Sherborne Abbey

Sherborne Abbey has witnessed Christian worship for well over a thousand years. A remarkable survivor from the Middle Ages, the abbey has undergone many changes, developing from Saxon cathedral to the worshipping heart of a monastic community, and finally to one of the most beautiful of England’s parish churches.

The different forms the abbey has taken over the last 1,300 years are all represented in the building today, from its Saxon doorways and Norman arcading to the elegant lines of the Perpendicular choir. It is perhaps best known for its glorious fan vaulting, the earliest in Europe, of which Simon Jenkins says in his book England’s Thousand Best Churches, ‘I would pit Sherborne’s roof against any contemporary work of the Italian Renaissance.’ But the abbey has many more treasures to discover.

This attractive guide takes the visitor on a tour of the abbey, exploring its glorious art and architecture, its fascinating history and its continuing life at the centre of this historic Dorset market town.