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Sherborne is considered to be a perfect example of an English town. Located in northwest Dorset with a population of just 10,000, a small community helps ensure that our girls feel safe.
Sherborne is famous for its golden-coloured Abbey and wealth of medieval and Georgian buildings, which include two castles; the ruins of a 12th-century fortified palace and a 16th-century mansion built by Sir Walter Raleigh and known as Sherborne Castle.
There has been a school in Sherborne since the time of King Alfred, who was educated there. The school was re-founded in 1550 as King Edward's public school, although it is now known as Sherborne School. The girls’ school was founded considerably later in 1899 and is located on an extensive site on the western edge of the town, only a five-minute walk from the centre of Sherborne. The school also has strong links with Sherborne Preparatory School which is only a few minutes away.
The town is focussed around a bustling yet pedestrianised high street complete with independent shops, a weekly market and a wide range of coffee shops, tea rooms, pubs and restaurants. The narrow streets are lined with old grey stone buildings interspersed with early timber-framed, gabled-ended houses and local hamstone structures; it’s therefore unsurprising that Sherborne is often used as a location for period films. In recent years, it has been the location for Hollywood blockbusters The Imitation Game (2014) and Far From the Madding Crowd (2015). The BBC mini-series of ‘Wolf Hall’ was also filmed in the town, involving many students from the local schools.
There are three major events in Sherborne’s creative calendar; the Abbey Music Festival in May, and the Literary and International Film Festivals in October. Excellent hotels and a variety of other good quality accommodation make it the ideal spot for visitors seeking countryside and coastline; with Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire all on the doorstep.
The school is just a short walk from the mainline train station between Exeter and London Waterloo, and it is approximately two hours and twenty minutes from London by road or rail. Local airports are located at Exeter, Bristol, Bournemouth and Southampton and the town is connected by the A303, A30 and the A352.
