Berkeley Castle

Berkeley Castle is one of England's most historically significant medieval fortresses, continuously occupied by the Berkeley family since 1153. Built initially as a Norman motte and bailey around 1067 by William FitzOsbern, the castle was extensively rebuilt over subsequent generations into the impressive structure seen today. The castle gained notorious fame as the site of King Edward II's imprisonment and violent death in 1327 at the hands of his former Queen Isabella and Roger Mortimer, an event that marked one of medieval England's most infamous political murders. The estate has hosted numerous royal visitors including Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Elizabeth I, while Shakespeare famously composed 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' for a Berkeley family wedding. Today visitors enjoy terraced gardens filled with unusual specimens, a lily pond, and picnic facilities while the castle serves as a distinctive filming location for period dramas and television productions.