Sherborne Castle will not open to the public next month because of restrictions due to the COVID-19 virus. A decision on opening the gardens will be taken later. TSP explores the history of the house built by Sir Walter Raleigh and owned by the Digby family since the 17th century.
Sherborne Castle is the name given to the Tudor house built by Elizabethan soldier, adventurer and courtier Sir Walter Raleigh in the grounds of the old Norman castle on the edge of Sherborne.
The house was acquired by the Digby family in 1617 while Raleigh languished in the Tower of London after being implicated in a plot to topple King James I.
Altered and extended over the years, the house now contains 400 years of history with nationally important collections of art, furniture and porcelain.
Capability Brown was commissioned to install a lake in the grounds in the 1750's and returned to design the gardens that provide the magnificent setting for the house.
Maria Wingfield Digby talks to TSP about the house and its history and we hear from the castle archivist, the housekeeper and one of the team of gardeners about the preparations to reopen after the winter break which have now been put on hold because of the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus.
The house and grounds were scheduled to re-open at Easter but this has been postponed. A decision whether to open the gardens to the public will be announced later on the castle's social media accounts and their website at www.sherbornecastle.com