Since the nineteenth century Berkshire has been acknowledged and formally known as the Royal County of Berkshire, and the name was bestowed upon it because of its proximity to Windsor Castle. It was officially recognized as such by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957, but most of the road signs welcoming people to the Royal County have since and slowly disappeared. Berkshire county is one of the oldest counties in England and it is alleged to date from as early as the 840’s and has seen many a battle through history. However, despite its history it is not exactly the Berkshire that grew out of all those historical events and moments. Many things have changed about Berkshire in the last fifty or so years alone.
In 1867 Reading became the county seat of Berkshire—taking over from Abingdon which became a part of Oxfordshire some years later. Under the Local Government Act of 1972 the Berkshire boundaries totally changed in 1974. Slough and Eton both fell into the new administration area of Berkshire and the Eton Rural district which had formerly been a part of Buckinghamshire.
Geography and Property
Berkshire is essentially split straight across the middle by the River Thames, which flows all the way through Berkshire from London and the Thames estuary in Essex and Kent. The southern side of Berkshire is bordered by Hampshire and Surrey, with Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire to the northern side. The River Kennet is also a huge part of the Berkshire landscape because it joins up with the Thames at Reading. The north of the River Kennet sees a huge rise in the land as it slopes beautifully up to the Berkshire Downs accentuating the beauty of the valley for miles around. Of course no one who knows Berkshire could get away with forgetting that it also runs most of the length of the M4 corridor out to the west and into Wales. The whole of Berkshire has some of the most lovely scenery in the south and south west and there has always been a pretty healthy property market throughout most of the county. Solicitors are often being contracted to offer conveyancing in Reading, Slough and all the other larger Berkshire towns because of the constant turnover in property.
Harrison’s Solicitors are highly experienced legal experts offering a comprehensive Conveyancing & drafting will service in the Reading area. Visit them online!
