Sherborne Castle
The original 13th-century Sherborne Castle was demolished in the English Civil War, at which point this house, built by Sir Walter Raleigh on the site of an adjacent early Tudor hunting lodge, acquired the name. Raleigh made it his home for 10 years, adding the four hexagonal turrets topped with heraldic beasts in 1600. Sir John Digby acquired the house in 1671, adding four wings to create the current "H" shape. The castle's interiors cover a variety of periods, including Tudor, Jacobean, and Georgian. The Victorian Gothic rooms are notable for their splendid plaster ceiling moldings. Free one-hour tours are available with booked timed slot. After admiring the extensive collections of Meissen and Asian porcelain, stroll around the lake and 45 acres of landscaped grounds (a designated English Heritage Grade I site), the work of Capability Brown. The house is less than a mile southeast of town.
