England:
Wales:
Berkshire is one of the oldest counties in England, being created by Alfred the Great of Wessex. It is also proudly known officially as the Royal County of Berkshire, the title being bestowed upon it by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, as her personal residence is at Windsor Castle. |
Berkshire is one of the Home Counties west of London, the history of which has been strongly influenced by its strategic position and the River Thames which flows through it. The quiet scenes of English country life, the inspiration of so many artists and writers, still remain a reality. The Thames is a valuable leisure facility and traditional boating trips are enjoyed from numerous tranquil riverside villages. |
The Berkshire Downs connect the Chiltern Hills in the east with the Marlborough Downs in the west. The Downs are a hilly area with well wooded valleys and especially open upland areas, famous for their ever present racehorse training gallops. Lambourn and the thatched villages of East Garston and Eastbury are famous for their horse-racing stables. There are racecourses at Ascot, Newbury and Windsor. |
This is a land of bright sunshine and magnificent cloud formation. Here in summer is Ricard Jefferies, ‘rich blue of that unattainable flower of the sky …..’ |
Windsor Castle is the oldest of all the English Royal homes and the largest inhabited castle in the world, covering thirteen acres. William the Conqueror built a castle here 1000 years ago and almost all succeeding monarchs have made alterations to the building, giving the castle the unforgettable skyline we see today. |
Many sovereigns and famous people are buried in St. George’s Chapel, including Charles I, Henry VIII and Jane Seymour. |
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Photographs of Berkshire
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The Long Walk, Windsor Great Park |
The Long Walk, almost three miles long, connects Windsor Castle with the four thousand eight hundred acres of Windsor Great Park. It provides a magnificent tree-lined approach and remarkable panorama of the entire length of the Castle. At the far end of this straight walk, is the Copper Horse, a statue of King George III on his horse, erected on Snow Hill in 1831. |
Charles II began work on the Long Walk in 1685, by planting a double avenue of one thousand six hundred and fifty-two elm trees, thirty feet apart. In 1710, Queen Anne added the central carriage road. The soil proved to be unsuitable for elms and over the years, trees have been felled and replaced by a mixture of horse chestnut (“conker”) and London plane trees. The present trees date from 1946, when major replanting took place following an outbreak of elm disease. |
Whilst motor vehicles are banned from the Long Walk, the surrounding area provides superb opportunities for horse riding, an activity which is much enjoyed by members of the Royal Family. |
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