Berkshire
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Berkshire
Royal County of Berkshire | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 51°25′12″N 1°0′0″W / 51.42000°N 1.00000°W | |
24th of 48 | |
Density | 722/km2 (1,870/sq mi) |
Ethnicity | 88.7% White 6.8% S. Asian 2.0% Black |
Non-metropolitan county | |
Joint committees | Berkshire Local Transport Body Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service |
Admin HQ | Reading |
ITL | UKJ11 |
Districts | |
Districts of Berkshire Unitary | |
Districts |
|
The Royal County of Berkshire, commonly known as simply Berkshire (/ˈbɑːrkʃɪər, -ʃər/ ⓘ[2] BARK-sheer, -shər; abbreviated Berks.), is a ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London to the east, Surrey to the south-east, Hampshire to the south, and Wiltshire to the west. Reading is the largest settlement and the county town.
The county has an area of 1,263 km2 (488 sq mi) and a population of 911,403. The latter is concentrated in the east, the area closest to Greater London, and includes the county's largest towns: Reading (174,224)
The
There is evidence of
History
According to
Much of the early history of the county is recorded in the Chronicles of the Abingdon Abbey, which at the time of the survey was second only to the crown in the extent and number of its possessions, such as The Abbey, Sutton Courtenay. The abbot also exercised considerable judicial and administrative powers, and his court was endowed with the privileges of the hundred court and was freed from liability to interference by the sheriff. Berkshire and Oxfordshire had a common sheriff until the reign of Elizabeth I, and the shire court was held at Grandpont. The assizes were formerly held at Reading, Abingdon, and Newbury, but by 1911 were held entirely at Reading. [4]
Berkshire has been the scene of some notable battles throughout its history.
On 1 April 1974, Berkshire's boundaries changed under the
On 1 April 1998 Berkshire County Council was abolished under a recommendation of the Banham Commission, and the districts became unitary authorities. Unlike similar reforms elsewhere at the same time, the non-metropolitan county was not abolished.[why?][10][11] Signs saying "Welcome to the Royal County of Berkshire" exist on borders of West Berkshire, on the east side of Virginia Water, on the M4 motorway, on the south side of Sonning Bridge, on the A404 southbound by Marlow, and northbound on the A33 past Stratfield Saye.
A flag for the historic county of Berkshire was registered with the Flag Institute in 2017.
Geography
All of the county is drained by the Thames. Berkshire divides into two topological[clarification needed] (and associated geological) sections: east and west of Reading. North-east Berkshire has the low calciferous (limestone) m-shaped bends of the Thames south of which is a broader, clayey, gravelly former watery plain or belt from Earley to Windsor and beyond, south, are parcels and belts of uneroded higher sands, flints, shingles and lightly acid soil and in the north of the Bagshot Formation, north of Surrey and Hampshire.[12][13] Swinley Forest (also known as Bracknell Forest), Windsor Great Park, Crowthorne and Stratfield Saye Woods have many pine, silver birch, and other lightly acid-soil trees. East of the grassy and wooded bends a large minority of East Berkshire's land mirrors the clay belt, being of low elevation and on the left (north) bank of the Thames: Slough, Eton, Eton Wick, Wraysbury, Horton, and Datchet. In the heart of the county Reading's northern suburb Caversham is also on that bank, but rises steeply into the Chiltern Hills.
Two main tributaries skirt past Reading, the Loddon and its sub-tributary the Blackwater draining parts of two counties south, and the Kennet draining part of upland Wiltshire in the west. Heading west the reduced, but equally large, part of the county extends further from the Thames which flows from the north-north-west before the Goring Gap; West Berkshire hosts the varying-width plain of the River Kennet rising to high chalk hills by way of and lower clay slopes and rises. To the south, the land crests along the boundary with Hampshire; the highest parts of South-East and Eastern England taken together are here. The highest is Walbury Hill at 297 m (974 ft).[14] To the north of the Kennet are the Berkshire Downs. This is hilly country, with smaller and well-wooded valleys: those of the Lambourn, Pang, and their Thames sub-tributaries. The open upland areas vie with Newmarket, Suffolk for horse racing training and breeding centres and have good fields of barley, wheat, and other cereal crops.
