- published: 28 Nov 2011
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- author: ReadingBerkshireUK
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- A327 road
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- A33 road
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- Addlestone
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A329 road
The A329 is an east-west road in Southern England that runs from Wentworth in Surrey to Thame in Oxfordshire. The A329 starts at the A30 in Surrey and passes through the towns of Ascot, Bracknell, Wokingham, Earley, Reading, the village of Pangbourne, and Wallingford in Oxfordshire. It connects to junction 7 of the M40 before finally ending at a junction with the A418 at Thame.
The A329 originally (in 1922) terminated at Reading. In the 1930s it was extended to Shillingford on part of the route of the former A42. After the M40 motorway was opened in the 1970s it was extended to Thame on the former route of the B4013. In 1993, when the new Winterbrook Bridge enabled traffic to by-pass Wallingford, the section between Wallingford and Shillingford was downgraded to become an unclassified road.
Most of the road is single carriageway, apart from the section through Bracknell, and in central Reading. In Reading the road is dualled where it forms the Inner Distribution Road. In Bracknell the A329 originally ran along the High Street (now pedestrianised) and continued west along the Wokingham Road (now B3408). Today the original London Road is dualled for a short section approaching the Met Office Roundabout. The dual carriageway then by-passes north of the pedestrianised town centre to the Giroscope Roundabout, where it crosses the former route, heading south west to the Twin Bridges roundabout and along the dual Berkshire Way to meet the old route at Amen Corner. Here the A329 continues into Wokingham on the original route, while the A329(M) by-passes to the north.
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A33 road
The A33 is a major road in England. The road formerly ran from Reading to Southampton, but now consists of three disjoint sections:
The northern section, from Reading to Basingstoke, is mostly a single carriageway road. The dual carriageway section near Reading connects with the M4's junction 11 and was notorious for congestion. A two-year redevelopment scheme ran from early 2008 until well late 2010. It widen the northern section of the dual carriageway and significantly expanded and improved the motorway junction. The Mereoak roundabout south of the motorway was replaced with two separate junctions with traffic lights.
North of the motorway, the A33 now bypasses most of suburban Reading until it joins Reading's Inner Distribution Road where it ends. This section services the Kennet Island residential development, Madejski Stadium and Green Park Business Park
The southern section, formerly one of the two trunk roads to Southampton, has been bypassed by the M3, and as part of the planning approval, the old A33 Winchester bypass (a notorious bottleneck with traffic lights) was torn up and restored to grass. This was subject to direct action protests at Twyford Down. The M3 was completed in 1994.
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A4074 road
The A4074 is a British A road from Caversham, Reading (51°28′02″N 0°58′36″W / 51.4673°N 0.9767°W / 51.4673; -0.9767 (A4074 road (southern end))), to Heyford Hill on the Oxford Ring Road (51°43′17″N 1°14′03″W / 51.7214°N 1.2343°W / 51.7214; -1.2343 (A4074 road (northern end))). It takes a direct line across the Chiltern Hills to Benson, bypassing Crowmarsh Gifford. It then passes through Shillingford, bypasses Dorchester and passes through Nuneham Courtenay.
The road was designated in the 1980s[citation needed], when the B479 between Caversham and Crowmarsh Gifford was renumbered. In 1990[citation needed] the A423 from Crowmarsh to Heyford Hill was renumbered the A4074, and the road became the primary route between Reading and Oxford in place of the A329 along the River Thames. The short stretch of the Oxford Ring Road between Heyford Hill and the Hinksey Hill interchange was not renumbered A4074, and remains an isolated fragment of the A423[citation needed] .
The poor safety record of a particular stretch of this road, roughly between Mapledurham and Woodcote, is highlighted in its local nickname, The 13 Bends of Death. Its accident rate of 53 per 100 million vehicle kilometres is nearly 70% higher than average for roads of its type.
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A4155 road
The A4155 is a road in the United Kingdom that starts at Bourne End in Buckinghamshire and leads westwards by way of Little Marlow, Marlow, Medmenham, Henley-on-Thames, Lower Shiplake and Caversham to terminate at Reading in Berkshire. Its route follows the north bank of the River Thames and thus it becomes very congested on the days of the various regattas and similar events in the towns it serves.[citation needed]
Coordinates: 51°31′20″N 0°53′37″W / 51.52228°N 0.89371°W / 51.52228; -0.89371
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Addlestone
Coordinates: 51°22′10″N 0°29′24″W / 51.3695°N 0.4901°W / 51.3695; -0.4901
Addlestone is a town in the borough of Runnymede in the county of Surrey, England noted for its ancient 'Crouch Oak'. It is by Junction 11 of the M25 motorway, is served by Addlestone railway station on the Chertsey Branch Line and has a direct bus service to Heathrow Airport (bus 51). The M25 motorway passes to the west the town proper. Its main road is Station Road which has many shops, two supermarkets, a doctors' NHS surgery, the Aviator business park and the Eileen Tozer Day Centre and joins in to surrounding A-roads. Runnymede's council civic centre is also located on Station Road. Immediate surrounding towns and villages are Weybridge, Ottershaw, Chertsey and New Haw.
