111-497: Twyford Brook is a small English river in the county of Berkshire . It drains a rural area to the east of Twyford , starting at the foot of the M4 motorway embankment, and is a tributary of the River Loddon . It was once part of a larger river system, draining the area now occupied by the new town of Bracknell . Because of issues with flooding, a new channel was cut to carry the water to
222-464: A 100% win record. In 2010–11 the club finished bottom of National League 2S, with a single win and twenty-nine defeats. The club was founded in 1928 and in 1996 moved to a new purpose-built ground at Monks Lane, which has since hosted England U21 fixtures. The Bracknell Bees Ice Hockey Club are former national champions, who play in the English Premier League . Slough Jets also play in
333-504: A chalk downland and area of outstanding natural beauty , occupy the west of the county. They are the source of the River Kennet , which flows east through Newbury before meeting the Thames at Reading. The Thames then forms Berkshire's northern border, flowing past Maidenhead, before entering the county and flowing past Slough and Windsor . The south-east of the county contains Swinley Forest ,
444-400: A drain that collects water from Beenham's Heath, and after crossing the heath, from a drain that runs along the foot of the motorway embankment. The course then meanders to the north to pass under Crockford's Bridge, and then to the east to reach Sill Bridge. This is an early 18th century humpback bridge with three semi-circular arches and is grade II listed. Next, it makes a larger deviation to
555-673: A major draw; the highlight is the Ascot Gold Cup . The most prestigious race is the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes run in July. Newbury Racecourse is in the civil parish of Greenham , adjoining the town of Newbury. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's 32 Group 1 races, the Lockinge Stakes . It also hosts the Ladbrokes Trophy , which
666-542: A number of announcements and delays, the government announced in March 2011 that it would electrify the line as far as Bristol Temple Meads. Following delays to the work and a large increase in costs, the Conservative government announced in July 2017 that, for the time being, electrification would only be completed as far as Thingley Junction, 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Chippenham. Electrification as far as Didcot Parkway
777-458: A railway to be built to help maintain the city's position as the second port of the country as well as the chief one for American trade. More specifically, fearing rising competition from Liverpool and railway developments to its favour, the sought railway was to be preferably built to superior standards as to out-perform any of the lines serving the North West of England . Thus, the line built by
888-762: A remnant of Windsor Forest now used as a forestry plantation . There is evidence of prehistoric settlement on the Berkshire Downs, including the Iron Age Uffington White Horse , now in Oxfordshire. In the Anglo-Saxon period the region was contested by Mercia and Wessex , and Alfred the Great was born in Wantage , also now in Oxfordshire. Windsor Castle , which would become the official country residence of
999-567: A rich history in horse racing, the well drained, spongy grass, open downs and long flats make the Lambourn Downs ideal for training racehorses. This area of West Berkshire is the largest centre of racehorse training in the UK after Newmarket , and is known as the 'Valley of the Racecourse'. Reading F.C. is the only Berkshire football club to play professional football . Despite being founded in 1871,
1110-473: A route south of the Great Western Main Line to link the airport with Reading. Plans for electrification of the line will make it easier to access Heathrow from Reading, since lack of electrification between Reading station and Airport Junction (near West Drayton station) was a limiting factor. Plans under consideration in 2014 included new tunnels between Heathrow and Langley . Signalling Solutions
1221-500: A series of passing loops allow fast trains to overtake slower ones. This section is signalled for bi-directional running on each line but this facility is usually only used during engineering working or when there is significant disruption to traffic in one direction. The summit of the line is at Swindon, and falls away in each direction: Swindon is 270 feet (82 m) above Paddington, and 292 feet (89 m) above Bristol Temple Meads. The maximum gradient between Paddington and Didcot
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#17330930371871332-464: A silk mill was built in 1810 by two brothers, Thomas and George Billing. The enterprise was fairly short-lived, as the law was changed to allow silk to be imported more freely from France, and only mills equipped with up-to-date equipment could compete. Thomas died in 1824, and the mill was sold to become a flour mill soon afterwards. The mill building spanned both Twyford Brook and the River Loddon, with
1443-433: A £5 billion modernisation by Network Rail. Reading railway station saw a major redevelopment with new platforms, a new entrance, footbridge and lifts; the work was completed a year ahead of schedule in July 2014. The eastern section from Paddington to Hayes & Harlington was electrified in 1998. The Crossrail project covered electrification of the line from Airport Junction to Maidenhead and, following
1554-491: Is 1 in 1320 (0.75 ‰ or 0.075 % ); between Didcot and Swindon it is 1 in 660 (1.5 ‰ or 0.15%) but west of Swindon, gradients as steep as 1 in 100 (10 ‰ or 1%) are found in places, such as Box Tunnel and to the east of Dauntsey . The line is electrified between Paddington and Langley Burrell (just east of Chippenham) using 25 kV AC overhead supply lines; the Reading to Taunton line (as far as Newbury) and
1665-532: Is a ceremonial county and non-metropolitan county , one of four currently in England that have no council covering their entire area; rather it is divided into six unitary authorities. Berkshire County Council existed from 1889 until its abolition in 1998. The ceremonial county has a Lord Lieutenant and a High Sheriff . The Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire is Andrew Try, and the High Sheriff of Berkshire for 2018/19