Demography
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1831 | 146,234 | — |
1841 | 161,759 | +10.6% |
1851 | 170,065 | +5.1% |
1861 | 176,256 | +3.6% |
1871 | 196,475 | +11.5% |
1881 | 218,363 | +11.1% |
1891 | 238,709 | +9.3% |
1901 | 252,571 | +5.8% |
1951 | 404,000 | +60.0% |
1983 | 680,000 | +68.3% |
Source: [15] |
According to 2003 estimates there were 803,657 people in Berkshire, or 636 people/km2. The population is mostly based in the urban areas to the east and centre of the county: the largest towns here are Reading, Slough, Bracknell, Maidenhead, Woodley, Wokingham, Windsor, Earley, Sandhurst, and Crowthorne. West Berkshire is much more rural and sparsely populated, with far fewer towns: the largest are Newbury, Thatcham, and Hungerford.
In 1831, there were 146,234 people living in Berkshire; by 1901 the population had risen to 252,571 (of whom 122,807 were male and 129,764 were female). Below are the largest immigrant groups in 2011.
Country of Birth | Immigrants in Berkshire (2011 Census) |
---|---|
India | 23,660 |
Pakistan | 17,590 |
Poland | 16,435 |
Ireland | 7,629 |
South Africa | 6,221 |
Germany | 5,328 |
Kenya | 4,617 |
China | 4,242 |
Zimbabwe | 4,043 |
United States | 3,509 |
Governance
Berkshire is a
District | Main towns | Population (2007 estimate)[16] |
Area | Population density (2007) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bracknell Forest | Bracknell, Sandhurst | 113,696 | 109.38 km2 | 1038/km2 |
Reading | Reading | 155,300 | 40.40 km2 | 3557/km2 |
Slough | Langley | 140,200 | 53.89 km2 | 2601/km2 |
West Berkshire | Newbury, Thatcham | 150,700 | 704.17 km2 | 214/km2 |
Windsor and Maidenhead | Windsor, Maidenhead | 104,000 | 198.43 km2 | 711/km2 |
Wokingham | Wokingham, Twyford | 88,600 | 178.98 km2 | 875/km2 |
Total (Ceremonial) | N/A | 752,436 | 1264 km2 | 643/km2 |
Local
As of the 2023 local elections,
Parliament
Since the last general election in 2017, six of the elected Members of Parliament (MPs) have been Conservative and two (Slough and Reading East) have been Labour. The prime minister between July 2016 and July 2019, Theresa May represents Maidenhead, the geographically larger seat west of Slough.
General Election 2010 : Berkshire | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Liberal Democrats | Labour | UKIP | Green | Others | BNP | Christian Party | Monster Raving Loony Party | Turnout | |
209,400 +50,604 |
104,133 +4,304 |
74,613 −13,015 |
12,402 +3,582 |
5,181 +879 |
4,237 +2,862 |
3,028 N/A |
495 N/A |
329 −240 |
413,818 +52,499 |
Overall Number of seats as of 2010 | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Labour | Liberal Democrats | UKIP | Green | Others | BNP | Christian Party | Monster Raving Loony Party |
7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Economy
This is a chart of trend of regional gross
Year | Regional Gross Value Added1 | Agriculture2 | Industry3 | Services4 |
---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | 10,997 | 53 | 2,689 | 8,255 |
2000 | 18,412 | 40 | 3,511 | 14,861 |
2003 | 21,119 | 48 | 3,666 | 17,406 |
- Notes
- Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
- Includes hunting and forestry
- Includes energy and construction
- Includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
Industry
The global headquarters of
Newbury is home to the world headquarters of the mobile network operator Vodafone, which is the town's largest employer with over 6,000 people. Before moving to their £129 million headquarters in the outskirts of the town in 2002, Vodafone used 64 buildings spread across the town centre.[20] As well as Vodafone, Newbury is also home to National Instruments, Micro Focus, EValue, NTS Express Road Haulage, Jokers' Masquerade and Quantel. It also is home to the Newbury Building Society, which operates in the region.
