Endearingly called by him "Sherborne Lodge", Walter Raleigh built Sherborne Castle but lived here for little more than ten years. Having died on the block accused of treason, Raleigh's property was confiscated to the Crown, and James the First allowed Sir John Digby to acquire Sherborne castle in 1617 and the family has lived here ever since. Delightful gardens, landscaped by Capability Brown in the mid eighteenth century, draw the crowds in the summer. The castle itself can be visited - highlights include its fine tapestries and rare portrait of Queen Elizabeth the First.
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