The name Addlestone probably means "Attel's Denu"; the valley belonging to a Saxon named Attel. In 1241 the place was listed as Attelsdene and by 1610 John Speede's map shows Adleston halfway between "St. Annhill" and "St. Georg Hill", just south of the Thames. Addlestone is mentioned in H.G Wells' book The War of the Worlds, in which the second of ten Martian invasion ships (called 'cylinders') landed at the Addlestone Golf Links.
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Aldershot
Coordinates: 51°14′49″N 0°45′35″W / 51.2470°N 0.7598°W / 51.2470; -0.7598
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about 60 km (37 mi) southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 33,840, while the Aldershot Urban Area, a loose conurbation (which also includes other towns, such as Camberley, Farnborough, and Farnham) has a population of 243,344, making it the thirtieth-largest urban area in the UK
Aldershot is known for its connection with the British Army. This led to rapid growth from a small village to a Victorian town. Today, Aldershot is known as the "Home of the British Army". Aldershot is twinned with Sulechów in Poland, Meudon in France and Oberursel in Germany.
The name may have derived from the name of "Alder" trees found in the area (Alder-holt meaning copse of Alder trees), indicating that it was a wet, boggy place. Aldershot, Alreshete, dates back to an Anglo-Saxon settlement. Aldershot was included as part of the old Hundred of Crondall referred to in the Domesday Book of 1086. The map of Hampshire in the 1722 edition of William Camden's Britannia or Geographical Description of Britain and Ireland shows a symbol for habitation in Aldershot in the Crundhal (Crondall) hundred.[citation needed]
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Aldershot Urban Area
The Aldershot Urban Area is the name used by the ONS to refer to the loose conurbation on the border between Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire in England. They give it a population of 243,344, making it the thirtieth-largest urban area in the UK . It consists of the following towns:
Several other continuous villages form part of the conurbation, including Ash, Ash Vale, Hale, Hawley, Mytchett, Badshot Lea, Tongham and Frimley Green.
Much of the conurbation is part of the Aldershot Parliamentary Constituency. This includes most of the area west of the River Blackwater minus Farnham, Yateley and Sandhurst.
The urban area also forms a major part of the London commuter belt and is also known as the Blackwater Valley Conurbation, named after the primary local river.
Coordinates: 51°14′N 0°45′W / 51.24°N 0.75°W / 51.24; -0.75
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Amersham
Coordinates: 51°40′37″N 0°36′12″W / 51.6769°N 0.6034°W / 51.6769; -0.6034
Amersham is a market town and civil parish within Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, 27 miles (43 km) north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills. It is part of the London commuter belt.
Amersham is split into two distinct areas: Old Amersham, set in the valley of the River Misbourne, which contains the 13th century parish church of St. Mary's and several old pubs and coaching inns; and Amersham-on-the-Hill, which grew rapidly around the railway station in the early part of the 20th century.
Records date back to pre-Anglo-Saxon times, when it was known as Egmondesham, and by the time that the Domesday Book was written around 1086 it had become known as Elmodesham. The Domesday entry is as follows:
Queen Edith was the wife of Edward the Confessor and sister of king Harold, and after her death in 1075 the land passed to William the Conqueror who granted it to Geoffrey de Mandeville.
In 1200 Geoffrey, Earl of Essex obtained a charter for Amersham allowing him to hold a Friday market and a fair on 7 and 8 September. In 1613 a new charter was granted to Edward, Earl of Bedford, changing the market day to Tuesday and establishing a statute fair on 19 September.
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Arun
Arun is a local government district in West Sussex, England. It contains the towns of Arundel, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, and takes its name from the River Arun, which runs through the centre of the district.
Arun was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, merging the Urban Districts of Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, the municipal borough of Arundel and parts of Chichester and Worthing Rural Districts.
Arun District Council is a non-metropolitan district council formed of 56 councillors from across the following 26 wards:
The council has been under the control of the Conservative Party since its first election in 1973. The last elections to the council were held on 5 May 2011, the results of which are shown below:
The following 31 civil parishes are located within the district:
Arun District occupies the central southern area of West Sussex, and is bordered by Chichester District to the west, Horsham District to the north and Worthing borough and Adur District to the east. The district is bisected by the River Arun, and is divided between a broad rural area in the north of the district that contains Arundel and a host of small villages, part of which sits within the South Downs National Park, and an urban coastal strip that includes Bognor Regis and Littlehampton.
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Ashtead
Coordinates: 51°18′36″N 0°17′55″W / 51.3101°N 0.2986°W / 51.3101; -0.2986
Ashtead is a village situated within the Metropolitan Green Belt of Surrey, England, and is just outside of the suburbia of London. It is separated from Leatherhead by the M25, and from Epsom by Ashtead Common.
There has been settlement in Ashtead since at least Roman times, with a Roman villa excavated in what is now Ashtead common. Ashtead lay within the Copthorne hundred, an administrative division devised by the Saxons.
Ashtead appears in the Domesday Book as Stede. It was held by the Canons of Bayeux from the Bishop of Bayeux. Its Domesday Assets were: 3 hides and 1 virgate; 16 ploughs, 4 acres (16,000 m2) of meadow, woodland worth 7 hogs. It rendered (in total): £12. Its main source of water at the time seems to have been the Rye.