In Compton, a small village, roughly 10 miles from Newbury, a chemical manufacturing company called Carbosynth was founded, in 2006. Since 2019, it has merged with a Swiss company called Biosynth AG to form a key global organisation within the fine chemical industry and operates under name Biosynth Carbosynth®.[21] Biosynth Carbosynth, along with its acquired companies, vivitide and Pepscan rebranded to Biosynth in 2022. [22]
London Heathrow Airport, in the neighbouring London Borough of Hillingdon, is a major contributor to the economy of Slough in east Berkshire.[23]
Agricultural produce
This section needs additional citations for verification. (March 2015) |
Media
Local news and television programmes are covered by BBC South and ITV Meridian for the Thames Valley from the Hannington TV transmitter. Those parts of Berkshire closest to London such as Maidenhead, Windsor and Slough, receive BBC London[25] and ITV London from the Crystal Palace TV transmitter.
The county’s local radio stations are BBC Radio Berkshire, Heart Thames Valley and Greatest Hits Radio South.
Sport
Horse racing
Berkshire hosts more
Ascot today stages twenty-five days of racing over the course of the year, comprising sixteen
Windsor Racecourse, also known as Royal Windsor Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Windsor. It is one of only two figure-of-eight courses in the United Kingdom. (The other is at Fontwell Park). It abandoned National Hunt jump racing in December 1998, switching entirely to flat racing.
Football
Newbury was home to A.F.C. Newbury, which was for a period one of only two football clubs to be sponsored by Vodafone (the other being Manchester United). In May 2006 Vodafone ended its sponsorship of the club,[29] following which the club collapsed. A local pub team from the Old London Apprentice took over the ground temporarily and now compete in the Hellenic Football League as Newbury F.C.
There are several amateur and semi-professional football clubs in the county. These include
Rugby
Reading is a centre for rugby union football. The Premiership team London Irish were for 20 years tenants at the Madejski Stadium before their move back to SW London at a new stadium in Brentford.
Newbury's rugby union club, Newbury R.F.C. (the Newbury 'Blues'), is based in the town. In the 2004–05 season, the club finished second in the National Two division earning promotion to National One. Newbury had previously won National Four South (now renamed as National Three South) in 1996–97 with a 100% win record. In 2010–11 the club finished bottom of National League 2S,[30] with a single win and twenty-nine defeats. The club was founded in 1928 and in 1996 moved to a new purpose-built ground at Monks Lane,[31] which has since hosted England U21 fixtures.
Ice hockey
The
Slough Jets also play in the English Premier League winning the title in 2007. Slough Jets also won the play-offs in 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10 & 2011–12. They also won the EPIH Cup in 2010–11. Slough Jets have been in the EPIHL since 1999.[citation needed]
Hockey
Phoenix Reading Hockey Club who are based at Reading University have six adult teams and a large junior development section.
Reading Hockey Club and Sonning Hockey Club are situated close to each other near Blue Coats School.
Slough Hockey Club is home to the Slough Ladies 1XI who play in the Women's Premier League. Slough Hockey club has five adult teams.
In 2016 Bracknell and Wokingham Hockey Clubs merged to form South Berkshire Hockey Club. The team is based on Cantley Park, Wokingham whilst also playing occasional games at Birch Hill in Bracknell.
There are other hockey teams in the county: Tadley Hockey Club, Yateley Hockey Club, Maidenhead Hockey Club, Windsor Hockey Club, and Newbury & Thatcham Hockey Club.
Education
Berkshire is home to the following universities: the
Towns and villages
See the
Notable people
Berkshire has many notable people associated with it.
