Tudor Festival at Berkeley Castle

Henry VIII, Queen Anne Boleyn & their Royal Court 

Next week during May Half Term we have a Tudor Festival taking place at Berkeley Castle! Each day there will be an exciting range of special activities taking place, suitable for the whole family. 

Normal admission prices apply, with all activities included in the ticket price. 

Falconry Display's on the Lower Lawns 

There will be Medieval Falconry Displays on the Lower Lawns with the chance to have your photo taken with the magnificent birds of prey. Raptorcare is one of the South West's premier falconry companies whose expertise lies in Medieval falconry - as part of the display learn how food was put on the table in Tudor times and more about these amazing birds. 

The Royal Entourage 

King Henry VIII, Queen Anne Boleyn and their Royal Court will be returning to Berkeley Castle by popular demand. Find out what life was like in Tudor Times, and marvel at their stunning outfits. Throughout the day they will parade around the Castle and assemble in the Great Hall for an opportunity for visitors to have an audience with the King & Queen. 

Bring your youngsters in their finest Tudor outfits on Monday 30th May for the chance to win a Tudor Trophy which will be awarded to the best Fancy Dress Outfit of the day. 

For those who love history there will be fascinating Tudor documents on loan from the Muniment Room, displayed in the Small Drawing Room. These items are rarely available for public viewing. Included will be a signed warrant by Queen Mary which dates back to 1554, a letter from Queen Elizabeth 1st to George Lord Hunsdon c1600 as well as a warrant to enlarge the Castle Deer Park dated 10 February 1522 which was also signed by King Henry VIII. 

On Sunday & Monday there will be guides situated in each of our public rooms who can tell you all about the history of the Castle and items in each of the areas. 

On Tuesday & Wednesday there will be guided tours of the Castle throughout the day.   

Deerhound Racing 

On this Sunday 29th May the popular 17th Century sport, Deerhound Racing, will return to Berkeley Castle on the Old Golf Course. See the dogs up close at 11.15am for the Deerhound Procession around the Castle, where there will also be a Scottish Piper leading the way. 

Family Fun at Berkeley Castle 

For parents looking for Half Term fun with their children, along with all of the above activities to entertain children, pop by the Education Room where Bev will be on hand for Arts & Crafts and youngsters can make a Tudor Keepsake to take home. Our ever popular Dressing Up Area is always good fun and a great spot to capture memories along with the Dragon Hunt around the Castle Grounds. 

The Yurt Cafe will be open for light bites, hot and cold drinks, ice lollies and yummy slices of cake or tray bake!

The Butterfly House will also be open throughout the Tudor Festival. With over 40 different species of Butterfly, transport yourself to a tropical setting! 

Tickets

Tickets are available to purchase online and will alleviate queuing when you arrive- follow this link to purchase tickets http://berkeleycastle.brightersideapps.co.uk/ (available until midnight the day before you plan to visit).

Alternatively tickets can be purchased from the Ticket Office on arrival.   

Opening Times

Tudor Festival: Sunday 29th May - Wednesday 1st June

11am - 5pm 

(last entry at 4pm) 

Last Guided Tour for the day (Tuesday & Wednesday) - 3.30pm 

Free Car Parking with Admission 

We look forward to welcoming you to Berkeley Castle! 

Special offer this weekend for residents of Gloucestershire

On Easter Sunday in 1956 Mr Berkeley opened the Berkeley Castle doors to the paying public for the first time in history. To celebrate the 60th anniversary of this, residents living with GL postcodes will be able to visit the Castle at a similar rate to what would have been charged all those years ago.... 2s/6d!

This Sunday 24th, Monday 25th, Tuesday 26th & Wednesday 27th April, upon supplying a Utility or Council Tax Bill to the ticket office, GL residents will gain entry to the Castle & Gardens at the discounted rate of £3.50 per person. 

A special Memory Board will be on display in our Education Room where visitors can look back on memories from Berkeley Castle's history, including old newspaper clippings, old account books and historic staff records. 

Available from Sunday 24th - Wednesday 27th April 2016 

We want to hear and see your memories too, so please do bring in copies of memories from your visits to the castle, whether that is original tickets you may have kept hold of, an old guide book or photographs from past visits. 

