Of Castles, Kings and Bishops

I am discovering the joy of weekday freedom and visiting places when they are quiet. Last week, I headed 'far from the madding crowd' into Hardy country and the beautiful county of Dorset, to visit the hidden gem of Sherborne Old Castle. It was cloudy and quite chilly but the benefit was that I was completely alone. Large birds were cawing and circling around the castle ruins and I could almost imagine myself back in the 12th century when the castle was first built.

I love to find connections and was, therefore, delighted to find it was built by Roger, Bishop of Sarum (now Salisbury) in the 1120's. Old Sarum is not far from me and also has interesting, though not so striking, ruins as well as one of the best views in England!

Roger was Henry 1's Chancellor but the King was absent for a great deal of his reign, defending his lands in Normandy, so it was Roger who governed England. His diocese comprised what is now Wiltshire, Berkshire and Dorset, and by the time of his death in 1139 he had built four castles. One of his others was at Devizes, my local town but that castle was completely destroyed by Cromwell in the English Civil War as were many others. There is only a rather grand Victorian replica which you can hire for £1500 a night but it does sleep 13! Sherborne was also destroyed by Cromwell in August 1645 but the ruins remain. Sherborne was owned by Sir Walter Ralegh in the 1590s but he found it rather uncomfortable and built a new house, now known as Sherborne Castle, in the deer park. This was given to the Digby family after the Civil War and it is still their home today. I didn't visit but the view from the Old Castle to the new house across the lake is stunning.

Sherborne was seized from Bishop Roger by King Stephen in 1139 who was jealous of Roger's power. This is a fascinating period of history and I was reminded of one of the historical authors I used to love to read. Sharon Penman's When Christ and his Saints Slept, published in 1994 is a gripping tale of the fight for the English throne between Stephen of Blois and the Empress Maude at this time.

On a much sunnier day, I visited the medieval market town of Wells, another hidden gem, and discovered the beautiful Bishop's Palace ruins and its 14 acres of breathtaking gardens. This Bishop was of Bath and Wells and the Palace has a much less violent history, being altered and added to by successive Bishops and still lived in by the current incumbent today. Wells is a delight. It seems to be in an almost forgotten part of the world and even on a hot Bank Holiday afternoon it wasn't too busy. I'd heartily recommend a visit.