Berkeley Castle is yet another medieval pearl on the territory of England. The castle stands in the southeast part of a town of the same name located in Gloucestershire County, United Kingdom. Berkeley Castle is considered to be the place where King Edward II of England found his death on 21st of September 1327. The history suggests he was tortured there for months because of his homosexual relationships.

The construction of Berkeley Castle began in 1154 on the order of King Henry II of England. It was planned as a fortification which had to protect Bristol as part of the important route along the mouth of River Severn and the Welsh border. The castle was completed around 1189 by the Berkeley family.

Berkeley Castle is fully operational since it was built and therefore it is still in an excellent condition having no ruined parts. Even the cage used for the inhuman punishment of King Edward II is still preserved in the dungeons. The architecture of the castle is rather ordinary compared to other castles created in 11th century.

The outside wall of the Great Hall is quite impressive and almost perfectly preserved in its original state. A chapel is adjacent to the Great Hall. There are many apartments in the castle and the ones that keep the spirit of the past are in fact pretty grim and rather startling.

The castle is owned by the Berkeley family to this day. Berkeley Castle is in fact the only castle that remained a home to the very same family for so long. Most parts of the buildings are open for visitors today as Berkeley family uses only 15% of the existing apartments.

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