Berkshire is a historic county in the South East of England. One of her home counties, Berkshire, was recognized as a royal county of Berkshire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957 and patented in 1974 due to the presence of Windsor Castle. Berkshire is a historic county, a ceremonial county, and a non-metropolitan county without a county council. The county town is Redding.
History of Berkshire
The Thames formed the historical northern boundary from Buscot in the west to Old Windsor in the east. The historic county thus includes the areas now administered by the Valley of Whitehorse and parts of South Oxfordshire in Oxfordshire, but also east of the Royal Boroughs of Caversham, Slough and Windsor, and Maidenhead. Excludes the 5 sparsely populated settlements in.
All changes mentioned made in 1974, with the exception of the move to Caversham. The towns of Abingdon, Didcot, Farringdon, Wallingford, and Wantage transferred to Oxfordshire, and his six additional towns came from Buckinghamshire.[5] The Berkshire County Council was the principal local government for most of the region from 1889 to 1998 and was based in Reading, the county seat with its own County Borrow council.
Quick facts
- Population: 812,200
- Region: south east England
- Total area: 1,262km²
- Language: English
- Nearest Airport: Heathrow Airport, London City Airport, London Luton Airport
Top Berkshire Attractions
- Windsor Castle
- Highclere Castle
- Eton College
- North Wessex Downs (AONB)
- Legoland
Things to do in Berkshire
Berkshire has many great day trips for the whole family. Visit Legoland Resort to experience the thrill of rides and attractions and see Lego models. The oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world, Windsor Castle is a famous attraction and home to over 900 years of royal history. See a selection of magnificent state apartments and semi-state rooms. Climb 200 steps for panoramic views of the county. Newbury’s Living Rainforest is great for discovering the plants and animals that live in the rainforest – watch out for lizards!
Berkshire has many important homes, stately mansions, and magnificent gardens open to the public. Highclere House is an impressive mansion with an impressive stateroom set within magnificent cedar-wooded grounds. The house became known to the public after the television series Downton Abbey. On the Berkshire Downs, he has Ashdown House, built in the 17th century, with an ancient grand staircase inside, but it’s worth checking opening hours before heading out. Outside, there are 500 acres of terrain, including downlands, woodlands, and parklands. Other homes include Basildon Park, Englefield House, Taplow Court, and Shaw House.
The gardens of Welford Park are famous for the bright colors of the snowdrop forest. Near Windsor is the 35-acre Saville Gardens and the Valley Gardens, filled with rhododendrons, azaleas, and camellias.
Crossroads and trade along the Thames have created many villages worth exploring, such as Pangborn.
From a sporting point of view, there’s Reading Football Club, the Thames as a rowing stadium, Newbury Racecourse, ice hockey, London Irish for rugby union, the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club, and much more.
Looking for retail therapy?
Then, visit the Windsor Royal Shopping Center, located on the site of an 1850s train station. You can still see Queen Victoria’s Royal Waiting Room, Newbury’s Parkway Shopping Center, and Bracknell’s Lexicon.
Famous Berkshire names include Edward III, Elizabeth Taylor, explorer Ranulph Fiennes, Kate Middleton, Kate Winslet, Dragons star in his Den, and Peter Jones. Berkshire hosts a variety of annual events including the Royal Ascot Festival, Reading Festival, Royal Berkshire County Show, Royal Windsor Horse Show, and Newberry Spring Festival. Berkshire’s famous dishes include Poor Knights of Windsor – fried bread, jelly, and spiced beef.
Berkshire’s Unique Food
Windsor Pudding
Either a dish created in the city of Windsor or for the royal family living in Windsor. Pudding is made from breadcrumbs and fat with dried fruit, chopped apple, dried fruit, lemon and nutmeg, then steamed.
Wigmore Cheese
Handmade cream cheese, crumbs are produced in the village of Riseley, outside Reading. It has won numerous awards at the British Cheese Awards and pairs very well with a glass of Cabernet Merlot or two – obviously. Wigmore is a “semi-soft sheep’s milk cheese with a unique white crust”. Village Maid Cheese is the producer. The business started in 1986 in a garden house in Spencer’s Wood and has grown to become one of the most successful artisan cheese makers in the country.
Berkshire Package
Fagots are or were once a popular dish around the country. Berkshire’s version is pork cut up and seasoned with chopped onion, sage, pepper, and salt, molded into raw balls, and grilled or stewed.
Berkshire bacon pudding Also known as Berkshire Bacon Rolly Polly, it’s basically bacon and onions wrapped in tallow and steamed in a cloth. It is similar to the “cry” found across the country.
Barkham Blue Cheese
Two Hoots Cheese’s Barkham Blue Wins Best Blue Cheese at the Great British Cheese Awards Still with the cheese theme, there’s another award-winning cheesemaker in Berkshire. The company is Two Hoots Cheese. His most famous project is arguably the award-winning Barkham Blue.
Best hotels in Berkshire
- LEGOLAND Windsor Resort Hotel
- The Loch & The Tyne
- Cliveden
- The Pheasant Freehouse & Hotel
- Castle Hotel Windsor
