Berkshire
Webpages concerning "Berkshire"
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Wikipedia-Article "Berkshire"
- For other places with the same name, see Berkshire (disambiguation).
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| Geography | |
| Status | Ceremonial and Non-metropolitan county (no county council) |
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| Origin | Historic |
| Region | South East England |
| Area - Total |
Ranked 40th 1,262 km² |
| NUTS 3 | UKJ11 |
| Demographics | |
| Population - Total (2004 est.) - Density |
Ranked 26th 805,700 637 / km² |
| Ethnicity | 88.7% White 6.8% S.Asian 2.0% Afro-Carib. |
| Politics | |
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| Districts | |
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Berkshire (IPA: [ˈbɑːkʃə] or [ˈbɑːkʃɪə] ; sometimes abbreviated to Berks) is a county in England and forms part of the South East England region. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this title was made official with a grant in 1958. [1]
Berkshire borders the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Wiltshire, Hampshire and the London region.
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History
The county is one of the oldest in England, being reliably dated back to the setting of the traditional county borders by King Alfred the Great of Wessex. Following the reorganisation of local government in 1974, Abingdon (its traditional county town) and the Vale of the White Horse were transferred to Oxfordshire, Slough was added from Buckinghamshire, and Reading became the county town. On April 1, 1998 the county council was abolished and the districts became unitary authorities.
The county takes its name from a large forest of birch trees that was called Bearroc (Celtic for 'hilly') and was originally a transaction of land to King Cenwalh of Wessex. At this time, it only consisted of the northerly and westerly parts of the current county.
Berkshire has been the scene of many battles throughout history, during Alfred the Great's campaign against the Danes, including the Battle of Englesfield, the Battle of Ashdown and the Battle of Reading. During the English Civil War there were two battles in Newbury. During the Glorious Revolution of 1688, there was a second Battle of Reading
Geology, landscape and ecology
From a landscape perspective, Berkshire divides into two clearly distinct sections with the boundary lying roughly on a north-south line through the centre of Reading.
The eastern section of Berkshire lies largely to the south of the River Thames, with that river forming the northern boundary of the county. In two places (Slough and Reading) the county now includes land to the north of the river. Tributaries of the Thames, including the Loddon and Blackwater increase the amount of low lying rivurine land in the area. Beyond the flood plains, the land rises gently to the county boundaries with Surrey and Hampshire. Much of this area is still well wooded, especially around Bracknell and Windsor Great Park.
In the west of the county and heading upstream, the Thames veers away to the north of the (current) county boundary, leaving the county behind at the Goring Gap. This is a narrow part of the otherwise quite broad river valley where, at the end of the last Ice Age, the Thames forced its way between the Chiltern Hills (to the north of the river in Oxfordshire) and the Berkshire Downs.
As a consequence the western portion of the county is situated around the valley of the River Kennet, which joins the Thames in Reading. The flat floodplain of this river is delineated by fairly steep slopes on each side. To the south, the land rises steeply to the nearby county boundary with Hampshire, and the highest parts of the county lie here. The highest of these is Walbury Hill at 297m (974ft), which is also the highest point in South East England.
To the north of the Kennet, the land rises again to the Berkshire Downs. This is a hilly area, with smaller and well wooded valleys draining into the River Pang and its tributaries, and open upland areas famous for their involvement in horse racing and the consequent ever-present training gallops.
Demographics
According to 2003 estimates there are 803,657 people in Berkshire, or 636 people / km2. The population is mostly based in the urban areas to the east of the county, with West Berkshire being much more rural.
The population has increased massively since 1831, this may be in part due to the sweeping boundary changes however. In 1831 there were 146,234 people living in Berkshire, by 1901 it had risen to 252,571 (of which 122,807 were male and 129,764 were female).
Population of Berkshire:
- 1831: 146,234
- 1841: 161,759
- 1851: 170,065
- 1861: 176,256
- 1871: 196,475
- 1881: 218,363
- 1891: 238,709
- 1901: 252,571
Politics
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| Geography | |
| Area - Total - % Water |
Ranked 35th 462,210 acres ? % |
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| County town | Abingdon |
| Chapman code | BRK |
Berkshire is a ceremonial county and (with different boundaries) a traditional county, and it is unusual in England in that it is the only non-metropolitan county with multiple districts but no county council. The district councils are unitary authorities but have no county status.
In the unitary authorities the Conservatives control the West Berkshire, Wokingham and Bracknell Forest councils, Labour control Reading council, whilst the Liberal Democrats control the Windsor and Maidenhead council. Slough is controlled jointly between the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives.
Since the 2005 general election, the Conservative Party dominates, controlling 6 out of 8 constituencies. Slough and Reading West are both represented by the Labour Party.
See also: List of Parliamentary constituencies in Berkshire
Settlements
Main article: List of places in Berkshire
The largest town in Berkshire by population is Reading, however possibly more famous is the town of Windsor, the most famous resident being Queen Elizabeth II.
By population:
- Reading (144,000)
- Slough (119,070)
- Maidenhead (60,000)
- Bracknell (52,000)
- Newbury (32,000)
Due to the administrative changes in 1974 there are a number of towns which are no longer administered as part of Berkshire, but instead as part of Oxfordshire. These include Abingdon, Didcot, Faringdon, Wallingford and Wantage.
Places of interest
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National Trust |
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English Heritage |
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Forestry Commission |
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Country Park |
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Museums (free/not free) |
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Heritage railway |
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Historic House |
- Ashdown House
- Basildon Park
- Berkshire Downs
- Bisham Abbey
- Combe Gibbet
- Donnington Castle
- Eton College
- Frogmore House
- Lardon Chase, the Holies and Lough Down
- Legoland Windsor
- Museum of English Rural Life
- Museum of Reading
- Reading Abbey
- Runnymede
- Walbury Hill
- Windsor Castle
- Windsor Great Park
- California Park
See also
External links
References
| United Kingdom | England | Ceremonial counties of England |  |
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Counties of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 Bedfordshire | Berkshire | City of Bristol | Buckinghamshire | Cambridgeshire | Cheshire | Cornwall | Cumbria | Derbyshire | Devon | Dorset | Durham | East Riding of Yorkshire | East Sussex | Essex | Gloucestershire | Greater London | Greater Manchester | Hampshire | Herefordshire | Hertfordshire | Isle of Wight | Kent | Lancashire | Leicestershire | Lincolnshire | City of London | Merseyside | Norfolk | Northamptonshire | Northumberland | North Yorkshire | Nottinghamshire | Oxfordshire | Rutland | Shropshire | Somerset | South Yorkshire | Staffordshire | Suffolk | Surrey | Tyne and Wear | Warwickshire | West Midlands | West Sussex | West Yorkshire | Wiltshire | Worcestershire |
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| United Kingdom | England | Traditional counties of England | |
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Counties which originate prior to 1889 Bedfordshire | Berkshire | Buckinghamshire | Cambridgeshire | Cheshire | Cornwall | Cumberland | Derbyshire | Devon | Dorset | Durham | Essex | Gloucestershire | Hampshire | Herefordshire | Hertfordshire | Huntingdonshire | Kent | Lancashire | Leicestershire | Lincolnshire | Middlesex | Norfolk | Northamptonshire | Northumberland | Nottinghamshire | Oxfordshire | Rutland | Shropshire | Somerset | Staffordshire | Suffolk | Surrey | Sussex | Warwickshire | Westmorland | Wiltshire | Worcestershire | Yorkshire |
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