Do I need a permit to film at Berkeley Castle?

Yes — filming on or around Berkeley Castle typically requires a permit. Allow roughly 5–10 working days lead time for most UK councils. Interior shoots on private property may also need owner consent.

Is parking available at Berkeley Castle?

On-site parking is available at Berkeley Castle. Capacity varies — confirm crew-vehicle numbers with the venue before the day.

How much does it cost to film at Berkeley Castle?

Berkeley Castle sits in the £££ band. Typical UK film-location day rates range from under £200 for simple interior shoots to well over £1,000 for period properties and landmark venues. Confirm with the venue directly.

What crew size is suitable for Berkeley Castle?

Berkeley Castle can accommodate a large crew of 15+ including feature-film unit requirements, trucks, and extras.

Has anything been filmed at Berkeley Castle before?

Berkeley Castle appears on Filmshoot's UK location index because it has a documented track record or strong characteristics for film and photography. Specific production credits aren't displayed unless publicly confirmed by the venue — ask the venue directly or check ScreenSkills and IMDb Locations for verified credits.

Berkeley Castle — film location in Berkeley

Summary

A Grade I listed castle in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, with origins in a motte-and-bailey built around 1067 by William FitzOsbern, rebuilt by Robert Fitzharding from 1153 and held by the Berkeley family almost continuously since; site of the traditional murder of King Edward II in 1327; incorporating a circular shell keep, extensive curtain walls, and 14th century residential ranges; owned by Charles Berkeley; used as a filming location for The Other Boleyn Girl (BBC, 2003), Galavant (ABC, 2015 to 2016), and The Spanish Princess Season 2 (Starz, 2020).

About this location

Berkeley Castle stands in the market town of Berkeley in Gloucestershire, approximately fifteen miles south-west of Gloucester. The first fortification on the site was a motte-and-bailey built around 1067 by William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford, shortly after the Norman Conquest. The site passed through three generations of a first Berkeley family before being forfeited to the Crown; Henry II then granted the feudal ony to Robert Fitzharding, a wealthy burgess of Bristol and supporter of the Plantagenet cause. Fitzharding received a royal charter in 1153 permitting him to rebuild the castle, and his construction of the circular shell keep between 1153 and 1156 formed the enduring heart of the structure. His son Maurice Berkeley built the curtain wall between around 1160 and 1190.

The castle is traditionally identified as the place of King Edward II’s murder in September 1327. Edward had been imprisoned at Berkeley following his forced abdication, and the conventional account holds that he was killed on the orders of Roger Mortimer and Isabella of France. The room associated with his imprisonment, known as the Edward II Room, survives within the medieval residential ranges. The castle remains one of the few medieval castles in England still in use as a private residence.

The Berkeley family held the castle throughout the medieval period with the exception of a period of royal forfeiture under the Tudors. During the First English Civil War the castle was held by Royalist forces and was captured in 1645 by Parliamentary forces under Colonel Thomas Rainsborough following a siege; the walls were left breached as a condition of the Berkeley family retaining ownership. The breach in the curtain wall is still visible. The 8th and last Earl of Berkeley, who died in 1942, bequeathed the estate to his 13th cousin Captain Robert Berkeley; the castle has descended through that line to the current owner Charles Berkeley.

Productions filmed at Berkeley Castle include: The Other Boleyn Girl (BBC/WGBH, 2003, directed by Pete Travis, starring Jodhi May as Mary Boleyn and Natascha McElhone as Anne Boleyn, adapted from Philippa Gregory’s novel — the castle was used for exterior court sequences); Galavant (ABC Studios/Disney, 2015 to 2016, created by Dan Fogelman, a musical comedy series — Berkeley Castle provided the exterior of the fictional Valencian castle throughout the series); and The Spanish Princess Season 2 (All3Media/Starz, 2020, directed by Anna Foerster, starring Charlotte Hope as Catherine of Aragon — the castle and were used for both interior and exterior filming).