happy to answer visitor's enquiries and to give access, by arrangement in advance, for serious students to material which may not be on general display.