St Giles Church in Ashtead Park dates from the 12th century, and Ashtead is mentioned twice in Samuel Pepys' diaries. Part of his entry for 25 July 1663 reads:
Towards the evening we bade them adieu and took horse, being resolved that, instead of the race which fails us, we would go to Epsom When we come there we could hear of no lodging, the town so full, but which was better, I went towards Ashsted, and there we got a lodging in a little hole we could not stand upright in While supper was getting I walked up and down behind my cosen Pepys's house that was, which I find comes little short of what I took it to be when I was a little boy.
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Avonmouth
Coordinates: 51°30′04″N 2°41′56″W / 51.501°N 2.699°W / 51.501; -2.699
Avonmouth is a port and suburb of Bristol, England, located on the Severn Estuary, at the mouth of the River Avon. The council ward of Avonmouth also includes Shirehampton and the western end of Lawrence Weston.
Historically part of Gloucestershire, Avonmouth is located at the mouth of the River Avon, on its north bank and on the Severn Estuary. It is the location of a large port, Avonmouth Docks. The Royal Portbury Dock, under the same management, is on the other side of the Avon. Avonmouth is home to several large chemical manufacturing plants and a gas-fired power station. There is also a significant residential area in Avonmouth between the industrialised zone and the M5 motorway. Avonmouth is sometimes considered a satellite town of Bristol as opposed to a suburb.[citation needed]
The M5 motorway runs through Avonmouth, and crosses the Avon by the Avonmouth Bridge. The M49 motorway runs between the M5 near Avonmouth and the M4 motorway at the Second Severn Crossing. The old Severn Bridge and the M48 motorway are linked to Avonmouth by the A403. The Portway, part of the A4, connects Avonmouth to the centre of Bristol. Avonmouth is also is served by a usually hourly train service to Bristol from Avonmouth railway station on the Severn Beach Line.
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Aylesbury
Coordinates: 51°49′00″N 0°48′45″W / 51.8168°N 0.8124°W / 51.8168; -0.8124
Aylesbury (
/ˈeɪlzbri/) is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a notional geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands, and the western portion of the East of England. In the 2001 census the Aylesbury Urban Area, which includes Bierton, Fairford Leys, Stoke Mandeville and Watermead, had a population of 69,021, which included 56,392 for the Aylesbury civil parish.
The town name is of Old English origin. Its first recorded name Æglesburgh is thought to mean "Fort of Aegel", though who Aegel was is not recorded. Since earliest records there have been 57 variations of the name. Excavations in the town centre in 1985 found an Iron Age hillfort dating from the early 4th century BC. The town is sited on an outcrop of Portlandian limestone which accounts for its prominent position in the surrounding landscape, which is largely clay. Aylesbury was a major market town in Anglo-Saxon times, famous in addition as the burial place of Saint Osyth, whose shrine attracted pilgrims. The Early English parish church of St. Mary (which has many later additions) has a crypt beneath. Once thought to be Anglo-Saxon, it is now recognised as being of the same period as the medieval chapel above. At the Norman Conquest, the king took the manor of Aylesbury for himself, and it is listed as a royal manor in the Domesday Book, 1086.
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Aylesbury Urban Area
The Aylesbury Urban Area is defined by the Office for National Statistics as a conurbation in central Buckinghamshire, England. It had a population of 69,021 (2001 census). The largest population centre is Aylesbury itself at 56,392.
Aylesbury was, for hundreds of years, a typically small market town like others in the area such as Wendover. It population in 1801 was 3082 with steady growth up to 9099 in 1901, a three-fold increase in 100 years. At the same time, villages and hamlets such Walton and New Zealand grew slowly with separate identities to the growing town.
During the first half of the twentieth century, the population grew slightly more, reaching 21,200 in 1950. However, the rocketing population of the capital, London was creating a strain on the recently introduced Metropolitan Green Belt and Aylesbury was one of the towns chosen for major population growth to house the London overspill.
The population of the town began to increase at a faster rate, as new housing estates were built. At the same time, the centre of Aylesbury was redeveloped, with new shopping areas. The area near the Aylesbury branch of the Grand Union Canal, built in 1814, was developed into a pedestrian square. The population reached 40,000 in 1970 and 51,000 by 1990, with new housing areas being built every few years. By 2001, the urban area housed 69,021 people.
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Aylesbury Vale
The Aylesbury Vale (or Vale of Aylesbury) is a large area of flat land mostly in Buckinghamshire, England. Its boundary is marked by Milton Keynes to the north, Leighton Buzzard and the Chiltern Hills to the east and south, Thame to the south and Bicester and Brackley to the west.
The vale is named after Aylesbury, the county town of Buckinghamshire. Two other towns lie within the vale and they are Winslow and Buckingham.
The bed of the vale is largely made up of clay that was formed at the end of the ice age. Also at this time the vast underground reserves of water that make the water table higher than average in the Vale of Aylesbury were created.
In the 2001 UK census the population of Aylesbury Vale was 165,748, representing an increase since 1991 of 18,600 people. About half of those live in the county town Aylesbury.
Today the area is a local government district of northern Buckinghamshire, administered by Aylesbury Vale District Council. This district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the boroughs of Aylesbury and Buckingham, Aylesbury Rural District, Buckingham Rural District, Wing Rural District and part of Winslow Rural District. The district offices are based in Aylesbury. The district council's logo includes the historical figure of John Hampden
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Basildon
Coordinates: 51°34′34″N 0°29′19″E / 51.5761°N 0.4886°E / 51.5761; 0.4886
Basildon ( /ˈbæzɪldən/)[citation needed] is a town located in the Basildon District of the county of Essex, England.
