THE BERKELEY Vale skyline could change forever if £5.5 million is not found to save one of Gloucestershire's oldest residents.

Berkeley Castle, a Grade 1 listed building, which has dominated the banks of the River Severn for 900 years, needs more than £5 million worth of restoration work in the next ten years to save it from disrepair.

"If we don't do it now the scale of the work will increase significantly and if the elements get into the castle then that will cause even greater damage," said David Price, Berkeley Castle's director.

The news comes after a two year long survey, funded by English Heritage, examined the castle from buttress to banquet hall and revealed essential work was needed to the roof, Norman carvings, sandstone walls, several of the rooms and paintings.

Mr Price said: "It was the first time somebody had looked at the castle from head to toe.

"The trustees have long been aware that we have a major task on our hands to preserve the castle. It is a real jewel in the crown for Gloucestershire and it would be a shame if it were to suffer irreparable damage and be lost forever," said Mr Price.

Berkeley Castle is now the focus of a large fundraising effort being spear headed by Prince Michael of Kent who will officially launch the restoration appeal at a formal reception on Monday, July 3.

Mr Price said inquiries had been made to local and national charities and a lottery grant bid was being formulated.

Berkeley Castle has been the home of the Berkeley family for 27 generations and is full of English history. It was pivotal to the English Civil War, Edward II was murdered there and Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream was written for a Berkeley wedding.

"When people think of Berkeley they think of the castle. It is a major player in the economic machine that is Gloucestershire and it is part of the Cotswold landscape. To lose it is unthinkable," said Mr Price.