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| TV Presenter’s Dig Deep at Berkeley Castle | ||||
| Under the supervision of Prof. Mark Horton, from BBC TV’s Coast & Dr. Stuart Prior from Channel 4’s Time Team undergraduate students from the Department of Archaeology & Anthropology at the University of Bristol have been excavating archaeological remains from the grounds of Berkeley Castle. Since the middle of May students have also been assisted by other staff from the department and postgraduate students on professional placement. Professor Mark Horton commented: “It is so exciting to be doing such a major project at Berkeley - every day reveals something completely new and unexpected, and we are able rewrite the history of the castle, the town and its anglo-saxon antecedants.” The Berkeley Castle Project (BCP) is a long-term archaeological research project, which was launched in early 2005, with the castle as the focus of its fieldwork. The BCP study areas for 2009 comprise of Nelme’s Paddock, The Edward Jenner Museum Garden and St Mary’s Churchyard, but has also expanded into the beer garden of The Berkeley Arms, which, according to Dr. Stuart Prior, has proven a popular choice for the students! On a tour of the dig sites on Wednesday for the Friends of Berkeley Castle, Dr. Prior and Prof. Horton explained what this year’s dig had unearthed so far. In Nelme’s Paddock, the largest of this year’s sites, Prof Mark Horton identified a suite of medieval buildings, with a central hearth with a series of small rooms. “This could be medieval workshops, as we have found evidence of industrial activity, but we’ve also found pottery, which indicates some residential use too.” Adjacent to the buildings appears to be a cobbled street – almost certainly the once vanished St. Michael’s Lane, leading straight into the Churchyard. The current love of recycling it would seem, is not a new phenomena, as students also found roman bricks and medieval tomb stones & window glass, not in their original use, but re-used to create foundations and drain linings of later construction. In addition a treasure of artefacts have been found such as Anglo Saxon coins dated between 694-750 AD, dress hooks and buckles from the same period; as well as Roman coins from the 2nd – 4th century. This year’s dig finishes on Friday, but the University of Bristol will be bringing Summer School students to the sites in July, and will no doubt return in 2010 to continue where they left off. |
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| Butterfly House Opens at Berkeley Castle | ||||
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Tropical butterflies such as the Blue Morpho (Morpho Peleides) and Owl Butterfly (Caligo Beltrao) have hatched at the Butterfly House at Berkeley Castle. The harsh winter destroyed some of the rare and unusual plant species in the Butterfly House, but due to the dedication of the staff, it is once again looking stunning, and the butterflies are enjoying the tranquil environment. The Butterfly House is located within the Walled Garden at Berkeley Castle, and entry to it is included within the global ticket for the Castle & Grounds. The Butterfly House contains up to 25 different species of tropical butterflies and is open Sunday – Thursday during June, July & August. It is planned that the butterflies will reproduce throughout the Summer, to maintain and grow the numbers. The team spend many hours every day ensuring that the correct temperature and environment is maintained to ensure the optimum flying, feeding and breeding conditions for the butterflies. Visitors can learn about the life cycle of these beautiful creatures, staff are always on hand to answer questions and to explain about the balance of nature created in this oasis on the Berkeley Estate. Visitors can come to Butterfly House as often as they like without visiting the Castle and pay just £2.00 (£1 for children)per visit. For more information contact the Castle Office on 01453 810332, or e-mail info@berkeley-castle.com. |
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| Summer Garden Treasure Hunt at Berkeley Castle |  |
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| Why not enjoy the wonderful Summer sunshine by taking part in Berkeley Castle’s Treasure Hunt? Berkeley Castle is now open Sunday – Thursday during June, July & August, and has launched a Treasure Hunt around the Castle Gardens. The Treasure Hunt is suitable for adults and children and has been designed to encourage visitors to explore the Gardens looking for clues. The questions range from how many chimneys you can see from a certain place on the lawns, to slightly more cryptic questions – for example; What fish is before the baby moon? All correct entries will be entered into a monthly prize draw to win book tokens. The Treasure Hunt will be available all Summer and the proceeds are going towards the conservation of the Castle’s Hurdy-Gurdy. The Hurdy-Gurdy is a fascinating instrument which dates back to medieval times, but which is today enjoying a popular revival in many countries, particularly France, both as a folk instrument and for the performance of medieval and 18th- century music. Once restored Berkeley Castle’s Hurdy-Gurdy will be able to be played once again. For more information contact the Castle Office on 01453 810332, or e-mail info@berkeley-castle.com . Browse the website www.berkeley-castle.com. |
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home | about | hire | what's on | visitor information | contact |
designed by eberlin |
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Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire, England. GL13 9BQ.Telephone: +44 1453 810332. Email: info@berkeley-castle.com©2007 - 2009 Berkeley Castle |
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