Lily & Violet Vintage from local town Dursley will also be displaying three vintage dresses for visitors to see. 

The Castle will of course be open to visitors from outside the Gloucestershire region on these dates, normal admission prices will apply. 

We look forward to welcoming you to the Castle and celebrating a fantastic sixty years of being open! 

This year's winter weddings at Berkeley Castle

Frozen Lily Pond on the morning of a Winter Wedding 

We have been so lucky this winter to host a handful of very special and memorable weddings at Berkeley Castle. We wanted to share a few memories from these weddings with you.... 

We've had singing waiters surprising the guests... Grooms party in kilt's ... ... Floral staircases to inspire... Couples braving the cold for romantic photos in the grounds.... a stunning floral masterclass hosted by Sabine Daniels..... Bride's getting ready in Brook House and a rustic wedding with (literally!) hundreds of candles! 

Singing waiters surprised guests by disguising themselves in Napier Catering Uniform - Adam Drake Photography 

Kilts weren't just adorned by the groom Rob and his Best Man at this Berkeley wedding - Martin Hill Photography 



Bridal Party getting ready in Brook House... - Martin Hill Photography 

.... and the beautiful Bride, Ellie, arriving with her Bridesmaids - Martin Hill Photography

The Grand Staircase looking simply divine - by Sabine Daniels Floral 



Of course plenty of bubbly - Big Eye Photography 




Our very happy bride Fran, upon seeing The Great Hall set for her Wedding Breakfast 



Civil Ceremony in the Long Drawing Room....  - Big Eye Photography




... followed by Mr & Mrs Hailstones first kiss as married man & wife - Big Eye Photography




Gorgeous photo moments in the grounds - Big Eye Photography 




And when the weather felt wintery.... family photos in the Small Drawing Room - Martin Hill Photography 

Styling in the Castle - Martin Hill Photography 

Our photographer bride Amanda, who enjoyed being the bride for a change - Dominic Wright Photography 



Candles lighting the Great Hall for Rachel & Duncan's wedding day 

The setting sun over the Gun Terrace - Martin Hill Photography 

And the last of the winter weddings for this year with Charlotte & Richard - Big Eye Photography 



To find out more about holding your dream wedding day at Berkeley Castle take a look at our website, email us, or speak to one of our wedding coordinators by phoning 01453 512 999.

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram & Facebook to keep up to date with all our Berkeley Castle pictures too! 

Special Concert for the St Mary's Church Bell Tower Appeal

On Thursday 5^th May at 7pm there will be a special concert in St Mary’s Church Berkeley, given by the Berkeley Ensemble conducted by Lord Berkeley of Knighton CBE; the great-grandson of the 7^th Earl of Berkeley. 

Michael Berkeley is the internationally renowned classical composer and conductor, who also presents the radio programme “Private Passions” weekly on BBC Radio 3. The concert will include Michael’s Clarinet Quintet, a String Trio by his father Lennox and two works by Mozart. After the concert there will a reception in the Great Hall of the Castle, where concert-goers can chat with the performers and enjoy a fork buffet with wine.  Before the concert there will be fascinating early evening guided tours of the Castle, starting between 5pm and 5.30pm.

The concert has been organized by one of the Patrons, Rt. Hon. Lord Cope of Berkeley, former MP for Berkeley and Minister of State in Margaret Thatcher’s and John Major’s Governments.

Concert tickets cost £30 for Nave seats and £20 for Aisle seats. Tickets for the Reception, which are limited and only available with a concert ticket, also cost £30 while pre-concert tours are £15. Tickets are only available from the booking agency; Brown Paper Tickets on 0800 411 8881 (24 hrs, ask for the Special Berkeley Concert) or at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2511095

This exciting concert will help to raise the £50,000 still needed to complete the restoration of St Mary’s bell tower so that these ten bells, including the two Great War memorial bells, can ring out for the Armistice centenary in 2018.

If you aren't able to attend the event but would like to help support the Bell Tower Appeal, please contact Reverend Richard Avery for any queries or to make a donation- http://www.stmarys-berkeley.co.uk/contact-us.html

Written By: Steve Chandler JP

A Midsummer Nights Dream performances at Berkeley Castle

We are very excited to announce that this year in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, we will welcome production of 'A Midsummer Nights Dream' back to Berkeley Castle. 

