Berkshire

About

Berkshire ( , BARK-shər, -⁠sheer; abbreviated Berks.), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, 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 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 km2 (488 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 992,327 in 2024. The population is concentrated in the east, the area closest to Greater London, which includes the county's largest towns: Reading, Slough, Bracknell, and Maidenhead. The west is rural, and its largest town is Newbury. 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.

Huginn is scouting Berkshire for you — this takes a few seconds the first time.