Berkeley, Gloucestershire

infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Berkeley
latitude= 51.69066
longitude= -2.455033
population=
shire_district= Stroud
shire_county= Gloucestershire
region= South West England
constituency_westminster= Tewkesbury
post_town= GLOUCESTER
postcode_district = GL13
postcode_area= GL
dial_code= 01453
os_grid_reference= ST685992
london_distance= 129.9m

Berkeley (pronEng|ˈbɑːkli) is a town between the south bank of the River Severn and the M5 motorway within the Stroud district of Gloucestershire, England, at gbmapping|ST685992. The town is located mid-way between Bristol and Gloucester and is built on a small hill in the Vale of Berkeley. The town is noted for Berkeley Castle where the imprisoned Edward II was murdered.

Berkeley was the birthplace of Edward Jenner, the originator of vaccination. After studying medicine in London he returned home to work as the local doctor, and in 1796 performed a pioneering experiment by inoculating his gardener's son with cowpox, thus preventing infection from smallpox. The Chantry, Jenner's home in Berkeley for 38 years, is now [http://www.jennermuseum.com The Edward Jenner Museum] .

Berkeley was also the site of Berkeley nuclear power station, which has two Magnox nuclear reactors. This power station, the first commercial British reactor to enter operation, has since been decommissioned and all that remains are the two reactors encased in concrete. The administrative centre adjacent to the station is still active however - the centre was founded as Berkeley Nuclear Laboratories in the early 1960s and was one of the three principal research laboratories of the CEGB.

Just north of Berkeley lies the port of Sharpness, one of the most inland in Britain. The Gloucester & Sharpness Canal (originally known as the Gloucester & Berkeley canal) starts here, and the river used to be crossed by the Severn Railway Bridge. However, this was damaged beyond repair by a ship collision in 1960.

Berkeley itself stands adjacent to the Little Avon River, which flows into the Severn at Berkeley Pill. The Little Avon was tidal, and so navigable, for some distance inland (as far as Berkeley itself and the Sea Mills at Ham) until a 'tidal reservoir' was implemented at Berkeley Pill in the late 1960s.

The local secondary school in Wanswell, Berkeley is vale of berkeley college

The Royal Mail postcode begins GL13.

External links

* [http://www.jennermuseum.com/ The Edward Jenner Museum]
* [http://www.hilliergenealogy.blogspot.com Hillier Genealogy] (with links to the Bendall family of Berkeley)
* [http://www.berkeley-castle.com/ Berkeley Castle]
* [http://www.stmarys-berkeley.co.uk/ St. Mary's 13th Century Church, Berkeley]