Berkshire

About Berkshire

Berkshire Flag

Berkshire Flag

Berkshire is a county in the south east of England and often referred to as Royal Berkshire due to the royal residence of Windsor Castle being in the county. Berkshire is regarded as one of the Home Counties, that is a county that borders London, and borders Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Wiltshire and Hampshire. Dating from approximately 840AD with a unification of the East Berkshire and the Berkshire Downs areas, Berkshire is one of the oldest English counties.

The county town was Abingdon, but in 1867 Reading, by now a much larger town,  superseded to this role. The county is served by the unitary authorities of Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead and Wokingham. Berkshire’s population has grown significantly, mainly due to its proximity to London and transport links.

Reading has had a long history in the information technology industry and now plays hosts to the UK offices for most of the large IT companies, albeit with some in neighbouring Bracknell. Newbury is home to the telecommunications giant Vodafone who maintain their worldwide headquarters here. The town of Slough is home to the UK site of Mars, the confectionery company and many of the nationally recognised cleaning and healthcare companies maintain factories here.

The Berkshire Downs form a natural training ground for racing horses and the county maintains 3 racecourses – Ascot, Newbury and Windsor bringing more income to the county.

Facts

Berkshire Coat of Arms

  • Population – 812,200 (2005)
  • County Town – Reading
  • Unitary Authorities (No County Council) – Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham
  • Regional Planning Body – South East England Partnership Board
  • Major Industries – Computers; IT; Electronics; Finance; Tourism; Leisure
  • Police – Thames Valley Police
  • Fire – Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service
  • Ambulance – South Central Ambulance Service

Discover Berkshire – useful links to guides, what’s on and places to see

Windsor Castle, Berkshire

Windsor Castle, Berkshire

 

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