1776-718: Is a centre for rugby union football . The Premiership team London Irish were for 20 years tenants at the Madejski Stadium before their move back to SW London at a new stadium in Brentford. Newbury's rugby union club, Newbury R.F.C. (the Newbury 'Blues'), is based in the town. In the 2004–05 season, the club finished second in the National Two division earning promotion to National One. Newbury had previously won National Four South (now renamed as National Three South) in 1996–97 with
1887-672: Is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Berkshire at current basic prices published by the Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British pounds sterling . Reading has a historical involvement in the information technology industry, largely as a result of the early presence in the town of sites of International Computers Limited and Digital . These companies have been swallowed by other groups, but their descendants, Fujitsu and Hewlett-Packard respectively, still have local operations. More recently Microsoft and Oracle have established multi-building campuses on
1998-561: Is a connecting Transport for Wales boat train to/from Fishguard Harbour for the Stena Line ferry to Rosslare Europort in Ireland . An integrated timetable is offered between London Paddington and Rosslare Europort with through ticketing available. Daytime and nocturnal journeys are offered in both directions daily (including Sundays). Between London and Didcot there are four tracks, two for each direction. The main lines are mostly used by
2109-564: Is home to the Slough Ladies 1XI who play in the Women's Premier League, with five adult teams. In 2016, Bracknell and Wokingham Hockey Clubs merged to form South Berkshire Hockey Club. The team plays at Cantley Park in Wokingham and occasionally at Birch Hill, Bracknell. Other hockey teams in the county include Tadley, Yateley, Maidenhead, Windsor, and Newbury & Thatcham Hockey Clubs. Berkshire
2220-549: Is home to the central Waitrose distribution centre and head office, which is on a 70-acre (280,000 m ) site on the Southern Industrial Estate. Waitrose has operated from the town since the 1970s. The town is also home to the UK headquarters of Honda and BMW . Newbury is home to the world headquarters of the mobile network operator Vodafone , which is the town's largest employer with over 6,000 people. Before moving to their £129 million headquarters in
2331-573: Is home to the following universities: the University of Reading (which includes the Henley Business School ), Imperial College ( Silwood Park Campus), and the University of West London . It is also home to The Chartered Institute of Marketing , prestigious independent schools Ludgrove School , Eton College and Wellington College , and several grammar schools including Reading School , Kendrick School and Herschel Grammar School . See
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#17330930371872442-496: Is mostly based in the urban areas to the east and centre of the county: the largest towns here are Reading , Slough , Bracknell , Maidenhead , Woodley , Wokingham , Windsor , Earley , Sandhurst , and Crowthorne . West Berkshire is much more rural and sparsely populated, with far fewer towns: the largest are Newbury , Thatcham , and Hungerford . In recent years, Berkshire has seen consistent population growth, particularly in urban areas like Reading and Slough. Between 2011-21,
2553-438: Is now known as Snake Water, and forms part of Pondwood Fisheries. In 1986, the present owner bought the seven plots of land at Pondwood which had been created when the motorway was built in the 1970s, and opened a fishery using two lakes to the north of the river in 1987. The course of the river here was known as West End Ditch, and maintenance by Thames Water ceased in the late 1980s. Faced with large volumes of run-off water from
2664-463: Is open at the eastern end, and although there are about 6,000 moated sites in England, few are known to exist in Berkshire, and so the site is particularly important. The river heads generally westwards, meandering across land which is just below the 130-foot (40 m) contour for most of its length. Occasional drains join it from time to time, and just before it reaches Callin's Bridge, it is joined by
2775-496: Is presently a part of the national rail system managed by Network Rail while the majority of passenger services upon it are provided by the current Great Western Railway franchise. The GWML was built by the original Great Western Railway company between 1838 and 1841, as a dual track line in the 7 ft ( 2,134 mm ) broad gauge . The broad gauge remained in use until 1892, after which standard gauge track has been exclusively used. Between 1877 and 1932, many sections of
2886-482: Is rated good or fail. The water quality of Twyford Brook was as follows in 2019. The water quality has fluctuated. The chemical status was Fail in 2013 and 2014, but Good in 2015 and 2016. The ecological status and overall status was Poor in 2013, moderate in 2014, and bad in 2015 and 2016. Reasons for the status not being good include sewage discharge, run-off from the M4 motorway, and contamination by fertilisers leeching into
2997-471: Is rural, and its largest town is Newbury (33,841). For local government purposes Berkshire comprises six unitary authority areas: Bracknell Forest , Reading , Slough , West Berkshire , Windsor and Maidenhead , and Wokingham . The historic county included the parts of Oxfordshire south of the River Thames , which formed its northern border, but excluded Caversham and Slough . The Berkshire Downs ,
3108-710: Is said to be the biggest handicap race of the National Hunt season apart from the Grand National . Windsor Racecourse , also known as Royal Windsor Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Windsor . It is one of only two figure-of-eight courses in the United Kingdom. (The other is at Fontwell Park ). It abandoned National Hunt jump racing in December 1998, switching entirely to flat racing. Lambourn also has