It lies 25 miles (40 km) east of Central London and 11 miles (18 km) south of the county town of Chelmsford. Nearby towns include Billericay to the north, Wickford northeast and South Benfleet to the east.
It was designated as a new town after World War II in 1948 to accommodate the London population overspill, created from the conglomeration of four small villages, namely Pitsea, Laindon, Basildon and Vange (the new town took the name Basildon as it was the most central of the four villages).
The local government district of Basildon, formed in 1974 was first led by Ryan O'Rourke and encapsulates a larger area than the town itself; the two neighbouring towns of Billericay and Wickford, as well as rural villages and smaller settlements set among the surrounding countryside, fall within its borders.
Basildon Town is one of the most densely populated areas in the County of Essex, mostly due to its influx of families from the Boroughs of London. However, it is thought that Basildon's population will continue to increase as many people are re-locating to the Town from the Boroughs of London, Essex and the Country. This is mostly due to Basildon's booming economy in industrial areas, the Towns tertiary sector, and its close travel link to Central London.
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Basingstoke
Coordinates: 51°16′00″N 1°05′15″W / 51.2667°N 1.0876°W / 51.2667; -1.0876
Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is 48 miles (77 km) southwest of London, 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Southampton, 16 miles (26 km) southwest of Reading and 19 miles (31 km) northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of 82,913. It is part of the borough of Basingstoke and Deane and part of the parliamentary constituency of Basingstoke. Basingstoke is often nicknamed "Doughnut City" or "Roundabout City" because of the number of roundabouts.
Often mistaken for a new town, Basingstoke is an old market town expanded in the 1960s as part of a tripartite agreement between London County Council, Hampshire County Council and Basingstoke Borough Council. It was developed rapidly, along with Andover and Tadley, to accommodate part of the London 'overspill' as perceived under the Greater London Plan, 1944. Basingstoke market was mentioned in the Domesday Book and Basingstoke remained a small market town until the 1950s. It still has a regular market, but is now bigger than Hampshire County Council's definition of a market town.
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Battle Abbey
Battle Abbey is a partially ruined abbey complex in the small town of Battle in East Sussex, England. The abbey was built on the scene of the Battle of Hastings and dedicated to St. Martin.
The Grade I listed site is now operated by English Heritage as 1066 Battle of Hastings, Abbey and Battlefield, which includes the abbey buildings and ruins, a visitor centre with a film and exhibition about the battle, audio tours of the battlefield site, and the monks' gatehouse with recovered artefacts. The visitor centre includes a children's discovery room and a café, and there is an outdoor themed playground.
In 1070 Pope Alexander II ordered the Normans to do penance for killing so many people during their conquest of England. So William the Conqueror vowed to build an abbey where the Battle of Hastings had taken place, with the high altar of its church on the supposed spot where King Harold fell in that battle on Saturday, 14 October 1066. He did start building it, dedicating it to St. Martin, sometimes known as "the Apostle of the Gauls," though William died before it was completed. Its church was finished in about 1094 and consecrated during the reign of his son William Rufus. William the Conqueror had ruled that the Church of St. Martin of Battle was to be exempted from all episcopal jurisdiction, putting it on the level of Canterbury. It was remodelled in the late 13th century but virtually destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under King Henry VIII.
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Battle Hospital
Battle Hospital was a National Health Service hospital in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. The hospital was located on a large site between Oxford Road and Portman Road, in West Reading.
Battle Hospital began its life in 1867 as a workhouse, the Reading Union Workhouse. Between 1889 and 1892 an infirmary was added with 185 beds for vagrants. During the First World War it became the Reading War Hospital. In 1930 it became a municipal hospital, taking the name Battle Hospital for the first time. In 1948, by now with 384 beds, Battle Hospital became a general hospital under the new National Health Service.
In 1952 a new maternity unit, Thames Block, opened. In 1972 the new single storey Abbey block opened. By 1993, Battle Hospital had 280 beds, compared with 760 beds at Reading's other general hospital, the Royal Berkshire Hospital. Both hospitals were administered by the Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals NHS Trust.
In 2005 the hospital closed, with all its patients and services transferred to the Royal Berkshire Hospital. A new block at that hospital, built to accommodate the extra capacity required to support this move, was named the Battle Block.
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Battle of Hastings
Coordinates: 50°54′43″N 0°29′15″E / 50.91194°N 0.4875°E / 50.91194; 0.4875
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II. It took place at Senlac Hill, approximately 10 km (61⁄4 miles) northwest of Hastings, close to the present-day town of Battle, East Sussex, and was a decisive Norman victory.
Harold II was killed in the battle—legend has it that he was shot through the eye with an arrow. He was the last English king to die in battle on English soil until Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field. The battle marked the last successful foreign invasion of the British Isles. Although there was further English resistance, this battle is seen as the point at which William gained control of England, becoming its first Norman ruler as King William I.
The battle also established the superiority of the combined arms attack over an army predominately composed of infantry, demonstrating the effectiveness of archers, cavalry and infantry working cooperatively together. The dominance of cavalry forces over infantry would continue until the emergence of the longbow, and battles such as Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt in the Hundred Years War.
