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Sherborne Abbey Facilities Upgrade Programme
For more than thirteen centuries, Sherborne Abbey has stood at the heart of the community, serving as a place of worship, heritage and gathering.
Today, the Abbey welcomes more than 50,000 visitors each year and hosts services, concerts and civic occasions throughout the year. Yet essential facilities within the building itself have never been fully realised.
The Facilities Upgrade Programme is a carefully considered project to address this, ensuring that the Abbey can continue to serve all who come here with dignity, accessibility and welcome.
The Project
The programme will introduce discreet and accessible facilities within the Abbey, alongside improvements to access and the creation of a new vestry to support the day-to-day life of the building.
These changes have been designed with great care, making use of areas of more recent construction and respecting the historic fabric of this remarkable place.
Why This Matters
For many visitors, particularly older members of the congregation, families and those attending events, access to facilities is essential. At present, this can limit how long people are able to remain and participate fully.
This project will ensure that Sherborne Abbey remains not only a place of beauty and heritage, but one that is welcoming, inclusive and practical for all.
Funding the Future
The total cost of the programme is £1.1 million.
The Abbey and the Friends of Sherborne Abbey have already committed over £540,000, demonstrating a clear commitment to the project and its importance.
We are now seeking support to complete the remaining funding and secure the Abbey’s future for generations to come.
How You Can Help
Your support will play a vital role in enabling this project to proceed.
By contributing, you will be helping to ensure that Sherborne Abbey continues to serve its community with dignity, accessibility and care.
Thank you for considering supporting the future of Sherborne Abbey.
“Improvements at the Abbey are long overdue, and it was one of my promises, as the new Rector of Sherborne Abbey, to prioritise this work and to make the Abbey an even more welcoming and accessible place to work and visit. These proposals represent the most significant improvement to facilities at the Abbey since the recovery of The Lady Chapel in the 1920s, and I hope they will be welcomed by the local community and visitors alike.
The Revd. Martin Lee Team Rector