Photo: SMCurator · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Sherborne Museum

Free volunteer-run museum in the medieval Abbey Gatehouse in Sherborne, showing the history, geology and art of the town.

Opening hoursFree admission Partially accessible

Website Directions

About the museum

The idea of a museum for Sherborne grew in the 1950s, led by the local historian Joseph Fowler and the Sherborne Historical Society. The Sherborne Museum Association was founded in 1966, and the Abbey Gatehouse in the centre of the town was bought with the help of a donation from a local businessman. The museum opened on 5 May 1968, and in 1997 it expanded into the neighbouring property after a fundraising campaign and a grant.

The Grade II listed gatehouse has medieval origins, possibly from the 12th century, and a Victorian front. It was once the east gate of the Benedictine monastery, and the porter's lodgings and squints, small openings for looking through, survive. After the monastery was dissolved in 1539 the building had many uses, including as a shop and an almshouse property.

The museum is now a charitable incorporated organisation run by volunteers and is free to visit. Its collections cover geology and natural history, archaeology, coins, textiles, industrial and social history, art and archives. A digital display called Turning the Pages shows the Sherborne Missal, made with the British Library. The museum is accredited by Arts Council England.

Highlights

Medieval Abbey Gatehouse with surviving porter's lodgings and squints
Turning the Pages, a digital display of the Sherborne Missal
Collections of fossils, archaeology, coins, textiles and local art
Touch-screen access to photographic archives
Free admission

Permanent exhibitions

Turning the Pages: the Sherborne Missal – A digital display, made with the British Library, that lets visitors leaf through the Sherborne Missal on screen.
Collections of Sherborne – Displays on geology, archaeology, coins, textiles, industrial and social history and art connected with the town.

Founded: 1968
Operated by: Sherborne Museum Association (CIO)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free. The museum is run by volunteers and relies on donations and memberships.

Accessibility

Partially wheelchair accessible
Elevator: no information
Accessible restroom
Accessible parking: no information
Service dogs welcome
Tactile models & exhibits
Sign language tours: no information
Easy-to-read materials: no information
Audio description: no information

Wheelchair access is limited to the ground floor, and the main front door is 33 inches wide. The building is Grade II listed. There is one accessible toilet with an emergency cord and a baby changer. Support dogs of all kinds are welcome, and there are tactile and sensory areas.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

Family tours & workshops
Baby changing facilities

The museum holds free family-friendly events and sells inexpensive games and activities for children in the shop. The accessible toilet has a baby changer.

Getting there & parking

By public transit

Sherborne station · 7-min walk

Sherborne railway station on Station Road is about a 7 minute walk away, with hourly trains from London Waterloo. Buses stop at the top of Digby Road, in front of the Abbey (about 4 minutes on foot) and at Greenhill at the top of Cheap Street. National Cycle Route 26 links Yeovil and Sherborne.

By car

Parking available

The nearest long-stay car park is Culverhayes (DT9 3ED). Free parking for up to 2 hours is available along Digby Road, subject to space.

The what3words location of the museum is airstrip.afflict.shadowing.

Get directions

Amenities & dining

Café: not available
Museum shop

The small shop sells local souvenirs, cards by local artists, local history books and children's games. It also acts as a visitor information point with free town guides and maps, and a second-hand book stall stands in the reception area.