Local Attractions
St Mary’s Church and Tower
The present church dates back to the 13th century with later
additions and it played an important part in the siege of
Berkeley Castle during the Civil War. The bell tower, which is
separate from the church, stands on the site of an earlier tower
and Saxon church.
Berkeley
Edward Jenner Museum
The Chantry, an elegant
Grade II Listed Queen Anne
house, is the former home
of Dr. Edward Jenner
(1749-1823). It was from
here that Jenner pioneered a
vaccination against smallpox
in 1796. The house is now a
museum that celebrates his life
and legacy. In the grounds is
“The Temple of Vaccinia” in
which Edward Jenner vaccinated the local poor free of charge;
and The Vinery – Edward Jenner’s glasshouse. Vines he grew
from cuttings from Hampton Court Palace still bear fruit.
A Joint ticket to both the Edward Jenner Museum and
Berkeley Castle is available. Please enquire at either attraction
for further details.
Cattle Country
Cattle Country is one of Gloucestershire’s biggest tourist
attractions. Indoor and outdoor play equipment provides fun
for all ages.
The Barn Function Centre, situated in the park, is a unique
venue for weddings, parties and corporate use.
For full details visit www.cattlecountry.co.uk
WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre
Because there is always something
to see and do, WWT Slimbridge
Wetland Centre is open 7 days
a week, 364 days a year.
They only close to the public
on 25 December. The birthplace
of modern conservation,
Slimbridge Wetland Centre is
the ideal place to get closer to
nature. For full details visit
www.wwt.org.uk/visit/slimbridge
Town Trail
Historic castle town in the Berkeley Vale
Berkeley Castle
The castle is the most well known building in Berkeley, the building
of which commenced in 1153 by Robert FitzHarding and is still
inhabited by the same family today who soon adopted the name
Berkeley. The castle history is impressive and includes being the
meeting place for the west of England barons before they went to
Runnymede to sign Magna Carta, the site of Edward II’s murder
and a famous siege in the Civil War, repair of the resulting damage
being prevented by an Act of Parliament.
A Brief History
Berkeley is an ancient settlement, coins were minted here in Saxon
times and it is referred to in the Domesday Book. It sits on the
top of a hill that, until the flood barriers were erected in the last
century, was surrounded by land that frequently flooded when
the River Severn burst its banks.
Back in the 15th century Berkeley was a thriving port with barges
coming up The Pill (which is now little more than a stream)
from the River Severn with coal and salt. There was a wharf in
Jumpers Lane and this gave name to the pub at the top of
Stock Lane – The Mariners Arms.
The centre of the town has changed very little over the past three
centuries and is a conservation area. The majority of buildings
were built pre-1840 and are listed buildings.
Berkeley’s most famous resident was Dr. Edward Jenner who
pioneered the procedure of vaccination whilst living in Berkeley.
His house, The Chantry, is now a museum dedicated to his memory.
www.berkeley-tc.gov.uk
Historic Town Trail
The town trail, which starts at the short-stay car park, takes in all
the important aspects of Berkeley and is set out on the inside of
this leaflet. It will take approx. 3⁄4hr to walk, plus exploring time!
It is suitable for wheelchairs but has slight inclines.
1. Start at the short-stay car park (Marybrook Street). The site of
the car park used to be a Free School, built in 1696. The building
was demolished in the 1960’s.
2. The Almshouses were built from a donation from
Lady Fitzhardinge and are still a sought after place to live.
3. The hospital building is listed. It is known to have been used as a
house in 1663 and became the local hospital in 1894. The hospital
is now closed and a new use is being sought for the building.
4. This is the site of the Bridewell which was given to the town in
the 17th century for the benefit of the poor. One room was used
as a prison for men and women in the 1770’s. The building was
demolished in 1856 and the replacement building is now the bank.
5. No.1 Canonbury Street used to be the Post Office and dates back
to 1704, or even earlier. In 1704 you could have bought it for £100!
13. The Church Tower was built in 1753 on the site of an earlier
tower. The curfew bell was rung at 8pm between October and
March each year. The practice, which was centuries old, ceased in
1934. The tower houses a ring of 10 bells.
14. The Church of St. Mary’s dates from the 13th century with later
alterations. Edward Jenner is buried near the altar. Musket ball
holes and axe marks on the north door are relics of the Civil War.
