Charles Berkeley lives on and runs Gloucestershire’s Berkeley Castle Estate. The oldest building in England to be inhabited by the family who built it, the Castle dates back to the 12th century
FEATURE SAMANTHA SCOTT-JEFFRIES PORTRAIT GRANT SCOTT
What are your early memories of Berkeley Castle?
My brother Henry and I spent the winter months at the Castle when we were boys (the summers were spent at Spetchley Park, our home in Worcestershire). The Castle was a magical place to grow up in – we had the battlements, tower rooms, old stone steps, creaky doors and floorboards, and our bedrooms were at the very top, in the oldest part, the Keep, which is 12th century. We were allowed to explore all of the rooms and would hide behind towers on the roof and go down to the old dungeon where King Edward II was murdered. Our mother would occasionally ring a big bell for us to come down for lunch or if we needed to go out.
Who made the castle inhabitable for modern life?
The 8th [and last] Earl of Berkeley sold Berkeley Square in London for £2 million in 1918 in order to update and renovate the castle. He put in wonderful doors and windows from Italy and France, restored the Norman stone, added electricity. He salvaged things and added some luxury, such as a bathroom which was shipped over from the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York in the 1900s by his second wife, who was American. It’s a wonderful marble en-suite, still in situ.
How have your immediate family lived here more recently?
My father inherited the Castle in the late 1940s. He was the first to use the private side as a home, lighting fires, having guests to stay. He loved the castle and the beautiful terraced gardens with their rare plants and trees. It was his mission to open the Castle for the first time for the public to visit which he did in 1956. My mother lived here with him from the 1960s.
What is the Keep like today?
Although my father has now sadly died, my mother still lives in the Keep and loves the Castle. Her private wing has a big drawing room and study with lovely tapestries. She has a kitchen with pantry rooms and boot rooms. There is a ladies boudoir, originally used to write letters, which she uses, 13 bedrooms and two state rooms. She is currently having sofas
