Berkeley Castle is considered a medieval jewel in England located in the town of Berkeley, Gloucestershire County. Berkeley Castle is a place where was killed Edward II on September 21, 1327. There is a story that he was tortured there for months because of his homosexual relations with other men.
The construction of the castle began in 1154 when it was ordered by Henry II. Main purpose of this fortification was to guard Bristol, important strategic town on the border with Wales. It is estimated that the construction of Berkeley Castle was completed around 1189 by the Berkeley family.
Due to the fact that Berkeley Castle has been inhabited without gaps in time, nowadays it is in superb condition and there are no destroyed sections or ruin in any of castle’s part.
Even the cage where Edward II was tortured and killed has been preserved. Its architecture has not been really anything remarkable compared to other such castles built around the 11th century, but it is still great attraction.
Very impressive and interesting is the exterior of the main Baron hall that is well preserved and still almost in its original form. It also has an adjoining chapel. The rooms in the palace are very nice, however can be seemed to be quite dark, mysterious and sometimes even scary.
The owner of the castle is still the Berkeley family. Now the major part of the castle is open to tourists, only 15% of the rooms are still occupied by the members of Berkeley family. So, if you are in that part of England, then it is going to be great to see this marvelous castle with its own unique characteristic and spirit.