- King Henry I of England (1068/1069–1135; founded and buried at Reading Abbey)
- English monarchs of the Middle Ages)
- King Henry VI of England (1421–1471; King of England, born at Windsor)
- Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII)
- Catherine, Princess of Wales (born 1982; spouse of William, Prince of Wales)
- Henry Addington, Viscount Sidmouth (1757–1844; former prime minister; donor of land for Royal Berkshire Hospital)[32]
- George Alexander (1858–1918; actor and theatre manager)
- Jane Austen (1775–1817; author)
- Francis Baily (1774–1844; astronomer)
- Lucy Benjamin (born 1970; actress)
- Michael Bond (1926–2017; author, creator of Paddington Bear)
- Michael Parkinson (1935–2023)
- Kenneth Branagh (born 1960; actor & film director)[33]
- Charlie Brooker (born 1971; journalist)
- Richard Burns (1971–2005; rally driver)[34]
- David Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 1966; former prime minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from December 2005 to July 2016)
- Jimmy Carr (born 1972; comedian)
- Emilia Clarke (born 1986; actress)
- Emma Crosby (1977; television presenter)
- Natalie Dormer (born 1982; actress, screenwriter, producer)
- Polly Elwes (1928–1987; television reporter and announcer)
- Uri Geller (born 1946; mentalist)
- Ricky Gervais (born 1961; comedian)[35]
- Dani Harmer (born 1989; actress)
- Chesney Hawkes (born 1971; pop singer)
- Lenny Henry (born 1958; comedian)
- vlogger and BBC Radio 1presenter)
- Nicholas Hoult (born 1989; actor)
- Kate Humble (born 1968; television presenter)
- Joseph Huntley (born 1775; innovative biscuit maker; founder of Huntley & Palmers)[36]
- Elton John (born 1947; lives in Old Windsor)
- Peter Jones (born 1966; entrepreneur)
- John Kendrick (1573–1624; merchant and mayor)[32]
- William Laud (1573–1645; former archbishop of Canterbury)[32]
- Suzanna Leigh (born 1945; actress)
- Jeremy Kyle (born 1965; British radio and television presenter, best known for hosting his own daytime show The Jeremy Kyle Show)
- Lesley Langley (Miss United Kingdom 1965 and Miss World 1965)
- Camilla Luddington (born 1983; actress)
- John Madejski (born 1941; entrepreneur and philanthropist)[37]
- Sam Mendes (born 1965; director)[38]
- A. P. McCoy (born 1974; jockey and winner of the 2010 Grand National and the 2010 BBC Sports Personality of the Year)
- William Penn (1644–1718; founder of Pennsylvania)[39]
- Alexander Pope (1688–1744; poet)
- Alexander Prior(born 1992; composer and conductor)
- Lawrie Sanchez (born 1959; former footballer and manager)[40]
- Ayrton Senna (1960–1994; racing driver, Formula One champion)[41]
- Mark Stephens (born Old Windsor 1957), solicitor and broadcaster, mediator, writer, educator and patron of the arts
- Jethro Tull (1674–1741; agriculturist)
- Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?)[42]
- James Towillis, English landscape artist[43]
- Theo Walcott (born 1989; footballer, originally for A.F.C. Newbury)
- Neil Webb (born 1963; professional footballer)[44]
- Reading Gaol)[32]
- Kate Winslet (born 1975; actress)[45]
- Will Young (born 1979; singer-songwriter)
Places of interest
Key | |
Abbey/Priory/Cathedral | |
Accessible open space | |
Amusement/Theme Park | |
Castle | |
Country Park | |
English Heritage | |
Forestry Commission | |
Heritage railway | |
Historic House
| |
Places of Worship | |
Museum (free/not free) | |
National Trust
| |
Theatre | |
Zoo |
- Basildon Park
- Beale Park
- Berkshire Downs
- Bisham Abbey
- Blake's Lock
- California Country Park
- Calleva Atrebatum
- Combe Gibbet
- Donnington Castle
- Eagle House School
- Eton College
- Frogmore House
- Highclere Castle
- Lardon Chase, the Holies and Lough Down
- The Living Rainforest
- Museum of English Rural Life
- North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
- Reading Abbey
- Grade II listed building designed by Alfred Waterhouse
- River Thames
- Shaw House
- Slough Museum
- Stanlake Park Wine Estate
- The Ridgeway
- Walbury Hill
- Watermill Theatre
- Welford Park
- Wellington College, Berkshire
- West Berkshire Museum
- Windsor Castle
- Windsor Great Park
See also
- Berkshire (UK Parliament constituency)
- Berkshire Record Office
- Custos Rotulorum of Berkshire
References
- ^ "Berkshire 2020/2021". High Sheriffs Association. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Berkshire definition and meaning". Collins English Dictionary. Archived from the original on 22 June 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "Berkshire | England, Map, History, & Facts". Encyclopaedia Britannica. 15 June 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
- ^ a b Chisholm 1911, pp. 783–784.
- ^ Cook, Albert S. (1905). Asser's Life of King Alfred, translated from the text of Stevenson's edition. Boston: Ginn and Company. p. 1. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ "Berkshire". Online Etymology Dictionary. Archived from the original on 5 May 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
- ^ Stenton, Frank M. (1911). The Place-Names of Berkshire: An Essay. Studies in Local History. Reading University College. p. 3. Archived from the original on 3 February 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ Daniell, Christopher (2014), Atlas of Early Modern Britain, 1485–1715
- ^ ISBN 0-11-750847-0.
