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Berkshire Accommodation:
Aldermaston
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Reading
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Events (46)
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County Town: Reading
Population: 763,000
Latest News
Area: 487
Berkshire Jobs
Berkshire Tips Page
County Reviews
Rather interesting Berkshire facts
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Famous Dates
Famous People
Food Legends:Eton Mess
Poor Knights of Windsor
Folk Customs:
Beating the Bounds
Eton Wall Game
Hungerford Hocktide Court
Swan Upping
Ufton Nervet Bread and Cloth Dole
Haunted Britain:
Landlady Barred from The Bull
Cultural Britain:
Wind in the Berkshire Willows
Lore & legend:
Edward the Confessor cures the blind woodcutter
Herne the Hunter
King Alfred's Blowing Stone
The Newbury Coat
Natural Britain:
North Wessex Downs
River Kennet
The River Thames

Events

February
Vintage Toyfair

April
5th Annual Sleep Out
Annual Royal Windsor Spring Home & Garden Show
EasterEggstravaganza
Hocktide Festival
JobServe Live! Reading 2010

May
Brightwalton Village Fete
Newbury Crafty Craft Race
Newbury Fringe Festival
Newbury Spring Festival
Royal Windsor Horse Show
Windsor Castle Royal Tattoo

June
Beale Park Boat Show
Butser Festival of Flight
Reading Water Fest
Royal Ascot Race Meeting

July
Festival of Falconry
Festival of Falconry
Hong Kong Day
Newbury Carnival
Newbury Comedy Festival
Newbury Waterways Festival
Royal County Game Fair

August
Berkshire 4X4 Motor Show
Berkshire 4x4 Show
Inland Waterways Assoc National Festival & Boat Show
Music and Dance in the Park
Reading Festival
Stubbings House Opera
The Royal Berkshire Festival of Wings, Wheels, Speed & Steam
World Rowing Championships

September
Berkshire Royal County Show
Newbury Races
Reading & Wokingham Country Show
Reading Pride
Windsor Park Walk
World Catrriage Driving Championships

October
Michaelmas Fair
Newbury Races
Windsor Festival

November
British Heart Foundation Jog
Eton Wall Game
Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup

December
Hearts First Santa Jog – Reading
Royal Windsor Ice Rink
Woodley Winter Extravaganza

Destination of the Month

February 2010: Bristol

Bristol is a wonderful mix of the ancient and the modern, the indoor and the outdoor, making it a brilliant place for a break when ...More
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Berkshire - 287 places to stay

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The county of Berkshire, sometimes known as the 'Royal County' is one of the oldest in England. It dates back to at least 860 AD but probably it predates even this. The county changed significantly on April 1st 1974 when the Local Government Act 1972 moved the boundaries of many English counties. Berkshire lost ground to Oxfordshire but gained Eton and Slough . Reading , county seat since taking over from Abingdon in 1867, remained as the county's capital. Berkshire lies mainly south of the River Thames , which forms the northern boundary of the county except at Slough and Reading which are on land to the north of the river. The River Kennet also flows through Berkshire. Beyond the flood plains formed by the Thames and its tributaries, the land rises toward the county boundaries with Surrey and Hampshire . This part of Berkshire is still heavily wooded, especially around Bracknell and Windsor Great Park. The highest point in the county lies near the border with Hampshire. At 297 m (974 ft), Walbury Hill is also the tallest hill in South East England and was once the site of an Iron Age hill fort. Visitors to the county of Berkshire are spoilt for choice. Perhaps its most famous landmark is Windsor Castle , home to the British Royal Family since it was first built by William The Conquerer in the 11th Century. It is claimed to be the oldest and largest continually occupied castle in the world. Visitors to the castle can tour the State Apartments, the extensive suites of rooms at the heart of the working palace. For part of the year visitors can also see the Semi State rooms, featuring some of the most sumptuous interiors on view. The Castle complex has many attractions apart from finely decorated rooms. Visitors can enjoy the Drawings Gallery, Queen Mary's dolls' house, and the fourteenth-century St. George's Chapel, the burial place of ten sovereigns and the setting for many Royal weddings. Windsor Great Park, for many years the private hunting ground of the Royals, is now a popular recreational area and is especially popular for residents of the western reaches of London. This 5,000 acre deer park is owned and managed by Crown Estates and is home to many species of native tree, including some very mighty old oaks. Windsor is also famous for the nearby Eton College , which was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI . The school opens its grounds to visitors from March to October. Windsor also hosts another, completely different experience at Legoland - one of Britain's most visited tourist attractions. A little further along the Thames lies the larger town of Maidenhead . The town was called 'Maydenhyth' or 'maiden's landing place' during medieval times, the river providing the town with enviable transport links both to the capital and into the heart of middle England. The town is still popular with those that enjoy messing about in boats and an annual regatta is still held in Maidenhead during August. Maidenhead is home to two of the finest bridges to span the Thames. The first was originally built out of wood in 1280 and this bridge helped Maidenhead to expand and establish itself as a major berkshire town. The current stone bridge, known as Maidenhead Bridge, was built in 1777 and operated as a toll bridge until 1903 when the people using the bridge threw the gates into the river in protest over the charges. With the coming of the railways a new bridge was constructed over the Thames at Maidenhead by Isambard Kingdom Brunel . Often known as the Maidenhead Viaduct, the bridge is famous for its two massive brick arches which were the largest and flattest of their kind in the world when it was completed in 1838. The arches span 128 feet (39 m) and have become famous for the tremendous echoes produced under the right hand arch or Sounding Arch, through which the Thames passes. The river here provides many wonderful walks, including that upstream from Brunel's bridge to Boulter's Lock, which has long been a famous riverside setting for walks and picnics. Berkshire is home to a great number of outstanding estates and nature parks, many of which are now open to the public. These include those at Donnington Castle , Beale Wildlife Park and Gardens , Bisham Abbey and the magnificent Palladian mansion at Basildon Park which was used as a location (as 'Netherfield Park') for the acclaimed 2005 film Pride & Prejudice. It was also used as a filming location for the movie Marie-Antoinette. With a mix of rural beauty, bustling towns and quiet riversides, Berkshire is one of England's most attractive counties and has plenty to offer visitors and residents alike.

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