Berkshire

Berkshire is a county in the south of England, bordering on Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Greater London, Surrey, Wiltshire and Hampshire. It covers 486 square miles. The County Town is Reading. The population is around 803,657. Berkshire is a ceremonial and traditional county.

Industry

Agriculture is important to the local economy with industry largely concentrated in Reading, Slough, Newbury, and Bracknell. Reading is the silicon valley of Britain and is probably the most important business centre in South East England and outside Greater London with the headquarters of some major British companies and the UK offices of a number of major foreign multinationals.

Geography

The highest point in the county is Walbury Hill at 974ft and it is the highest point on Salisbury Plain and in the whole of South East England. Berkshire is a lowland area which is drained by the Thames and Kennet rivers.

History

The area contains remains and traces of many ancient cultures. With the construction of Windsor Castle by William the Conqueror in 1067, trade and commerce flourished in the county in the Middle Ages. The county takes its name from a large forest of birch trees that was called Bearroc in Celtic times. The county is one of the oldest in England, being reliably dated back to the setting of the county borders by King Alfred the Great of Wessex. In 1974, Abingdon 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.

NThe Main towns in Berkshire are:

Bracknell, Caversham, Hungerford, Maidenhead, Newbury, Reading, Windsor, Wokingham.

Places of interest

Ashdown House, Basildon Park, Frogmore House, Berkshire Downs, Combe Gibbet, Windsor Castle, Windsor Great Park, Donnington Castle, Eton College, Legoland, Windsor, Reading Abbey, Runnymede, Walbury Hill.