Berkeley Castle

Berkeley Castle stands in the Gloucestershire town of Berkeley. Built soon after the Norman Conquest, it began as a motte-and-bailey fortress around 1067. The present stone keep dates from the 12th century, when Robert Fitzharding rebuilt the castle for the Berkeley family. The curtain wall and gatehouse were added between 1160 and 1190. Much of the inner bailey still shows 14th-century work carried out for Thomas de Berkeley. The castle is known for the death of King Edward II in 1327. After his deposition, Edward was held in the castle and died there on 21 September. Raphael Holinshed’s 1587 chronicle describes the murder in detail. The cell where Edward was imprisoned and the deep dungeon beneath it remain visible. Every year on the anniversary, the dungeon is said to echo the sounds of that night. Inside, visitors walk through the Great Hall with its medieval roof. The Morning Room occupies the former Chapel of St Mary, its painted wooden vaults still bright. Outside, the Keep Garden drops beside the breached walls left after the 1645 siege. The castle grounds also contain the tomb of Dickie Pearce, England’s last court jester.