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BBC Radio Berkshire
BBC Radio Berkshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Berkshire, as well as parts of North Hampshire, including Basingstoke. Radio Berkshire broadcasts on 94.6 (Henley), 95.4 (Windsor), 104.1 (Hannington, north Hampshire) and 104.4 (Broad St Mall, Reading) FM from its studios at Caversham Park near Reading. The 104.1 FM signal is the strongest of the four by far. The station is also available on DAB and through live streaming on the internet, also on demand for seven days after broadcast through the BBC iPlayer. Notable presenters include Andrew Peach, Henry Kelly, Debbie McGee and Steve Madden.
The station began on 21 January 1992, starting as a sister station of Radio Oxford, broadcasting for part of the weekday and weekend mornings. Due to financial cutbacks, BBC Director-General John Birt announced that it was to merge with BBC Radio Oxford on 9 April 1996 to become BBC Thames Valley FM. On 14 February 2000 the two stations became separate once again. Andrew Peach joined the station on 10 October 1992.
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Beaconsfield
Coordinates: 51°36′03″N 0°38′05″W / 51.600873°N 0.634682°W / 51.600873; -0.634682
Beaconsfield
i/ˈbɛkənzfiːld/ is a market town and civil parish operating as a town council within the South Bucks district in Buckinghamshire, England. It lies 23.6 miles (38 km) northwest of Charing Cross in Central London, and 17 miles (27 km) south-east of the county town of Aylesbury. Other nearby towns include Amersham to the north northeast and High Wycombe to the west.
The town sits in the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is part of the London commuter belt, thus the average cost of housing in the town is very high. It is in the South Bucks local government district, which was known as the Beaconsfield district from 1974 to 1980.
The parish comprises Beaconsfield town and land mainly given over arable land though some beech forest remains from that planted to supply the furniture industry of High Wycombe.
The first written reference to Beaconsfield dates from 1185 where it is spelt Bekenesfeld. Although this is mistakenly thought to mean "field by the beacon," actually it is derived from "clearing in the beeches" (beech trees).
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Beansheaf Farm
Coordinates: 51°26′23″N 1°02′41″W / 51.439770°N 1.044614°W / 51.439770; -1.044614
Beansheaf Farm is a suburb of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It lies south of the A4 (Bath Road) and is approximately 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south-west of the centre of Reading.
From a local government perspective, Beansheaf Farm is outside the boundaries of the Borough of Reading. It forms part of the civil parish of Holybrook, in the neighbouring unitary authority of West Berkshire.
Media related to Beansheaf Farm at Wikimedia Commons
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Bedford Borough
Bedford is a unitary authority with the status of a borough in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. Its council is based at Bedford, which is also the county town of Bedfordshire. The borough contains one large urban area, the 71st largest in the United Kingdom that comprises Bedford and the adjacent town of Kempston, surrounded by a rural area with many villages. 75% of the borough's population live in the Bedford Urban Area and the five large villages which surround it, which makes up slightly less than 6% of the total land area of the Borough. The borough is also the location of the Wixams new town development, which received its first residents in 2009. Unlike most English districts, Bedford's council is led by a directly elected mayor of Bedford, who has been Dave Hodgson since October 16, 2009.
The District of Bedford was formed on 1 April 1974 as a merger of the existing borough of Bedford, along with Kempston urban district and Bedford Rural District. In 1975 the district was granted a royal charter granting borough status as North Bedfordshire. The borough was renamed as Borough of Bedford in 1992. Over half of the former municipal borough of Bedford is unparished, however Brickhill is a parish, and Queens Park as well as Cauldwell & Kingsbrook elect their own urban community councils who have similar functions to parish councils. The rest of the district including Kempston is parished.
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Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire ( /ˈbɛdfərdʃər/ or /ˈbɛdfərdʃɪər/; abbreviated Beds.) is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.
It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east.
The highest elevation point is 243 metres (797 ft) on Dunstable Downs in the Chilterns.
As part of a 2002 marketing campaign, the plant conservation charity Plantlife chose the Bee Orchid as the county flower.
The traditional nickname for people from Bedfordshire is "Bedfordshire Bulldogs" or "Clangers", this last deriving from a local dish comprising a suet crust dumpling filled with meat or jam or both.
It is the 14th most densely populated county of England and the fifth most densly populated non-metropolitan county with over half the population of the county living in the two largest built up areas of Bedford (102,000) and Luton (236,000).
The first recorded use of the name was in 1011 as "Bedanfordscir," meaning the shire or county of Bedford, which itself means "Beda's ford" (river crossing).
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Belfast
Coordinates: 54°35′49″N 5°55′48″W / 54.597°N 5.930°W / 54.597; -5.930
Belfast (from Irish: Béal Feirste, meaning "mouth of the shoal") is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the fourteenth largest city in the United Kingdom and second largest on the island of Ireland. It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly. The city of Belfast has a population of 267,500 and lies at the heart of the Belfast urban area, which has a population of 579,276. The Larger Urban Zone, as defined by the European Union, has a total population 641,638. Belfast was granted city status in 1888.
Historically, Belfast has been a centre for the Irish linen industry (earning the nickname "Linenopolis"), tobacco production, rope-making and shipbuilding: the city's main shipbuilders, Harland and Wolff, which built the well-known RMS Titanic, propelled Belfast on to the global stage in the early 20th century as the biggest and most productive shipyard in the world. Belfast played a key role in the Industrial Revolution, establishing its place as a global industrial centre until the latter half of the 20th century. Industrialisation and the inward migration it brought made Belfast, if briefly, the biggest city in Ireland at the turn of the 20th century and the city's industrial and economic success was cited by Ulster unionist opponents of Home Rule as a reason why Ireland should shun devolution and later why Ulster in particular would fight to resist it.
