Berkeley (pronounced 'barkly') is a perfectly preserved 840-year-old castle with a keep, dungeon and splendid staterooms with original tapestries, furniture and silver. It was most famously the scene of King Edward II's gruesome murder in 1327. It is believed that Edward was deposed by his French consort, Queen Isabella, and her paramour, the Earl of Mortimer. The castle also played an important role in the English Civil War (1642-1649). The oldest part of the castle was built in 1153 by Roger De Berkeley, a Norman knight, and has remained in the family ever since. The surrounding meadows, now the setting for pleasant Elizabethan-style gardens, were once flooded to make a formidable moat.

E-mail: info@berkeley-castle.com

Website: www.berkeley-castle.com

Telephone: (0)1453 810 332

Transport: 40 minutes from Bath by road. Take Exit 14 off the M5, the castle is sign-posted from the A38 between Bristol and Slimbridge

Opening times: Open between 1 April and 4 November, on selected days, from 11am to 5pm

Admission: £9.50 (adults), £5 (children). Family tickets and group concessions available.