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County Population: 800,000 (estimate)
Berkshire
occupies the valleys of the middle Thames and its tributary, the Kennet.
Originally largely infertile, the county supported sandy heathland, forests
and pig farming. The western and northern parts of Berkshire are crossed
by chalk downs that were first settled by prehistoric people in approximately
10,000 BC.
Windsor
town grew up around a stronghold begun by William the Conqueror in 1070.
In the Middle Ages trade in wool and cloth contributed to the growth of
the area and important battles were fought there during the English Civil
War. Windsor Castle itself is set upon a hill looking over the River Thames,
and as a royal residence is one of the most popular tourist attractions
in the UK.
The
arrival of the railway helped Reading become a commercial centre; it became
the county town in the late 19th century. Following the designation of
Bracknell as a "new town" in 1949, and the later construction
of the M4 motorway, the landscape and lifestyle have altered with many
rural areas becoming urbanised, especially around Reading and eastwards
towards London.
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