The Edible Garden at Berkeley Castle

Berkeley Castle is a rich source of inspiration for a resilience theme. The Edible Garden primarily features a gravel herb garden, with various edible plants and trees.

A repurposed copper pot, once used in the castle kitchens, serves as a central water feature – a symbol of resilience. Surrounding it are willow obelisks, inspired by the castle’s characterful chimneys. Keeping with the ethos of sustainability, the gravel feature is made from crushed brick and whelk shells – a sustainable alternative to quarried gravel.

At a glance:

Who is this garden for?
General public, staff and volunteers at Berkeley Castle​.
Where is the garden set?  
Within the walled kitchen garden at Berkeley Castle in South Gloucestershire​.
Who or what is the design inspiration?
The architecture of Berkeley Castle and the surrounding landscape.

Key sustainability points

• Re-using left over ever-edge from a previous project for the boundary.
• To reduce the use of heavy machinery, the design does not require excavating large amounts of soil, it also does not have a need for large amounts of compost or hardcore to build up any features.
• Instead of using quarried stone for gravel, we will be using crushed brick and crushed whelk shells, which are by-product of the construction and fishing industry.
• The garden is being relocated in the newly redeveloped walled kitchen garden at Berkeley Castle next to the new visitor centre and restaurant.