Three Days in Somerset — Day 3
Day 3—Day three will be a bit of a history day, some relatively modern, some older.
Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton ©2019 EnglandForAllReasons.com
Start by driving from Bath to the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovilton. The Royal Navy has been flying aircraft since 1909. The museum has examples of the various aircraft that have been flown by Royal Navy Aviators during that time. Included in the museum is one of the first prototypes of the Concorde, the only supersonic airliner to date. You can actually tour the aircraft from the tail to the cockpit. The museum also has a reasonably realistic tour of HMS Ark Royal, an aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy. Having served on the Ark in the 1970’s whilst on exchange from the US Navy to the Royal Navy (The aircraft in which I flew, the Buccaneer, is in the top image.), I can testify that much of what you will see on that exhibit is just as I remember! There is a cafeteria located at the Museum, although there are also pubs in the local area if you prefer to be a bit more adventurous.
Sherborne Castle entrance. ©2019 EnglandForAllReasons.com
From the FAA Museum, head to Sherborne Castle. The castle was first built in the 12thcentury, with a castle and a small hunting lodge. In 1592, Sir Walter Raleigh acquired the castle and tried to modernize it but gave up on the project and in 1594 built a new home in the deer park, on the site of the Hunting Lodge. The original house was rectangular, four stories high. In 1600 he added hexagonal turrets on each corner of the house. After Elizabeth I died in 1603, Raleigh was imprisoned in the Tower of London for being involved in a plot to overthrow King James I. Although released after 13 years imprisonment to explore South America, Raleigh was again arrested and executed in 1618 for actions during that exploration that upset relations between England and Spain.
In 1617, Sir John Digby acquired the castle and added four wings to Raleigh’s original building, giving the building its final shape of the letter “H.” Sir John kept the style of Sir Walter, with the result that the house looks of one piece. During the English Civil War, the Digby family fought on the side of the royalists, which led to the siege of the old castle on two separate occasions. The old castle was eventually demolished by the Parliamentarian army, leaving the new house to inherit the name “Sherborne Castle.”
In the 18thcentury the Digby family continued to modernize the house, adding modern windows, a lovely garden and even having the famous garden designer Capability Brown design a lake beside the house. The last Earl Digby died in 1856, a childless bachelor, leaving the home to his nephew George Wingfield. During World War I the house was used as a Red Cross VAD hospital and during World War II, the Commandos were based at the castle.
Today the castle is open to the public with self-guided tours of the house and gardens. When we toured the castle, each room had a docent who provided additional detail about the items in the room and the history behind them. There is a small tea room associated for quick refreshments during your visit.
Return to Bath and have a good rest; you’ve had a busy three days in Somerset!
Sherborne looks lovely!