- ^ "The Berkshire (Structural Change) Order 1996". Office of Public Sector Information. 18 July 1996. Archived from the original on 9 December 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ^ "Written Answers to Questions Col.830". House of Commons Hansard Debates. Parliament of the United Kingdom. 31 March 1995. Archived from the original on 25 April 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
In Berkshire, although the county council will be abolished, the county area will remain. Along with its lord lieutenant, it will retain its high sheriff and its title as a royal county.
- ^ "Berkshire - The Building Stones of England". Historic England. November 2017.
- ^ "BGG - Berkshire Geology". berksgeoconservation.org.uk. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ISBN 978-1-84-953239-6.
- ^ Berkshire (Planning and Development) (Hansard, 14 December 1983) Archived 27 December 2012 at the Wayback Machine. api.parliament.uk (14 December 1983). Retrieved on 17 July 2013
- ^ [1] Archived 28 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "UK Government Web Archive – The National Archives" (PDF). www.statistics.gov.uk. pp. 240–253. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2011.
- ^ Location of registered office of Amazon.co.uk Ltd Archived 7 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
- ^ "Companies House". companieshouse.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 29 June 2008. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ "How Vodafone moved to a mobile environment". vnunet.com. 24 September 2004. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
- ^ "Biosynth Carbosynth". Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- ^ "Biosynth Carbosynth, vivitide and Pepscan Rebrand to Biosynth". www.businesswire.com. 7 September 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
- ^ Parsons Brinckerhoff and Berkeley Hanover Consulting (3 February 2015). "Heathrow employment impact on Slough" (PDF). Slough Borough Council. p. 35. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 November 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
- ^ "Village Maid Cheese". villagemaidcheese.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ "BBC London". UK Free TV. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
- ^ "The Crown Estate Profile". Archived from the original on 5 March 2012.
- ^ "Hennessy Gold Cup Winners". Moneta Communications Ltd (www.uk-racing-results.com). Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
- ^ "Home - LAMBOURN.INFO". www.lambourn.info. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ^ "Vodafone ends AFC Newbury deal". Newbury Weekly News. 23 May 2006. Archived from the original on 3 December 2007.
- ^ "National League 2S table". BBC News. 9 August 2006. Archived from the original on 20 August 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
- ^ "Rugby at its best" (PDF). Newbury Weekly News Advertiser. October 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2009.
- ^ a b c d "Reading's Great People". Reading Borough Libraries. Archived from the original on 3 October 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
- ^ "The Kenneth Branagh Compendium: Conspiracy". Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
- ^ "Richard Burns". Richard Burns Foundation. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
- ^ Farndale, Nigel (19 April 2009). "Ricky Gervais: Grumpy middle-aged man". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 5 October 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
- ^ "Huntley and Palmers". Reading History Trail. Archived from the original on 17 January 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
- ^ "John Madejski: 'Without deep pockets you are wasting your time'". The Independent. London. 9 December 2006. Archived from the original on 24 December 2007. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
- ^ "Sam Mendes Biography". filmreference. 2008. Archived from the original on 14 February 2010. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
- JSTOR 20083177.
- ^ Thompson, Steve (8 April 2001). "Sanchez eager to graduate with honours". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- ^ For a short period during the early stages of his career, he lived in Tilehurst. Following his death, a street was named in his memory. See "Ayrton Senna Road, Tilehurst, Reading". Streetmap.co.uk. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2006.
- ^ Ross, Deborah (8 January 2001). "Chris Tarrant: Confident?". The Independent. London. Retrieved 8 May 2010.[dead link]
- ^ "BBC - Chelsea Flower Show 2010 - The L'Occitane Garden by James Towillis". Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ^ "Neil Webb Profile and Career". FastScore.com. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ "Kate Winslet | Biography, Movies, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
Bibliography
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Berkshire". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 782–784. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
External links
- Berkshire at Curlie
- BBC Berkshire website
- Photographs of Berkshire
- Berkshire Enclosure Maps Digital copies of Berkshire enclosure maps and awards 1738–1883
- "Victoria County History: Berkshire". British History Online. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
- Images of Berkshire at the English Heritage Archive