The Church of St Mary is a Church of England parish church in Berkley, Somerset. It is a Grade II* listed building built in 1751.^[1]

The church, dedicated to St Mary, was built in 1751 by Squire Thomas Prowse of the adjacent Berkley House.^[1]

The whitewashed stone church has a west tower and a hip roof with stone slates, while the nave has a central glazed cupola. Both this cupola and the organ have been recently^[when?] restored.^{[2][failed verification]} There are a pair of 17th century panel backed chairs. The font, pulpit and pews date from the mid 19th century.^[1]

Grounds

The walls and gate piers around the church date from the mid 18th century.^[3]

The graveyard contains the graves of the local population including some notable tombs. The tomb of William Hall is made of Doulting Stone and dates from 1670.^[4] The Bath stone tomb of Joseph Singer is inscribed for several members of the Singer family from the 18th and early 19th centuries.^[5] There are also several unidentified tombs.^[6][7][8]

We packed our bags and raided the breakfast boxes for items to save for another day then checked out. We had another in-car picnic breakfast before heading off to Berkeley Castle for which we had pre-booked tickets. We arrived before the castle gates opened so on arrival we walked around the Yurt café walled garden whilst waiting.

Once inside the gates there wasn’t a queue to get into the castle so we decided to visit that before the gardens. It was nice to be able to view it without too many people around. It had been much busier on our previous visit last year.

The sunshine enhanced our enjoyment of the gardens which had a temporary, one-way system in place. I think we got the direction wrong at least once. By the time we had finished in the gardens it was time for lunch. We sat outside in the sunshine where I enjoyed a slice of white chocolate and raspberry cake from the Yurt café.

All too soon it was time to continue our journey home. We invited mum round for an evening so that we could round off the holiday in style; fresh salmon, mini hassleback potatoes, rocket and lemon mayo.

This composite instrument, the body dating back to the 17th century and carved from a single block of English beech has a birch table. The head and key box are by the French maker Francois Louvet who presumably restored and added to this ancient instrument following irrevocable damage suffered in the 18th century.*

*From a sign next to the Hurdy Gurdy

Berkeley Castle is a beautiful and historic Castle, begun in 1154 and still the home of the Berkeley family. It is a great day-out for all the family, hosting special events during school holidays and throughout the year. Awarded TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence for the last five years.

The Castle, which dominates the Vale of Berkeley, is steeped in over 860 years of British history. It is best known as the scene of the brutal murder of Edward II in 1327 and for being besieged by Parliamentary troops in 1645. Over 24 generations of Berkeley’s have gradually transformed a Norman fortress into the lovely family home it is today.

The state apartments contain magnificent collections of furniture, rare paintings and English and continental tapestries. Some of the world famous Berkeley silver is on display in the Dining Room and many other rooms including the Great Hall, the Morning Room (the former mediaeval chapel, with its unique painted ceiling) and the kitchens are available to view.

The Castle is surrounded by lovely terraced gardens with flower borders, a lily pond, Elizabeth I’s bowling green and sweeping lawns. From May-September, the visit also includes the tropical Butterfly House in the Walled Garden, which is a tranquil environment for over twenty-five different species of tropical butterflies. Garden enthusiasts can enjoy a stunning display of roses and many rare plants and flowers in Berkeley Castle’s magnificent terraced gardens

Garden photos coming soon…

The following video covering the history of the house and estate is well worth a watch.

View on YouTube

William Blake