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Home > Latest News > 2008 > 3 > 3 >

Berkeley Castle’s New Way Forward

Berkeley CastleBerkeley Castle's 2008 Season commences Easter Weekend and will be starting a new way of operating. Berkeley Castle Charitable Trust has reduced the number of days on which the Castle will be fully open to the public in 2008 to about 100 so that weddings, filming and corporate work can be the new focus, but there are longer opening hours and an increase in the number of days the Castle is open in high summer.

The new Castle opening in 2008 will be 11am - 5.30pm with last entry at 4.30pm. These times will apply on all public open days including Sundays, but Special Event times may vary.

Public Opening Days will be every Sunday from Easter until October 26th plus all Bank Holiday weekends and 7 days a week during July and August.

The first event of the year will be the Easter Weekend, which will be a traditional family event with activities taking place in the Great Hall, from face painting to a cake stand, fancy dress competition to the traditional Easter Egg Hunt. Normal entry prices apply but Friends of Berkeley Castle, the group that supports the preservation of the building and artefacts, will have free entry to the weekend.

Future events at the Castle for 2008 will include two Ghost Hunts, A Game & Country Fair, the Lister Tyndale Steam Rally, a summer outdoor play, the Berkeley Agricultural Show and the Antiques & Classic Car Show. Please keep looking at www.berkeley-castle.com or sign up for our electronic newsletter for more information.

The Butterfly Farm is part of the Global Admission ticket but is often overlooked by visitors who miss a really special experience, walking amongst fluttering butterflies in a tropical environment. You can visit the Butterfly House separately from the Castle too.

The successful Joint Ticket and marketing initiatives with the adjacent Edward Jenner Museum will continue in 2008, a new Groups Leaflet has been produced and the Edward Jenner Museum will be opening on Mondays in July & August to be in line with the new Castle opening days.

Berkeley Castle's sister attraction Spetchley Park Gardens, just outside Worcester will also start the 2008 season on March 21st, Good Friday. See www.spetchleygardens.co.uk

Charles Berkeley said "This is a challenging but exciting change in how we operate the Castle; we will be closely monitoring how our new opening system performs and making any necessary changes. We look forward very much to welcoming our visitors in this new season".