Damnable Stones

The daffodils around the castle are coming out and this Saturday the Castle Choir are celebrating the arrival of spring at the Town Hall.

So the castle has been on my mind and inspired by last week’s look at archaeologist and Berko-local Sir John Evans, I’ve been digging up some of the castle’s darker stories.

After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William the Conqueror came to Berko before London. The Archbishop of York surrendered to him here and so the Norman conquest was formally concluded on our doorstep. The castle went up shortly after, built by William's half-brother Robert of Mortain to guard the main route north through the Chilterns. Thomas Becket got hold of it in the 1150s and rebuilt the whole thing in stone, before his relationship with Henry II became complicated.

In 1216, a French prince arrived with trebuchets and spent twenty days hurling what the chroniclers recorded as ‘innumerable damnable stones’ at the walls. The garrison held out, but eventually surrendered. A century later, the Black Prince was using it as a favourite residence, and a captured French king — John II, taken at the Battle of Poitiers — was being held here while his ransom was negotiated. Geoffrey Chaucer is reported to have overseen renovation works on the site. Five queens passed through its walls before it fell into ruin and its stones were gradually pillaged to build houses elsewhere in the town.

This Sunday at 10am, a guided walk sets off from the castle gate taking in even more of the town's darker history. It’s a good time of year for it and details are in What’s happenin’.

Just don’t take the stones.

24 Mar | The Highwayman | 19:30 | Quiz Night

24 Mar | Northchurch Social Centre | 14:00 - 15:30 | Community Fridge

25 Mar | Potten End Village Hall | 10:30 | Banksy: Fraud or Genius? — Ashridge Decorative and Fine Arts Society talk by Pepe Martinez tracing Banksy's journey from Bristol tagger to global art market phenomenon | Details

25 Mar | Rectory Lane Cemetery | 14:00 - 16:00 | Adopt a Grave! — find out about adopting a grave and helping maintain this award-winning wildlife-friendly community space. Join other volunteers making it even more beautiful | Details

25 Mar | The Crystal Palace | 19:30 | Quiz Night

26 Mar | Waite & Rose Café | 08:00 - 09:00 | Berko Interchange — informal, free business networking over coffee

26 Mar | The Piggeries Taproom, Tring | 17:00 - 20:00 | Pie and Mash Night — following the sell-out success of the first one

26 Mar | The Highwayman | 18:00 - 20:00 | SEED Wellness: The Stress-Proof Man — free wellness event covering breathwork, cranio-sacral therapy, physio, functional nutrition, mental health and medical herbalism. Informal conversations and light refreshments | Details

26 Mar | Berkhamsted Town Hall | 19:00 | Berkhamsted Citizens AGM — followed by the Environmental Award presentation and a talk from the Town Clerk on proposals for Berkhamsted in Bloom | Details

26 Mar | Tring Brewery | 19:00 - 20:00 | Thursday Brewery Tour — public tours accommodating up to 30 people | Details

26 Mar | The Goat | 20:00 (board opens) | Open Mic Night — backline provided, bring your own instruments

27 Mar | Mad Squirrel | 19:00 - 21:00 | The Vegas Girls — high-energy trio playing crowd-pleasing covers; dancing strongly encouraged

28 Mar | Tring Station | 08:45 | Run the Wild Half Marathon – Spring Edition — a guided trail half marathon through the Chiltern Hills, with a refreshment stop featuring local produce and a finishers medal | Details

28 Mar | Aldbury | 10:00 | Ashridge Boundary Run 2026 — a scenic trail run around the Ashridge Estate boundary; open to all abilities | Details

28 Mar | The Piggeries Taproom, Tring | 15:00 - 19:00 | Street Food Saturday – Wells Smoke House

28 Mar | Northchurch Social Centre | 16:30 | Northchurch Spring Jazz — Étoile Events' annual jazz celebration, this year featuring Choir on the Green performing alongside the jazz line-up

28 Mar | Centenary Theatre | 19:30 (doors 18:30) | Strong Enough – Ultimate Tribute Concert to Cher — full live band and dancers, 25 hits across six decades of sequins and stardom | Details

28 Mar | The George & Dragon | 19:00 | Talisman — well-liked local act back for another night of live music

28 Mar | Berkhamsted Town Hall | 19:30 | The Castle Choir Spring Concert — Berkhamsted's friendliest choir celebrate the arrival of spring with a programme of enchanting music, featuring soloist Jeanette Ager (Royal Opera) | Details

28 Mar | The King's Arms, Green Room | 20:00 | Reminisce — 5 hours of music vibes

28 Mar | The Goat | 21:30 - 23:00 | Dizzy Fish — four-piece covers band spanning the 60s to the present

29 Mar | The Artisan, Cow Roast | 09:00 | Hot Rod & Classic Car Breakfast Meet — last Sunday of every month. Hot rods, American cars and classic/custom bikes. Breakfast available, great parking

29 Mar | Berkhamsted Castle Gate | 10:00 | Crusaders, Murders and Ghosts — a family-friendly guided walk through the town's darker history, from the castle siege to haunted pubs | Details

29 Mar | Markova Theatre, Tring | 10:00 & 14:30 | Welcome to the Movies! (TPPA) — Tring Park Performance Academy senior students celebrate film through dance, drama and music | Details

29 Mar | St Peter's Church | 19:30 onwards | Holy Week — journeying towards Easter with choral music and readings. Tenebrae (Wed 8pm), Maundy Thursday (8pm), Good Friday Liturgy (2pm) | Details

30 Mar | The Bull | 19:00 | Quiz Night — £12pp, food at half-time, £2 from every entry goes to Mind Mental Health

If you want to tell us (and other locals!) about something happening, use this form!

30 Mar | The Rex | 19:30 | The Secret Agent (15)

Sprawling and quietly nerve-jangling, this brilliant Brazilian political-thriller from writer-director Kleber Mendonça Filho blends political intrigue, family drama and flashes of violence into an absorbing portrait of a country on edge.

28 Mar | Berkhamsted FC | Men's First Team | 15:00 KO (h) | vs. Gosport Borough

28 Mar | Berkhamsted FC | Development | 15:00 KO (a) | vs. St Albans City FC Academy

29 Mar | Berkhamsted FC | Ladies | 14:00 KO (h) | vs. Oakland Wolves Women

That’s it for this week.

If you know a darker Berko story we haven’t told yet, don’t keep it to yourself. Hit reply and let us know.

Don’t keep us to yourselves either, share with your friends.

— from Berko.