3219-658: Is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting 13 of the UK's 35 annual Group 1 races. The course is closely associated with the British Royal Family , being approximately 6 mi (10 km) from Windsor Castle , and owned by the Crown Estate . Ascot today stages twenty-five days of racing over the course of the year, comprising sixteen flat meetings held between May and October. The Royal Meeting, held in June, remains
3330-626: The Warship locomotives, which were based on proven West German designs, the British-designed Class 14 , Hymek and Western types. However, these were all eventually withdrawn and replaced with more standard British Rail diesel-electric classes such as the Class 37 and Class 47 . During the 1970s, the line speed of the GWML was upgraded to permit faster operations; this work was in preparation for
3441-524: The 1979–90 Conservative governments that succeeded the 1976–79 Labour government , the proposal was not implemented. In the mid-1990s, the line between London Paddington and Hayes & Harlington was electrified as part of the Heathrow Express scheme, which was officially launched in June 1998. As part of the privatisation of British Rail , the Great Western InterCity franchise
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3552-568: The Blackwater draining parts of two counties south, and the Kennet draining part of upland Wiltshire in the west. Heading west the reduced, but equally large, part of the county extends further from the Thames which flows from the north-north-west before the Goring Gap ; West Berkshire hosts the varying-width plain of the River Kennet rising to high chalk hills by way of and lower clay slopes and rises. To
3663-586: The British monarch , was built after the Norman Conquest . The county has been the site of several battles, particularly during the First English Civil War , when Reading and Wallingford were besieged two battles took place at Newbury, in 1643 and 1644 . The proximity of the east of the county to London led to development from the nineteenth century, when Slough became an industrial centre and Bracknell
3774-535: The Class 800 trains are slower in diesel mode than under electric power. Network Rail plans to install European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) in-cab signalling on the Great Western line; this is a pre-requisite for the Super Express trains to run at 140 mph (225 km/h). Some of this resignalling work was undertaken during the electrification work. Furthermore, Network Rail has envisaged
3885-565: The English Premier League winning the title in 2007. Slough Jets also won the play-offs in 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10 & 2011–12. They also won the EPIH Cup in 2010–11. Slough Jets have been in the EPIHL since 1999. Phoenix Reading Hockey Club, based at Reading University, has six adult teams and a large junior development section. Reading Hockey Club and Sonning Hockey Club are situated close to each other near Blue Coats School. Slough Hockey Club
3996-489: The Great Western Railway and engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel was originally a dual track line using a wider 7 ft ( 2,134 mm ) broad gauge . The line's construction costs were considerably higher due to the use of this broad gauge. The route of the GWML includes dozens of listed buildings and structures, including tunnel portals, bridges and viaducts, stations, and associated hotels. Part of
4107-525: The Labour Party ) with employed executives, whereas Labour Party local councillors run both Bracknell Forest and Reading , with Slough being run by the Conservative Party . After the 2024 United Kingdom general election , 5 of the elected Members of Parliament (MPs) were Labour, 3 Lib Dem and one conservative. The prime minister between 2016–19, Theresa May represented Maidenhead . This
4218-572: The List of places in Berkshire , List of settlements in Berkshire by population and the List of civil parishes in Berkshire Great Western Main Line The Great Western Main Line ( GWML ) is a main line railway in England that runs westwards from London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads . It connects to other main lines such as those from Reading to Penzance and Swindon to Swansea . The GWML
4329-565: The M4 motorway , on the south side of Sonning Bridge , on the A404 southbound by Marlow, and northbound on the A33 past Stratfield Saye . A flag for the historic county of Berkshire was registered with the Flag Institute in 2017. All of the county is drained by the Thames. Berkshire divides into two topological (and associated geological) sections: east and west of Reading . North-east Berkshire has
4440-478: The River Thames at Bray . The new channel and the river upstream from there is now known as The Cut , and the old channel became known as Twyford Brook. The river begins at the foot of the M4 motorway embankment near Pondwood Fisheries. Formerly, The Cut , which now makes a sharp turn on the other side of the embankment, flowed to the west along what is now the Twyford Brook. However, further downstream there
4551-527: The Slough rail accident of 1900, in which five passengers were killed, improved vacuum braking systems were used on locomotives and passenger rolling stock; furthermore, Automatic Train Control (ATC) was introduced in 1908. Further widenings of the line took place between 1903 and 1910; another round of widening works occurred between 1931 and 1932. By the 1930s, trains traversing the GWML were reportedly attaining
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4662-623: The Thames Valley from the Hannington TV transmitter. Those parts of Berkshire closest to London such as Maidenhead , Windsor and Slough , receive BBC London and ITV London from the Crystal Palace TV transmitter. The county’s local radio stations are BBC Radio Berkshire , Heart South and Greatest Hits Radio Berkshire & North Hampshire . Berkshire hosts more Group 1 flat horse races than any other county. Ascot Racecourse