Did you know the play was originally written for a Berkeley family wedding?

On the 19th February 2016 we celebrated the 420th anniversary of the marriage between Lord Thomas Berkeley & Elizabeth Carey, the Berkeley couple whose wedding the world renowned William Shakespeare initially wrote A Midsummer Nights Dream for. This play evolved into one of the most well known and loved plays in theatre to this date. 

Producer Tom Berkeley from Split Second Productions originally contacted us back at the beginning of last year.  From the moment our team met him and his fellow actors their enthusiasm, passion and talent won us all over. 

"It’s a huge honour to bring ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, which holds such a  special place in my family history, back to Berkeley Castle. In July, history will repeat itself; never again will this play be performed at a venue so fitting on such a special anniversary- it is truly unique.This July, ‘The Dream’ comes home"

Tom Berkeley - Producer 

When & Where

Fingers crossed for a balmy summer, the play will be performed in the Berkeley Castle Grounds with the medieval fortress as the backdrop. Your picnic blankets can be spread out and camping chairs popped up, hampers full of homemade goodies opened and of course a glass of something yummy in hand! Then the magic is ready to begin.... 

The performance will feature live music and an array of talented actors & actresses including:

 Ross White as Oberon/Theseus, Hannah Baxter-Eve as Puck, Natasha Ravenscroft as Titania/Hippolyta, Cory Chambers as Lysander, Alex Myers-Allenas Demetrius, Alex Coppola as Bottom, Maddie Hatt as Hermia, Ocean Barrington-Cook as Helena, Jay Parsons as Quince, Angus Berryman as Egeus/Snug, Lucy-May Orange as Starveling and Jarrad Pugh as Flute. 

Tickets

Performances will take place on the following evenings in July this year: 
(for tickets click here)

Sunday 17th July
Monday 18th July
Tuesday 19th July
Wednesday 20th July
Thursday 21st July

Sunday 24th 
Monday 25th
Tuesday 26th 
Wednesday 27th 

Evening Tickets - £15 per adult; £10 per child; £45 for a family ticket 

(entry to the grounds will be from 6.30pm with the performance commencing at 7.30pm) 

There will also be Matinee performances on the following select days: 

(for tickets click here)

Tuesday 19th 

Wednesday 20th 

Thursday 21st

Matinee Tickets - £10 per adult or child 

(entry to the grounds from midday with the performance commencing at 1pm) 

For more information about bringing a large school or association group to a matinee performance please contact us on 01453 810 303. 

A Split Second and PRG Production 

Wedding Ideas Magazine Feature

Last year we were approached by Olivia from Host Event Management who was bubbling with ideas for a Highland Themed Wedding Shoot and we both agreed that Berkeley Castle would be the perfect location! At the end of the project we were delighted to have the shoot featured in Wedding Idea's Magazine which is a nationwide publication for engaged couples. 

Having had many planning and visually inspired meetings, the shoot day finally came with all the suppliers rocking up early in the morning to get cracking. 

Being late October, the grounds were looking gorgeous with rich orange leaves carpeting the grass. Remarkably, the gardens were still in bloom and we managed to get a gorgeous shot of Jack and Liz surrounded by shrubs & purple flowers which just so happened to be a key colour used in the styling.

Inside the Castle, Olivia & Catherine were hard at work styling. The top table was set in the Great Hall in front of the large open fire place and upstairs in the Long Drawing Room a Civil Ceremony was staged for 70 guests. Olivia's mood board was inspired by autumn and winter weddings wishing to create a moody, luxe and rich feel opposed to the usual whimsical summery shoots which you tend to see. Scottish tartan was a central fabric used to create the theme alongside deep purple's and red's. 

Luxury chargers, crockery and glassware helped to create an opulent feel with a gorgeous candelabra as the centerpiece. 

We loved working with all the suppliers on this project and meeting a few new faces - it all pulled together to be, what I hope you will agree, a stunning shoot full of inspiration for a bride & groom's dream autumn or winter wedding. Enjoy a browse through the pictures or pick up your copy of Wedding Idea's Magazine which is in stores now. 