The inside of the church is well worth a visit.
16. The Salt House is an 18th century building and lies
beside the Pill. When Berkeley was a port the Pill
was used by small boats. Salt was stored here
probably in the building with the flight of steps.
Lord Fitzhardinge who died in 1916
kept two sailing barges on the Pill.
12. Edward Jenner Museum. Edward Jenner bought the
Queen Anne house in 1785 and lived there until his death in
1823. There is a small thatched hut in the garden where he used
to vaccinate the poor free of charge. Although remembered as the
“father of immunology” for his work on smallpox he also studied
wildlife, particularly the cuckoo, hibernation of hedgehogs and
bird migration.
LO S
E
L EA
ZE
C
22
19
2
SALTER STREE
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3
4
20 21
5
6
CANONBUR
Y
9
STREET
8
7
ST
O
CK
LA
NE
10
Parking in Berkeley is FREE
Both the long-stay and
short-stay car parks are
entered via Marybrook Street.
TOWN TRAIL
N
11
12
JENNER
MUSEUM
P
CASTLE
CAR PARK
13
JU
MP
ER
SL
AN
E
17. The Pill used to have
17
an iron bar placed across it so
tolls could be collected from the
ships for Lord Berkeley. You can see
this low down on the opposite bank if the
grass is not too long. The “stock” means
either a lay-by for vessels or the frame upon
which ships were built.
NE
LA
UR C H
CH
11. Church Lane used to run past the front of the Edward Jenner
Museum and emerged opposite the White Hart Inn. It was
re-routed by a member of the Jenner family.
LONG
STAY
ET
18
21. The Town Hall was built of Bath
stone in 1824 and designed as a Market
Hall with an open lower level fitted
with gates and railings, the upper
storey being used as the Council
chamber. In 1905 the rooms on the
ground floor were constructed at the
expense of Lord Fitzhardinge. The
Town Council still meets in one of the
rooms. It is known that Berkeley had a
Town Crier until at least 1927.
1
E
STR
LYNC
H RO
AD
20. The Union Chapel, dated 1835, was built on land leased by
Lord Seagrave, later Lord Fitzhardinge.
SHORT
STAY
K
OO
10. The White Hart Inn was a coaching inn. It was also used as a court
house between 1840 and 1860. A man died here in 1885 after falling
into boiling water whilst putting malt into a mash-tub for beer making.
P
Y BR
MA R
P
8. The Berkeley Arms Hotel is an old staging post hotel and is
owned by the Berkeley Estate. Carriages used to be able to drive
through the central arch to the stables behind the hotel. It was
changed to a pedestrian access after the First World War.
9. The Opticians has a date in the plasterwork of 1666 and has
changed very little since the beginning of the 19th century.
The words “Berkeley Institute” were discovered on the facade
in 1986 and the upstairs was most likely to have been used as a
meeting and reading room.
19. The fir tree on the green was planted in 1968 to
commemorate the birth of Charles Berkeley, heir to the Castle.
There are various old and delightful houses in Salter Street which
has become the main shopping street in Berkeley.
15. The Castle, which can be accessed from the churchyard (follow
the signpost), is the home of Mr. and Mrs. Berkeley and has been
in their family since it was built in the 12th century. It is well worth
a visit.
6. Canonbury Residential Home was originally a farm. The cows
once ate wild garlic but the farmer couldn’t sell the butter because
of the flavour!
7. The Old School House was built as the Fitzhardinge School
in 1861 and became the local primary school which moved to
Marybrook Street in the early 1960s. The adjoining building,
formerly the Wesleyan Chapel (1805), was added to the school
accommodation in the 1950s.
18. The Mariners Arms is a building said to be of 17th century
construction on an earlier, probably 15th century foundation.
During renovations shoes were found in the walls, old blocked up
windows and a fireplace c.1490. It may have been used by sailors
coming up the Pill.
STRE
ET
(follow the signs)
HIGH
Town Trail
22. The Old Vicarage built in 1682
was where Edward Jenner was
born in 1749. It was demolished in
1884 as it was in a very poor state
of repair.
14
CHURCH
16
15
CASTLE
Return to the car park.
(With thanks to the Local History
Society and Gill Badsey for the
historical information)