4773-602: The Thames Valley , crossing the River Thames three times, including on the Maidenhead Railway Bridge . Between Chippenham and Bath the line passes through Box Tunnel , and then follows the valley of the River Avon . A junction west of Swindon allows trains to reach Bristol by an alternative route along the South Wales Main Line . Other diversionary routes exist between Chippenham and Bath via Melksham and
4884-599: The Vale of White Horse district, and Didcot and Wallingford added to South Oxfordshire district. 94 (Berkshire Yeomanry) Signal Squadron still keep the Uffington White Horse in their insignia, even though the White Horse is now within the ceremonial county of Oxfordshire. The original Local Government White Paper would have transferred Henley-on-Thames from Oxfordshire to Berkshire: this proposal did not make it into
4995-570: The Wessex Main Line , although this involves a reversal at Bradford Junction; and from Reading to Bath via the Reading–Taunton line . Most services are provided by Great Western Railway (GWR). The stations served by trains between London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads are Reading , Didcot Parkway , Swindon , Chippenham , and Bath Spa . Some trains between London and Bristol do not call at Didcot Parkway. The Elizabeth line runs on
5106-575: The Bill as introduced. On 1 April 1998 Berkshire County Council was abolished under a recommendation of the Banham Commission , and the districts became unitary authorities . Unlike similar reforms elsewhere at the same time, the non-metropolitan county was not abolished. Signs saying "Welcome to the Royal County of Berkshire" exist on borders of West Berkshire, on the east side of Virginia Water , on
5217-517: The Broadwater, and the river to the west of Ruscombe Lake was still known as the River Broadwater in 1923, rather than Twyford Brook. The construction of the cut and the draining of Ruscombe Lake took place around 1820. There was an area of swampy ground between the sharp turn and the Twyford Brook, but the connection was severed by the construction of the motorway embankment. The start of the river
5328-513: The Brook joining the tailrace of the mill on the downstream side of the building. By 1899 it was served by a long railway siding which ran alongside the Henley branchline from Twyford station. The wooden building was burnt down in a fire in 1891, but a new mill was built, which was bought by Berks, Bucks and Oxon Farmers Ltd in 1927, a group of farmers who operated as a co-operative to mill animal feed. The mill
5439-554: The Chilterns, and often contain layers of chalk rock. Less consolidated Palaeogene clays , sands , gravels and silts of the Lambeth , Thames and Bracklesham Groups overlie these rocks in some areas. These hills, and the valleys that surround them, were shaped by the rivers Kennet , Lambourn , Pang and Enborne , and the Quaternary sands and gravels they brought with them and (in
5550-661: The Cornish Riviera Express, which again made full use of the wider loading gauge on that route. At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the Great Western Railway, and thus the GWML, was taken into government control, as were most major railways in Britain. After the conflict, the companies were reorganised into the "big four" companies , of which the Great Western Railway was one. The railways, including
5661-509: The GWML include West London (including Acton , Ealing , Hanwell , Southall , Hayes , Harlington and West Drayton ); Iver ; Langley ; Slough ; Burnham ; Taplow ; Maidenhead ; Twyford ; Reading ; Tilehurst ; Pangbourne ; Goring-on-Thames ; Streatley ; Cholsey ; Didcot ; Swindon ; Chippenham ; Bath ; Keynsham ; and Bristol . The route includes dozens of listed buildings and structures, including tunnel portals, bridges and viaducts, stations, and associated hotels. Presently,
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#17330930371875772-409: The GWML is electrified between London Paddington and Royal Wootton Bassett. In the long term, Network Rail plans to install European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) in-cab signalling across the entire line. The construction of what would become the GWML was motivated by several factors, one of the more influential being the sizeable merchant community of Bristol, which keenly advocated for such
5883-399: The GWML were widened to four tracks. During 1908, Automatic Train Control (ATC) was introduced as a safety measure. In 1948, the Great Western Railway, and thus the GWML, was merged into the Western Region of British Railways . During the 1970s, the GWML was upgraded to support higher line speeds, as a result of which many sections permitted 125 mph (201 km/h) operations, enabling
5994-461: The GWML, returned to direct government control during the Second World War before being nationalised to form British Railways (BR) in 1948, thus bringing the line into public ownership. Unlike the other BR regions, which introduced diesel-electric locomotives, the Western Region , to which the GWML belonged, decided to procure a complete range of diesel-hydraulic locomotives to fulfil its type 1 to type 4 power requirements. These included
6105-485: The Great Western Main Line between London and Reading. Fast Heathrow Express trains from Paddington to London Heathrow Airport are operated by GWR on behalf of Heathrow Airport Holdings . CrossCountry operate trains between Reading and Oxford, using the Great Western Main Line as far as Didcot. Great Western Railway also operate a train between London Paddington – Cardiff Central every 30 minutes, with hourly extensions to Swansea . At Swansea/Cardiff there
6216-415: The Great Western Main Line include West London (including Acton , Ealing , Hanwell , Southall , Hayes , Harlington and West Drayton ); Iver ; Langley ; Slough ; Burnham ; Taplow ; Maidenhead ; Twyford ; Reading ; Tilehurst ; Pangbourne ; Goring-on-Thames ; Streatley ; Cholsey ; Didcot ; Swindon ; Chippenham ; Bath ; Keynsham ; and Bristol . From London to Didcot, the line follows