Alternatively for more information on hosting your wedding day at Berkeley Castle please follow this link. 

Many thanks to all the fantastic suppliers involved in making the shoot such a success. 

Albert Palmer Photography 

Jessica Mills Make-Up Artist 

Lisa Elliott Floral Design

Pretty Amazing Cakes  

Cotswold Letterpress

Veils of Berkeley 

Mens Hire Bristol

Vanessa Hambly Hair 

Models: Liz McMenamin & Jack Bain


www.berkeleycastleweddings.co.uk

The end of a fantastic season at Berkeley Castle

                                              (Berkeley Castle)

The dust has settled since we closed our gates to visitors for the season just over a month ago! A massive thank you to everyone involved in making 2015 such a fantastic year – from all our wonderful visitors, school groups and the annual dig, to our brilliant team of staff and volunteers who have such an outstanding knowledge of the Castle & its history and who keep everything ticking along.

I caught up with Operations Manager, Jackie, following the closure of the gates. From great visitor numbers to wonderful TripAdvisor reviews…. Jackie has been absolutely delighted with how successful the open season has been this year.

(The Apostles Porch)

Introducing a more family friendly approach with a whole range of fun activities including jester activity sheets, arts and crafts and a dressing up area was all greatly welcomed by our younger visitors (and even some of the parents!). One of the highlights for the year for Jackie was the Easter Dragons, which proved so popular we will be having them back for four whole days from Good Friday next year. The year saw many other entertainers at Berkeley Castle, including: falconry shows; deer hound racing; battling knights; medieval jesters and beastly Berkeley. But one of the most heart-warming aspects of the job for Jackie is seeing happy visitors wandering through the castle with the appreciation that there really is something for everyone here. Whether that be the aforementioned children’s activities, our historical tours of the castle, a peaceful moment of tranquility in the garden, transporting yourself to a tropical paradise in our butterfly house or a delicious afternoon cream tea in the Yurt…. No matter what age, everyone was able to find their own little slice of Berkeley Castle heaven.

(Family Fun) 

Easter is always the busiest time of the year at Berkeley so it is no surprise that Easter Monday saw our highest ever number of visitors, it is truly lovely to think that families make a trip to Berkeley Castle as an annual event. Often we will hear of several generations having visited the castle & grounds with many past generations also having made the trip all those years ago. For example, one of our lovely visitors left us a note to thank us and said that the purpose of their trip was to bring her children after her first visit some 35 years ago! Jackie has also been overwhelmed with the number of people who have taken the time to write such kind comments on our TripAdvisor page. http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g503817-d215314-Reviews-Berkeley_Castle-Berkeley_Cotswolds_England.html

                                  (Jackie & Roland meeting her Royal Highness)

                                                 

A personal highlight for Jackie was our visit from the Countess of Wessex to open our Hidden Treasures Exhibition. The Countess of Wessex arrived at Berkeley Castle by helicopter, welcomed by the children from Berkeley Primary School on arrival. Charles Berkeley then proceeded to give her Royal Highness Sophie a private tour of the Castle. Castle staff & volunteers then gathered in the Great Hall with a select few able to meet her Royal Highness… and of course a classic British Cream Tea was enjoyed by all. Welcoming her Royal Highness to Berkeley Castle was not only an honour but it was also a privilege to meet such a kind and caring member of the royal family.

                                                                                   (Berkeley Castle Grounds) 

After such an exciting year in 2015… You might be asking yourself what you can expect to see next year at Berkeley Castle. Well…. we plan to continue developing the family activities, making sure there is fun for all the family. As well as that we will be putting on a Tudor Festival in May Half Term and also a fantastic performance of the Midsummer Night’s Dream play in celebration of the 400^th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. Did you know that the play was inspired by a Berkeley Family Wedding? As well as weekly activities during the school holidays such as our entertaining jester, archery, arts & crafts and much more… we also have a very exciting surprise lined up for Easter Weekend! But you will have to keep your eyes and ears open to hear what that is… whilst you wait, here is a lovely video to remind you of lots of the happy times at Berkeley Castle from this year! 

Berkeley Castle will re-open for Easter Weekend from Friday 25th March to Monday 28th  March 2016 and then every Sunday – Wednesday from the 3rd April to 26th October 2016.