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Berkhamsted
Coordinates: 51°46′N 0°34′W / 51.76°N 0.56°W / 51.76; -0.56
Berkhamsted ( /ˈbɜrkəmstɛd/) is a historic town in England which is situated in the west of Hertfordshire, between the towns of Tring and Hemel Hempstead. It is also a civil parish with a designated Town Council within the administrative district (and borough since 1984) of Dacorum.
The town's most prominent role in national affairs took place in early December 1066. Duke William of Normandy, having defeated the English army at Hastings, then crossing the River Thames at Wallingford. In Berkhamsted he was met by a delegation of the English establishment. He accepted the surrender of the English led by Aetheling Edgar (the heir to the King Harold II's English claim to the Throne of England), Archbishop Aldred, Earl Edwin, Earl Morcar and the chief men of London who swore loyalty to William in return for good government. He was offered the crown there but instead said he would accept the keys to London in Berkhamsted but would accept the crown of England in London. Thus, in Berkhamsted, William of Normandy, William the Bastard, became William the Conqueror. On Christmas Day 1066 William was crowned William I of England in Westminster Abbey. A traditonal local legend refers to Berkhamsted as the real capital of England (if only for a few minutes).
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Berkshire
Berkshire ( /ˈbɑrkʃər/ or /ˈbɑrkʃɪər/, abbreviated Berks) is both a ceremonial county and a historic county of England. The administrative county of Berkshire including the Berkshire County Council were abolished in 1998. The county is 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 dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and letters patent issued confirming this in 1974.
The ceremonial county has the same boundaries as the former administrative county, but historically the county was not co-terminous with this. The county borders the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Wiltshire and Hampshire. Historically the county included several towns to the northwest of the county (including Abingdon, Didcot and Wantage) that were moved into Oxfordshire in 1974 boundary changes. At the same time the town of Slough was moved into Berkshire from Buckinghamshire.
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Berkshire Downs
The Berkshire Downs are a range of chalk downland hills in southern England, part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Berkshire Downs were wholly within Berkshire until the 1974 reorganisation of local government boundaries divided them between the counties of Berkshire and Oxfordshire.
The western parts of the downs are also known as the Lambourn Downs. The name "White Horse Downs" was proposed following the 1974 change in county boundaries, but has not been widely adopted.
The Berkshire Downs run east–west, with their scarp slope facing north into the Vale of White Horse and their dip slope bounded by the course of the River Kennet. Geologically they are continuous with the Marlborough Downs to the west and the Chilterns to the east. In the east they are divided from the Chilterns by Goring Gap on the River Thames. In the west their boundary is generally taken to be the border between Berkshire and Wiltshire, although the downs in Wiltshire between the Berkshire border and the valley of the River Og are sometimes considered to be part of the Berkshire Downs.
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Beruwala
Beruwala, is a small resort town in the south western coastal belt of Sri Lanka. The name Beruwala is derived from the Sinhalese word for the place where the sail is lowered. It marks the spot for the first Muslim settlement on the island, established by Arab traders around the 8th century AD. A large population of Sri Lankan Moors, many of them are gem merchants, still live in the town-- particularly in the "China Fort". Msjid-ul-Abrar , a landmark of Beruwala and Sri Lanka's oldest mosque, was built by Arab traders on a rocky peninsula overlooking the town.
Beruwala is also home to Al- Fasiyatul Nasriya Muslim Balika Maha Vidyalaya, which is the first and oldest girls school in Sri Lanka. It was damaged by tsunami on boxing day in 2004.
Beruwala is the starting point of the 130 km long stretch of beach. In the past few years great strides have been made in the field of resort development in this area. The bay around remains ideal for bathing almost for the whole year.
Coordinates: 6°28′N 79°59′E / 6.467°N 79.983°E / 6.467; 79.983
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Billericay
Coordinates: 51°37′41″N 0°25′06″E / 51.628°N 0.4184°E / 51.628; 0.4184
Billericay (i/bɪləˈrɪkiː/ BIL-ə-RIK-ee) is a town and civil parish in the Basildon borough of Essex, England. It lies within the London Basin, has a population of around 40,000, and constitutes a commuter town 28 miles (45 km) east of central London. The town has three secondary schools and a variety of open spaces. It is thought to have been occupied since the Bronze Ages.
Some of the earliest records of human occupation of Billericay are the burial mounds in Norsey Wood: evidence of occupation in the Bronze and Iron Ages. Evidence of Roman occupation has been found at a number of locations in the town and there may have been a small cavalry fort at Blunts Wall.
The Saxons did not settle in the centre of Billericay. They established themselves two miles south, at Great Burstead. In the late 10th century it was known as 'Burhstede'. Billericay was not mentioned in the Domesday Book, as it lay within Great Burstead. At this time the parish church for Billericay was at Great Burstead. In 1291 the name 'Byllyrica' is first recorded. This is believed to be from a medieval Latin word, bellerīca, meaning 'dyehouse or tanhouse'.