6327-448: The Norman Conquest, when William the Conqueror established Windsor as a royal residence. On 1 April 1974, Berkshire's boundaries changed under the Local Government Act 1972 . Berkshire took over administration of Slough and Eton and part of the former Eton Rural District from Buckinghamshire. The northern part of the county came under governance of Oxfordshire , with Faringdon , Wantage and Abingdon and their hinterland becoming
6438-481: The River Loddon as it crosses the 115-foot (35 m) contour. It is crossed by the Great Western Main Line railway just to the west of Twyford railway station , and the branch line from Twyford for Henley-on-Thames crosses it twice. There are two culverts on the final section, which have allowed housing on Weavers Way to be built over it, and then it enters the Loddon just below the site of Twyford flour mill. There have been mills at Twyford since at least 1365, and
6549-439: The South Wales Main Line (as far as Cardiff Central) are also electrified. The line speed is 125 mph (201 km/h). The relief lines from Paddington to Didcot are limited to 90 mph (140 km/h) as far as Reading, and then 100 mph (160 km/h) to Didcot. Lower restrictions apply at various locations. The line is one of two Network Rail -owned lines equipped with the Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system,
6660-613: The UK headquarters is still based there. Bracknell is a base for high-tech industries, with the presence of companies such as Panasonic , Fujitsu (formerly ICL ) and Fujitsu-Siemens Computers , Dell , Hewlett-Packard , Siemens (originally Nixdorf ), Honeywell , Cable & Wireless , Avnet Technology Solutions and Novell . Firms spread into the surrounding Thames Valley or M4 corridor , attracting IT firms such as Cable & Wireless , DEC (subsequently Hewlett-Packard ), Microsoft , Sharp Telecommunications , Oracle Corporation , Sun Microsystems and Cognos . Bracknell
6771-592: The UK headquarters of Mars, Incorporated are based in Slough . The European head offices of major IT companies BlackBerry , CA Technologies , are in the town. The town is home to the National Foundation for Educational Research , which is housed in The Mere. Other major brands with offices in the town include Nintendo , Black & Decker , Amazon , HTC , SSE plc and Abbey Business Centres . Dulux paints were manufactured in Slough by AkzoNobel , which bought Imperial Chemical Industries in 2008. Manufacturing ceased in 2018 with operations moving elsewhere, however
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#17330930371876882-542: The area after which it was named). The heaths and woodland south and east of Bracknell are mostly covered by (Eocene) Bracklesham Group sands and clays, and Quaternary sands, silts and gravels. After the Thames broke through the Goring Gap that river and its tributaries the Loddon , Emm Brook , Blackwater and (to some extent) Wey shaped the geography of eastern Berkshire but have not yet eroded away its Eocene cover. According to 2003 estimates there were 803,657 people in Berkshire, or 636 people/km . The population
6993-417: The area to the west of Reading and the western edge of the Chiltern Hills . The lower (early) Cretaceous rocks are sandstones and mudstones (now visible only on the slopes of Walbury Hill ) whilst those of the upper (late) Cretaceous are the various formations that comprise the Chalk Group . In Berkshire, White Chalk Formation beds tend to be shallower than those further west ( Wiltshire ) or those in
7104-423: The case of the Kennet) left behind when they changed course. The early Eocene London Clay (Thames Group) generally gets thinner as we proceed westwards, though the thickness of beds can vary considerably over short distances. Where rivers have cut through these beds Lambeth Group layers are found (notably, the Palaeocene Reading Formation , used for brick-making since Roman times but now increasingly scarce in
7215-409: The centre of which is a fishpond, believed to be contemporary with the moat. The pond retains water all year, but the moat is only filled with water seasonally. It is at the western end of Botany Bay copse. Stanlake Park is a large country house dating from the 16th century, to which alterations were made in the 18th and subsequent centuries. It is grade II listed, as is the adjacent stable block, which
7326-428: The club did not join the Football League until 1920, and first played in the top tier of English football in the 2006–07 season . Newbury was home to A.F.C. Newbury , which was one of only two football clubs to be sponsored by Vodafone (the other being Manchester United ). In 2006 Vodafone ended its sponsorship of the club, following which the club collapsed. A local pub team from the Old London Apprentice took over
7437-419: The county's downlands , south and east of which the London Clay spans almost the whole county, and in the south-east corner sandy Palaeogene heath covers the London Clay. This is an oversimplification, however. A gently folded succession of sedimentary rocks dating from the Cretaceous period, with some surviving Palaeogene cover and extensive Quaternary deposits, characterise the downlands, which cover
7548-408: The county's early history is recorded in the Chronicles of the Abingdon Abbey , which at the time of the survey was second only to the crown in the extent and number of its possessions, such as The Abbey, Sutton Courtenay . The abbot exercised considerable judicial and administrative powers, and his court was endowed with the privileges of the hundred court and freed from liability to interference by
7659-528: The deployment of ERTMS to function as the replacement for the aging ATP system. Further capacity improvements are also scheduled at Swindon, adding to recent changes and the new Platform 4. Crossrail services are planned to terminate at Reading. Some of the current suburban services into London Paddington are planned to be transferred to the new Crossrail service, which will free up some surface-level capacity at Paddington. Other more distant aspirations include resignalling and capacity improvements at Reading;
