King Edward II of England was held in the castle for 18 months, before being murdered in 1327 there by unknown means, although popular stories of a red hot poker or suffocation persist and the murderers were charged with suffocating the King. The cell where he is supposed to have been imprisoned can still be seen, along with the adjacent 28' deep dungeon. The castle has remained within the same family since its construction, with most areas now open to the public, the private apartments occupy about 15% of the building and the rest is managed by the Berkeley Castle Charitable Trust. It is the oldest continuously-occupied castle in England after the royal fortreses of The Tower of London and Windsor and the oldest to be continuously owned and occupied by the same family. In the 14th century, the Great Hall was given a new roof and it is here the last Court Jester in England died after falling from the Minstral's Gallery. Adjoining the Great Hall is one of two of the original chapels, that includes painted wooden vaulted ceilings and one of the first examples of a biblical passage This room also contains an illustrated vellum book of plainsong that was used in Catholic rites, before the family converted to Protestantism in the 16th century. In the 20th century, the 8th Earl Randall repaired and remodelled parts of the castle and added a new porch in the same gothic style as the rest of the building. One change included an Art Nouveau take on a Medieval bedroom. The castle is surrounded by beautiful Elizabethan terraced gardens, including Elizabeth I's bowling green and a pine that is reputed to have been grown from a cutting taken from a tree at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. Check out the Website for more www.berkeley-castle.com

Gloucester St is a one-way steep hill and is hidden from northbound traffic until almost at the cross-roads. At the top of the hill, (you must give way) continue on up and the entrance to the Rococo Garden is about 0.5km on the left.

If you miss the left turn into Gloucester St then pass the traffic lights at the other end of the single-lane section, turn around and follow the directions for southbound from Cheltenham.

Southbound (from Cheltenham)

The A46 gradually ascends in a series of bends to pass Prinknash Abbey (on the right), Cranham (on the left) and through Sheepscombe. The A46 then descends into Painswick. At the bottom of the hill are traffic lights which control a single-lane flow of traffic.

Once past the lights (about 20 metres) immediately take the first right turn up Gloucester St (B4073) which is a one-way steep hill. At the top of the hill, (you must give way) continue on up and the entrance to the Rococo Garden is about 0.5km on the left.

Follow the B4073 (Gloucester Road) through Upton St Leonards and up towards Painswick. Approaching Painswick, the road descends through a wooded area and the entrance to the Rococo Garden is on the right just before Golf Course Road on the left.