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Sherborne Museum
Attractions in Sherborne

Sherborne to see, Sherborne Museum first

There are 2 places to visit inside Sherborne’s built-up area, and 2 more within 5 km of its edge. The commonest are 2 museums and 2 castles. Among them, 2 are cared for by English Heritage. Day-trippers head 14 km out to Montacute House.

Photo: Sherborne Museum, SMCurator (CC BY-SA 3.0)
In Sherborne
2
inside the built-up area
Within 5 km
2
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
2
in or near town
Castles & historic places
2
in or near town
Cared for
2
National Trust, English Heritage, Cadw and others
Best known

Where to start in Sherborne

Next to Sherborne Museum, the best known are 2 castles and a museum.

MuseumSherborne Museumin townMuseumMuseumSherborne Steam & Waterwheel Centrein townCastle · English HeritageSherborne Castle400 m outside town, to the eastCastle · English HeritageSherborne Old Castle200 m outside town, to the east

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

The places, mapped

At the edge of the map sits Sherborne Castle, 1.5 km out.

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The dashed line is Sherborne’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022

By kind

Which kinds

Ahead are museums or galleries (2); next, castles or historic places (2).

Museums & galleries 2 museums2 in town
Castles & historic places 2 castles0 in town · 2 nearby

Green: inside Sherborne. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

2 places are cared for by English Heritage (Sherborne Castle and Sherborne Old Castle).

Every place

Each place in turn

It starts in town with 2 places and goes on to 2 within 5 km of its edge.

The 2 inside Sherborne come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.

377 listed buildings and 2 scheduled monuments are on Sherborne’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Sherborne →

Big names nearby

The wider area

Worth the drive, Montacute House (14 km) is first of the 12.

Historic house · National TrustMontacute House14 km west · 120K visitors a year (2011)CathedralWells Cathedral30 km northAbbey or prioryGlastonbury Abbey26 km northwestFort · English HeritageMaiden Castle29 km southFortCadbury Castle8.4 km northGarden · National TrustStourhead Park22 km northeastMuseumThe Tank Museum34 km southeastAttraction · National TrustKing Alfred's Tower21 km northeastHistoric houseLongleat House32 km northeastHistoric houseFonthill Abbey32 km northeastCastle · English HeritageNunney Castle31 km northHistoric house · National TrustKingston Lacy Estate38 km southeast

Places well known beyond Sherborne (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.

Quick answers on Sherborne

What are the main attractions in Sherborne?

The best known inside Sherborne’s built-up area are Sherborne Museum and Sherborne Steam & Waterwheel Centre. In all, 2 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 2 more within 5 km.

Does Sherborne have a museum?

2 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Sherborne: Sherborne Museum and Sherborne Steam & Waterwheel Centre.

Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Sherborne?

Yes. In or within 5 km of Sherborne, 2 places are cared for by English Heritage (Sherborne Castle and Sherborne Old Castle).

What are the best-known days out near Sherborne?

Within 40 km: Montacute House (14 km), Wells Cathedral (30 km), Glastonbury Abbey (26 km), Maiden Castle (29 km).

Where are Sherborne’s historic buildings listed?

Sherborne has 377 listed buildings, 12 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.

How is this list made?

From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Sherborne when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (15)

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.