7770-447: The directories company Hibu . The insurance company Prudential has an administration centre in the town. PepsiCo and Holiday Inn have offices. As with most major cities, Reading also has offices of the Big Four accounting firms Deloitte , Ernst & Young , KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers . The 110-year old charity, Berkshire Vision is also located within Reading city centre. The global headquarters of Reckitt Benckiser and
7881-438: The economy of Slough in east Berkshire. Abingdon Abbey once had dairy-based granges in the south-east of the county, Red Windsor cheese was developed with red marbling. Some Berkshire cheeses are Wigmore, Waterloo and Spenwood (named after Spencers Wood ) in Riseley ; and Barkham Blue, Barkham Chase and Loddon Blewe at Barkham . Local news and television programmes are covered by BBC South and ITV Meridian for
7992-412: The faster trains and are on the south side of the route. The relief lines on the north side are used for slower services and those that call at all stations, as only London Paddington, Slough, Maidenhead, Twyford, Reading and Didcot Parkway stations have platforms on the main lines (although a few others have main line platforms that can be used in an emergency). Between Didcot and Royal Wootton Bassett ,
8103-431: The geography, and 100 acres (0.40 km) seems more likely. It was somewhat seasonal in nature, expanding to its maximum size in winter, and drying out to a large extent in summer. As it makes a horseshoe turn to run along the northern edge of Stanlake Park, the river is joined by another drain which carries water from an extensive area to the south and east. Nearby is another moat, this time completely enclosing an area, in
8214-578: The grassy and wooded bends a large minority of East Berkshire's land mirrors the clay belt, being of low elevation and on the left (north) bank of the Thames : Slough, Eton, Eton Wick, Wraysbury, Horton, and Datchet. In the heart of the county Reading's northern suburb Caversham is also on that bank, but rises steeply into the Chiltern Hills . Two main tributaries skirt past Reading, the Loddon and its sub-tributary
8325-479: The ground temporarily and now compete in the Hellenic Football League as Newbury F.C. There are several amateur and semi-professional football clubs in the county. These include Maidenhead United , Slough Town , Hungerford Town , Thatcham Town , Ascot United , A.F.C. Aldermaston , Sandhurst Town , Windsor F.C. , Wokingham & Emmbrook F.C. , Bracknell Town F.C. and Reading City . Reading
8436-403: The highest average speeds in the world. A legacy of the broad gauge was that trains for some routes could be built slightly wider than was normal in Britain; examples included the 1929-built " Super Saloons " used on the boat train services that conveyed transatlantic passengers to London in luxury. When the company celebrated its centenary during 1935, new "Centenary" carriages were built for
8547-563: The introduction of the InterCity 125 high speed train (HST). The HST brought about considerable improvements in service and reduced journey times. In 1977, the Parliamentary Select Committee on Nationalised Industries recommended considering electrification of more of Britain's rail network and, by 1979, British Rail had presented a range of options that included electrifying the line from Paddington to Swansea by 2000. Under
8658-659: The last 500 miles of track were converted to standard gauge. Between 1877 and 1899, the original dual tracks were widened to four in numerous places, mainly in the east half of the line: Paddington to Southall (October 1877), Southall to West Drayton (November 1878), West Drayton to Slough (June 1879), Slough to east side of Maidenhead Bridge (September 1884), Maidenhead Bridge to Reading (June 1893), Reading station (1899), Reading to Pangbourne (July 1893), Pangbourne to Cholsey and Moulsford (June 1894), Cholsey and Moulsford to Didcot (December 1892); also short sections between Didcot and Swindon, and at Bristol. Following
8769-587: The low calciferous (limestone) m-shaped bends of the Thames south of which is a broader, clayey, gravelly former watery plain or belt from Earley to Windsor and beyond, south, are parcels and belts of uneroded higher sands, flints, shingles and lightly acid soil and in the north of the Bagshot Formation , north of Surrey and Hampshire . Swinley Forest (also known as Bracknell Forest), Windsor Great Park , Crowthorne and Stratfield Saye Woods have many pine, silver birch, and other lightly acid-soil trees. East of
8880-493: The motorway flooding the area, in the early 1990s the owner widened the stream to create a series of lakes, and built weirs to control the flow of flood water. These made a valuable addition to the fishery, and a fourth lake was created in 2008, which was excavated in swampy ground that had previously been used as a training ground for the Badminton horse trials. To the west of the fishery, the river passes under Smewins Road. Just to
8991-549: The new county town in 1867, taking over from Abingdon , which remained in the county. Under the Local Government Act 1888 , Berkshire County Council took over functions of the Berkshire Quarter Sessions , covering the administrative county of Berkshire, which excluded the county borough of Reading . Boundary alterations in the late 19th century and early 20th century were relatively rare, but included ceding
9102-432: The newly introduced InterCity 125 high speed train (HST) to make faster journeys. British Rail proposed widespread electrification of the line in the late 1970s, although this was not speedily implemented. During the mid-1990s, a stretch of the GWML between London Paddington and Hayes & Harlington was electrified using 25 kV AC overhead lines for the Heathrow Express . Further, although not total, electrification
9213-410: The north is Smewins Farm, where the grade II listed Smewins Cottage, probably dating from Tudor times, sits in the middle of a large moat. The moat is filled with water and its ditches are about 16 feet (5 m) wide and 5 feet (1.5 m) deep. The site is a scheduled monument , around 66 yards (60 m) from east to west and between 44 and 55 yards (40 and 50 m) from north to south. The moat