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Birmingham
Birmingham (i/ˈbɜrmɪŋəm/ BUR-ming-əm, locally /ˈbɜrmɪŋɡəm/ BUR-ming-gəm) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 (2010 estimate), and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a population of 2,284,093 (2001 census). Birmingham's metropolitan area is also the United Kingdom's second most populous with a population of 3,683,000.
A medium-sized market town during the medieval period, Birmingham grew to international prominence in the 18th century at the heart of the Midlands Enlightenment and subsequent Industrial Revolution, which saw the town at the forefront of worldwide developments in science, technology and economic organisation, producing a series of innovations that laid many of the foundations of modern industrial society. By 1791 it was being hailed as "the first manufacturing town in the world". Birmingham's distinctive economic profile, with thousands of small workshops practising a wide variety of specialised and highly-skilled trades, encouraged exceptional levels of creativity and innovation and provided a diverse and resilient economic base for industrial prosperity that was to last into the final quarter of the 20th century. Its resulting high level of social mobility also fostered a culture of broad-based political radicalism, that under leaders from Thomas Attwood to Joseph Chamberlain was to give it a political influence unparalleled in Britain outside London and a pivotal role in the development of British democracy.
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Blackpool
Blackpooli/ˈblækpuːl/ is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, 17.5 miles (28.2 km) northwest of Preston, 27 miles (43 km) north of Liverpool, 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Bolton and 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Manchester. It has an estimated population of 140,000, making it the third most populous settlement in North West England after Manchester and Liverpool, and a population density that makes it the fourth most densely populated borough of England and Wales outside Greater London.
Throughout the Middle Ages and Early Modern period, Blackpool was a coastal hamlet in Lancashire's Hundred of Amounderness, and remained such until the mid-18th century when it became fashionable in England to travel to the coast during the summer to bathe in sea water to improve well-being. In 1781, visitors attracted to Blackpool's 7-mile (11 km) sandy beach were able to use a newly built private road, built by Thomas Clifton and Sir Henry Hoghton. Stagecoaches began running to Blackpool from Manchester in the same year, and from Halifax in 1782. In the early 19th century, Henry Banks and his son-in-law John Cocker erected new buildings in Blackpool such that its population grew from less than 500 in 1801 to over 2,500 in 1851. St John's Church in Blackpool was consecrated in 1821.
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Borehamwood
Coordinates: 51°39′28″N 0°16′20″W / 51.6578°N 0.2723°W / 51.6578; -0.2723
Boreham Wood, (The correct naming[citation needed]) (often spelt Borehamwood) is a town in southern Hertfordshire, situated 16.5 miles (26.6 km) north of central London. It has a population of 28,546. It is within the civil parish of Elstree and Borehamhwood and the London commuter belt. There is one weekly newspaper, the Boreham Wood and Elstree Times. The town is perhaps most well known for its film and TV studios, commonly known as Elstree Film Studios, hence the associated with Elstree.
On of the earliest mentions of Bosci de Boreham (Wood of Boreham), is in 1188:
In 1776, the House of Lords granted:
Up until 1909, the town was part of the ancient parish of Elstree; the two still share a local council, Elstree and Boreham Wood Town Council.
From the 1920s onwards, the town became known as one of the main centres of the UK film, and later television, industries due to the presence of production studios.
Following World War II, the town's population greatly increased, with large areas of council housing set up for displaced Londoners, many of which are now in private ownership. Fast train connections to central London have resulted in the town becoming a primarily residential suburb.
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Borough of Halton
Halton is a local government district in North West England, with borough status and administered by a unitary authority. It was created in 1974 as a district of Cheshire, and became a unitary authority area on 1 April 1998. It consists of the towns of Widnes and Runcorn and the civil parishes of Hale, Daresbury, Moore, Preston Brook, Halebank and Sandymoor. The district borders Merseyside, Warrington and Cheshire West and Chester. The borough straddles the River Mersey - the area to the north (including Widnes) is historically part of Lancashire, that to the south (including Runcorn) part of Cheshire.
Although Halton dates back to the 12th century (and beyond) when land on both sides of the river belonged to the Barony of Halton, the origin of the District Council was the outcome of the local government commission's suggested reforms of England, in 1969, the Redcliffe-Maud Report. This proposed to create metropolitan counties constituted of Metropolitan District Councils in the most urbanised parts of England. The model was that of the London Boroughs and Greater London Council formed in 1964. South Lancashire and North Cheshire were two of these and two new Metropolitan Counties were to be formed around Liverpool (as 'Merseyside' county) and Manchester/Salford (as 'Greater Manchester' county.) however, the towns of Widnes and Runcorn (and the County Borough of Warrington) which lay between these were reluctant to join either. The Commission agreed that the Halton group and Warrington were to become District Councils within Cheshire, as they were detached from Lancashire by the two new Metropolitan Counties controlling the territory to the north. However, the Metropolitan Counties ceased as local government units (along with the GLC) in 1984 and any remaining powers were devolved to the constituent Metropolitan Districts which cooperated over joint police authorities and fire services.
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Bournemouth
Bournemouth ( pronunciation (help·info)) is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth. With Poole and Christchurch, Bournemouth forms the South East Dorset conurbation, which has a total population of approximately 400,000.
