In the Severn plain, in Gloucestershire, Berkeley Castle is one of the oldest inhabited castles in England — held by the same family, the Berkeleys, since the twelfth century. Its exceptional continuity makes it a living witness of the whole of English history, from Norman times to the Renaissance.
Eight centuries of the same family
A rare privilege, Berkeley has remained in the hands of the Berkeleys (barons Berkeley) without real interruption since the mid-twelfth century — save a brief royal seizure under the Tudors. This dynastic continuity, unique in England, makes the castle a condensed image of eight centuries of history: its circular shell keep (1153-1156), its Great Hall with its fourteenth-century roof and its chapel of St Mary with its painted wooden vault form a remarkably preserved medieval ensemble, which the family inhabited and adapted over the ages rather than leaving it in ruin.
The Tudor royal visits
Berkeley received the Tudor court several times. Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn stayed here in August 1535, during one of those royal 'progresses' where the sovereign toured the realm staying with the great subjects. Later, Elizabeth I came in her turn and, according to tradition, played bowls on the castle green. The place also feeds the memory of the Wars of the Roses evoked by Shakespeare in Richard II. To see: the circular shell keep (1153-1156), the Great Hall with its fourteenth-century roof, the chapel of St Mary with its painted wooden vault, Elizabeth's bowling green.
Did you know?
Berkeley Castle has remained in the same family for nearly nine centuries — a record in England. This permanence explains its preservation: where so many fortresses passed from hand to hand, fell into ruin or were razed, Berkeley was continuously inhabited, repaired and adapted by the same descendants, who had no reason to let it perish. The fidelity of a line to its house is sometimes worth more, for a monument, than all protections.
Notes
Berkeley Castle lies at Berkeley, Gloucestershire; a castle still inhabited by the Berkeley family, open to the public seasonally. Hours to check.
Quiz
- What is exceptional about Berkeley Castle?
- Inhabited by the same family for ~850 years
- It is a ruin
- It floats on water
- Which royal couple stayed here in 1535?
- Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn
- Mary I and Philip of Spain
- James I and Anne of Denmark
- What did Elizabeth I do during her visit?
- She played bowls on the green
- She built a tower
- She was imprisoned here