Inspiration – Sherborne Castle

Sherborne Old Castle is the ruin of a 12th-century castle in the grounds of the mansion. The old castle was built as the fortified palace of Roger de Caen, Bishop of Salisbury and Chancellor of England, and still belonged to the church in the late 16th century. In the Civil War Sherborne was strongly Royalist, and the old castle was left in ruins by General Fairfax of the Parliamentary forces in 1645. The name “Sherborne Castle” was then applied to the new house, though today the term Sherborne New Castle is generally used to refer to it, in the same manner as “Sherborne Old Castle” is used for the ruins. In World War I the house was used by the Red Cross as a hospital and in World War II as the headquarters for the commandos involved in the D-Day landings.   read more