9324-455: The north, where it is crossed by three tracks, Mire Lane, another unnamed track and Garthing Lane at Garthinglane Bridge. It runs around the northern and western edge of a large tract of land called Ruscombe Lake, the area that used to flood and caused The Cut to be built. The lake was famous for fishing, prior to it being drained around 1820, but claims that it formerly covered an area of 3,000 acres (12 km) appear to be exaggerated, in view of
9435-466: The other being the Chiltern Main Line . Major civil engineering structures on the Great Western Main Line include the following. and Bristol Temple Meads Line-side train monitoring equipment includes hot axle box detectors (HABD) and 'Wheelchex' wheel impact load detectors (WILD), sited as follows. (Down Main disconnected December 2016) Since 2011, the Great Western has been undergoing
9546-559: The outskirts of Reading. Other technology companies with a presence in the town include Huawei Technologies , Agilent Technologies , Audio & Design (Recording) Ltd , Bang & Olufsen , Cisco , Comptel , Ericsson , Harris Corporation , Intel , Nvidia , Rockwell Collins , Sage , SGI , Symantec , Symbol Technologies , Verizon Business , Virgin Media O2 , Websense , Xansa (now Sopra Steria ), and Xerox . The financial company ING Direct has its headquarters in Reading, as does
9657-513: The outskirts of the town in 2002, Vodafone used 64 buildings spread across the town centre. As well as Vodafone, Newbury is also home to National Instruments , Micro Focus , EValue , NTS Express Road Haulage, Jokers' Masquerade and Quantel . It also is home to the Newbury Building Society , which operates in the region. In Compton , a small village, roughly 10 miles from Newbury , a chemical manufacturing company called Carbosynth
9768-439: The parts of the borough of Oxford south of the Thames in 1889, and gaining Caversham from Oxfordshire in 1911. The administrative county's full legal name was "Berks" rather than "Berkshire" until 1967, when the government changed the name to Berkshire at the county council's request. Berkshire received the title "Royal County" in 1957 due to the presence of Windsor Castle. The area has historical ties to royalty dating back to
9879-416: The population increased by 6.7%, largely due to migration and economic opportunities in the region. Reading has experienced significant growth due to its reputation as a technology and business hub. In 1831, there were 146,234 people living in Berkshire; by 1901 the population had risen to 252,571 (of whom 122,807 were male and 129,764 were female). Below were the largest immigrant groups in 2011. Berkshire
9990-423: The provision of four continuous tracks between Didcot and Swindon (including a grade-separated junction at Milton, where the westbound relief line switches from the north side of the line to the south); and resignalling between Bath and Bristol to enable trains to run closer together. Access to Heathrow Airport from the west remains an aspiration and the 2009 Heathrow Airtrack scheme, abandoned in 2011, proposed
10101-487: The relief lines between Reading and London had been raised, so that 86% of the line could be used at 90 mph (140 km/h). By 2019, the partial electrification of the GWML permitted the replacement of InterCity 125 and Class 180 sets by new Hitachi Super Express high speed trains – the Class 800 and Class 802 . The procurement programme for these trains, known as the Intercity Express Programme ,
10212-475: The river from agricultural land. Berkshire The Royal County of Berkshire , commonly known as simply Berkshire ( / ˈ b ɑː r k ʃ ɪər , - ʃ ər / BARK -sheer, -shər ; abbreviated Berks. ), is a ceremonial county in South East England . It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London to the east, Surrey to
10323-426: The river systems in England. Each is given an overall ecological status, which may be one of five levels: high, good, moderate, poor and bad. There are several components that are used to determine this, including biological status, which looks at the quantity and varieties of invertebrates , angiosperms and fish. Chemical status, which compares the concentrations of various chemicals against known safe concentrations,
10434-595: The route passes through and contributes to the Georgian Architecture of the City of Bath World Heritage Site; the path through Sydney Gardens has been described as a "piece of deliberate railway theatre by Brunel without parallel" . Grade I listed structures on the line include London Paddington , Wharncliffe Viaduct , the 1839 Tudor gothic River Avon Bridge in Bristol, and Bristol Temple Meads station . The line
10545-469: The sheriff. Berkshire and Oxfordshire had a common sheriff until the reign of Elizabeth I , and the shire court was held at Grandpont . The assizes were formerly held at Reading, Abingdon, and Newbury, but by 1911 were held entirely at Reading. Berkshire has been the scene of notable battles. Alfred the Great 's campaign against the Danes included the battles of Englefield , Ashdown and Reading . Newbury
10656-708: The south, the land crests along the boundary with Hampshire ; the highest parts of South-East and Eastern England taken together are here. The highest is Walbury Hill at 297 m (974 ft). To the north of the Kennet are the Berkshire Downs . This is hilly country, with smaller and well-wooded valleys: those of the Lambourn , Pang , and their Thames sub-tributaries. The open upland areas vie with Newmarket, Suffolk for horse racing training and breeding centres and have good fields of barley, wheat, and other cereal crops. Berkshire’s surface can be divided into three bands:
10767-444: The south-east, Hampshire to the south, and Wiltshire to the west. Reading is the largest settlement and the county town . The county has an area of 1,263 km (488 sq mi) and a population of 911,403. The population is concentrated in the east, the area closest to Greater London, which includes the county's largest towns: Reading (174,224), Slough (164,793), Bracknell (113,205), and Maidenhead (70,374). The west
