Portal:Berkshire

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

edit  

The Berkshire Portal

Berkshire coat of arms.
Berkshire is a Home County in the South East of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which goes back to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1958, and letters patent were issued confirming this in 1974.

Berkshire borders the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Wiltshire, Hampshire and Greater London.

edit  

Selected article

St Mary's Church and market
Reading (pronunciation (help·info)) is a large town, unitary authority area (the Borough of Reading) and urban area in Berkshire, England. It is at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, midway between London and Swindon off the M4 motorway. There is a town near Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America that is named after this Reading. The name Reading is pronounced /ˈrɛdɪŋ/ to rhyme with bedding).

Reading was an important national centre in the medieval period, as the site of an important monastery with strong royal connections, but suffered economic damage during the 17th century from which it took a long time to recover. Today it is again an important commercial centre, with strong links to information technology and insurance. It is also a university town, with two universities and a large student population.

edit  

Selected biography

Sir John Betjeman Statue in St Pancras railway station, London, UK
Sir John Betjeman CBE (28 August 1906 – 19 May 1984) was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack". He was born to an upper-middle-class family in Edwardian Hampstead. Although he claimed he failed his degree at Oxford University, his early ability in writing poetry and interest in architecture supported him throughout his life. Starting his career as a journalist, he ended it as British Poet Laureate and a much-loved figure on British television.

A number of memorials have been created to Betjeman's memory, including a window designed by John Piper at All Saints' Church, Farnborough in Berkshire, where Betjeman lived at the adjoining Rectory. There is also the Betjeman Millennium Park at nearby Wantage in Oxfordshire (formerly in Berkshire), where he had lived from 1951 to 1972 and where he set his book, Archie and the Strict Baptists.

edit  

Selected picture

edit  

Did you know?

Portal:Berkshire/Did you know

Archive – Start a new article
edit  

In the news

Portal:Berkshire/News

More current events...
Current events on Wikinews
edit  

Topics

edit  

Categories

edit  

Things to do

Portal:Berkshire/Opentask

edit  

Wikimedia

Berkshire on Wikinews     Berkshire on Wikiquote     Berkshire on Wikibooks     Berkshire on Wikisource     Berkshire on Wiktionary     Berkshire on Wikimedia Commons
News Quotations Manuals & Texts Texts Definitions Images & Media

Purge server cache