- Type
- Castle
- Origins
- 1067 · 11th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- England, United Kingdom
- Visiting
- probably – Wikidata lists it as a museum or gives tickets, opening hours or visitor numbers; check before you go
- Coordinates
- 51.6886°, -2.4569°
History
The first motte-and-bailey castle was raised here soon after the Norman Conquest by William FitzOsbern. In 1153 the future Henry II granted Berkeley to Robert Fitzharding, who built a stone shell keep; his descendants, the Berkeley family, still live here. In 1327 the deposed Edward II was imprisoned in the castle and died here that September, by common belief murdered. In the 14th century Thomas de Berkeley remodelled the castle, adding among other things the great hall. In the Civil War the Royalist garrison surrendered in 1645 after a siege by Parliament's army, which blasted a breach in the keep wall.
What to see
The tour takes in the great hall with its 14th-century roof, the kitchen, drawing rooms with tapestries and furniture, and the chamber where Edward II is traditionally said to have been held, with the opening to a dungeon pit beside it. The 1645 breach in the keep wall can also be seen. Terraced gardens surround the castle, with the meadows of the Severn valley below.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q4891993
Popularity: articles about this site in 16 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).