10878-505: Was Graham Barker. The six unitary councils formed a joint Berkshire Prosperity Board in February 2024 and submitted an expression of interest in forming a non-mayoral combined authority in September 2024. As of the 2023 local elections, Liberal Democrat groups of local councillors run the unitary authorities of West Berkshire , Windsor and Maidenhead and Wokingham (in coalition with
10989-443: Was an area of low-lying land on Ruscombe Common, known as Ruscombe Lake, because it was always flooded, as there was no proper outlet to allow the water to reach the River Loddon. In order to rectify this, a new cut was created to carry the water to the River Thames at Bray . Further east, the river was as some time known as How Brook, although in 1813, prior to the construction of The Cut, the whole river appears to have been known as
11100-457: Was awarded by the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising to Great Western Holdings in December 1995, and it began operations on 4 February 1996. Via multiple contract extensions, this operator, which currently trades as Great Western Railway has been the primary operator of passenger services on the GWML for multiple decades. In August 2008, it was announced that a number of speed limits on
11211-617: Was carried out during the 2010s; this permitted the replacement of diesel-powered trains such as the InterCity 125 and Class 180 with electric and bi-mode train sets such as the Hitachi Super Express high speed trains, specifically the Class 800 and Class 802 . Due to budget overruns, the British government deferred electrification of the section through Bath Spa from Royal Wootton Bassett to Bristol in 2016. Communities served by
11322-407: Was completed in December 2017, and to Thingley Junction in December 2019. Electrification of associated lines, including Bristol Parkway to Temple Meads and Didcot to Oxford, was also postponed indefinitely; electrification of the route between London and Cardiff was completed in 2019. The government argued that bi-mode trains would fill in the gaps pending completion of electrification, although
11433-514: Was converted from a 16th-century timber-framed barn in the 18th century. Its east front includes a clock dating from 1681. To the west of the house, the river passes under the B3018 road at Stanlake Bridge, and then curves around the edge of modern housing that forms part of Twyford. Two more drains join from the south before it passes under the A321 Hurst Road, and turns to the north, to run parallel to
11544-492: Was culverted, to allow the buildings to extend onto a piece of land between the brook and the Loddon which had formerly been marsh. The owners became bankrupt in the 1990s, and the site was redeveloped for housing. Although none of it is original, much of the building has four storeys, as did the pre-1976 building, and incorporates cosmetic features to suggest the previous use of the site. The Environment Agency measure water quality of
11655-430: Was designated a new town . Software development and high-tech industry dominate the economy in the east, but the west remains an agricultural region. According to Asser 's biography of King Alfred , written in 893 AD, Berkshire takes its name from a wood of box trees , which was called Bearroc (a Celtic word meaning "hilly"). This wood, perhaps no longer extant, was west of Frilsham , near Newbury . Much of
11766-418: Was founded, in 2006. Since 2019, it has merged with a Swiss company called Biosynth AG to form a key global organisation within the fine chemical industry and operates under name Biosynth Carbosynth . Biosynth Carbosynth, along with its acquired companies, vivitide and Pepscan rebranded to Biosynth in 2022. London Heathrow Airport , in the neighbouring London Borough of Hillingdon, is a major contributor to
11877-426: Was highly impacted by the GWML's electrification scheme, particularly the abandonment of diesel-only trains in favour of bi-mode trains, which were elongated and outfitted with a second transformer to maximise their use of the electrified sections. The electrification of the line also allowed the introduction of other rolling stock, such as Class 387 EMUs, to conduct shorter-distance services. Communities served by
11988-465: Was opened in stages between 1838 and 1841. The first section, between Paddington Station and Maidenhead Bridge station opened on 4 June 1838, while the final section, between Chippenham and Bath, was opened on completion of the Box Tunnel , the longest railway tunnel driven by that time, in June 1841. The line's alignment was so level and straight it was nicknamed "Brunel's billiard table". The track
12099-423: Was powered by water wheels and diesel engines until the early 1960s, when it was converted to use electric motors. By 1969 the railway siding had been lifted, and a distribution warehouse covering 20,000 square feet (1,900 m) was added, but another fire destroyed the building in 1976, and construction of a new mill was completed in 1979. The new building was much larger than the old, and a section of Twyford Brook
12210-600: Was supplemented with a third rail for dual gauge operation, allowing standard gauge 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) trains to also operate on the route, in stages between 1854 and 1875. Dual gauge was introduced as follows: London to Reading (October 1861), Reading to Didcot (December 1856), Didcot to Swindon (February 1872), Swindon to Thingley Junction, Chippenham (June 1874), Thingley Junction to Bathampton (March 1875), Bathampton to Bristol (June 1874), Bristol station area (May 1854). The broad gauge remained in use until 1892, at which point
12321-648: Was the site of English Civil War battles: the First Battle of Newbury , at Wash Common in 1643, and the Second Battle of Newbury , at Speen in 1644. Donnington Castle was reduced to a ruin in the aftermath of the second battle. Another Battle of Reading took place on 9 December 1688. It was the only substantial military action in England during the Glorious Revolution and ended in a decisive victory for forces loyal to William of Orange . Reading became
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