Historic county of England
Berkshire
Berks
Thames north, chalk downs west, Kennet through the middle, royal river country east.
Berkshire is a long Thames-side county extending from the chalk country of the west through the Kennet valley to the lower river landscape around Windsor. The Thames forms its entire northern boundary, giving Berkshire one of England’s clearest and most enduring geographical lines.
Western Berkshire contains the Vale of White Horse and the Berkshire Downs; eastwards the land falls through river valleys and increasingly settled country towards the Thames. This gives the county a natural west-to-east progression: chalk upland and vale, Kennet country, then the more densely populated river landscapes closer to London.
- c.860 = 'Bearrocscir'
- Birthplace of King Alfred
- Home to Windsor Castle
- Area 722 sq mi 1,870 km²
- Population: 842,804
- County top: Walbury Hill 965 ft / 294 m
County geography
Current Census
Contemporary Census profile
England and Wales Census 2021. Detailed contemporary statistics are available in the Geographic County Census Explorer.
- Population density
- 1,295.1 people per sq mi (500.0 people per km²)
- Population
- 935,883
Downs and Vale
The Berkshire Downs rise across the west, forming part of England’s great chalk belt. Below them lies the broad Vale of White Horse.
The relationship between ridge and vale gives western Berkshire a very different character from the increasingly urban eastern county.
Kennet to Thames
The Kennet creates another powerful corridor through Berkshire, linking the western country with the Thames.
River valleys encouraged settlement and movement long before modern roads and railways, and continue to provide much of the county’s internal structure.
The eastern river country
Towards Windsor and the lower Thames, Berkshire becomes markedly more urban and closely connected with the western edge of London.
Royal, residential and commercial landscapes sit beside the same Thames which defines the county all the way back towards its western end.
County questions
Questions about Berkshire
Is Abingdon in Berkshire?
Yes. Abingdon is geographically in Berkshire, on the southern side of the Thames. Its later administration within an Oxfordshire-named council area did not alter the geographic county boundary.
Did Berkshire disappear when Berkshire County Council was abolished?
No. A council is an administrative body. Changes to councils do not abolish or redefine the geographic county.
County record
Names and continuity
- Formal name
- Royal Berkshire
- Alternative name
- Berks
- Foundation
- c.860
Berkshire remains the geographic county extending along the south side of the Thames from its western downs towards Windsor and the lower river. Administrative changes have not altered that territorial geography.