Berkshire, a county in the south of England, west of London
in the Thames Valley, is one of the oldest counties in England,
dating back to the setting of county borders by King Alfred the Great.
Berkshire saw many battles throughout history, from Alfred's fight
against the Danes to two battles in Newbury in the Civil War, and the
Battle of Reading in the Revolution of 1688.
Now bordered on most of it's northern side by the River Thames, it
stretched at one time up to Abingdon in the north, this being the
original county
town. But that position later passed to Reading, and in 1974 Abingdon
became part of Oxfordshire, while in the east Slough moved into
Berkshire.
Berkshire has a population of over 800,000, mostly living in the larger
towns in the eastern half of the county: Reading (144,000),
Slough (119,000), Maidenhead
(60,000) and Bracknell (52,000) being the largest. Windsor is
notable as the home, in Windsor Castle, of Queen Elizabeth II.
The western side of the county is much more rural in nature, the
largest town Newbury having a population of only 32,000.
Local Government: The county of Berkshire is divided into the
following six unitary authorities for local government purposes:-
Bracknell Forest Borough Council
Reading Borough Council
Slough Council
West Berkshire Council
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
Wokingham District Council
The county was often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire, due
to it's being the home of the monarch, and this title was formally
ratified in 1958. However the Berkshire County Council was dissolved
in 1998 and replaced by the above unitary authorities. The county
now exists only as a geographical area and in ceremonial matters.