Founded in 1810 by Lewis Tregonwell, Bournemouth's growth accelerated with the arrival of the railway, becoming a recognised town in 1870. Historically part of Hampshire, it joined Dorset with the reorganisation of local government in 1974. Since 1997 the town has been administered by a unitary authority, meaning that it has autonomy from Dorset County Council. The local authority is Bournemouth Borough Council.
Bournemouth's location on the south coast of England has made it a popular destination for tourists. The town is a regional centre of business, home of the Bournemouth International Centre and financial companies that include Liverpool Victoria and PruHealth.
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Bracknell
Coordinates: 51°24′58″N 0°44′56″W / 51.416°N 0.749°W / 51.416; -0.749
Bracknell is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It lies 11 miles (18 km) to the southeast of Reading, 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Windsor and 30 miles (48 km) west of central London. The town has a population of 50,131.
The name Bracknell is first recorded in a Winkfield Boundary Charter of AD 942 as Braccan heal, and may mean "Nook of land belonging to a man called Bracca", from the Old English Braccan (genitive singular of a personal name) + heal, healh (a corner, nook or secret place). An early form of the town's name, Brakenhale, still survives as the name of one of its schools.
The town is surrounded, on the east and south, by the vast expanse of Swinley Woods and Crowthorne Woods. The urban area has absorbed parts of many local outlying areas including Warfield, Winkfield and Binfield.
The town covers all of the old village of Easthampstead (though not all of the old parish) and the hamlet of Ramslade. Easthampstead has a very long history. There is a Bronze Age round barrow at Bill Hill. Easthampstead Park was a favoured royal hunting lodge in Windsor Forest and Catherine of Aragon was banished there until her divorce was finalised. It was later the home of the Trumbulls who were patrons of Alexander Pope from Binfield.
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Bracknell Forest
Coordinates: 51°25′01″N 0°44′49″W / 51.417°N 0.7469°W / 51.417; -0.7469
Bracknell Forest is one of six unitary authorities within Berkshire in southern England. It covers the two towns of Bracknell and Sandhurst as well as surrounding villages including Crowthorne and Binfield. It also includes the areas of North Ascot, Warfield and Winkfield. Parts of the borough border neighbouring boroughs such as Wokingham Borough Council and the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead. The south of the borough also borders onto Hampshire and Surrey.
Bracknell Forest was formed on 1 April 1974, as the non-metropolitan district of Bracknell. The district took on the territory of the former Easthampstead Rural District (in which the Bracknell new town had been developed). It changed its name in May 1988, at the same time as it was granted borough status.
On 1 April 1998, Berkshire County Council was abolished, as a consequence of the Banham Review, and Bracknell Forest Borough Council became a unitary authority. From 2008, references to 'borough' were phased out in favour of simply Bracknell Forest Council.
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Bradford
Coordinates: 53°48′00″N 1°45′07″W / 53.8000°N 1.75206°W / 53.8000; -1.75206
Bradford (i/ˈbrædfəd/) lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, 8.6 miles (13.8 km) west of Leeds, and 16 miles (25.7 km) northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897. Following local government reform in 1974, city status was bestowed upon the wider metropolitan borough.
Bradford has a population of 293,717, making it the fourteenth-most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. Bradford forms part of the West Yorkshire Urban Area conurbation which in 2001 had a population of 1.5 million and is part of the Leeds-Bradford Larger Urban Zone (LUZ), the third largest in the UK after London and Manchester, with an estimated population in the 2004 Urban Audit of 2.4 million.
Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Bradford rose to prominence during the 19th century as an international centre of textile manufacture, particularly wool. It was a boomtown of the Industrial Revolution, and amongst the earliest industrialised settlements, rapidly becoming the "wool capital of the world". The area's access to a supply of coal, iron ore and soft water facilitated the growth of Bradford's manufacturing base, which, as textile manufacture grew, led to an explosion in population and was a stimulus to civic investment; Bradford has fine Victorian architecture including the grand Italianate City Hall.
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Brighton and Hove
Brighton and Hove is a unitary authority area and city on the south coast of England. It is England's most populous seaside resort. The major part of the city consists of Brighton, with around 155,000 people of the total population of 251,000. Consequently, people usually refer to the city as just "Brighton". Brighton and Hove's urban area has a population of over 450,000 people. The city is famous for its history as a seaside town, and more recently for its reputation of having a large gay community. The city is also famous for its football team, Brighton & Hove Albion FC (commonly known as just "Brighton" or "Albion"). They currently play in the Football League Championship at the Amex Stadium, opened in 2011.
In 1997, the two large towns of Brighton and Hove were joined to form the unitary authority of Brighton and Hove, which was granted city status by Queen Elizabeth II as part of the millennium celebrations in 2000.
Brighton and Hove forms part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation, the 12th largest conurbation in the United Kingdom. Along this area of the south coast, there is little or no gap of countryside between these large towns and city. Directly to the west is Southwick and then Shoreham-by-Sea, and a short distance to the east are Peacehaven and Newhaven. The city, district and urban areas of Brighton and Hove have the biggest populations in the South East England region.
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Bristol
Bristoli/ˈbrɪstəl/ is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone (LUZ) with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007. It is England's sixth and the United Kingdom's eighth most populous city, one of the group of English Core Cities and the most populous city in South West England.
Historically within Gloucestershire, the city received a Royal Charter in 1155 and was granted County status in 1373. From the 13th century, for half a millennium, it ranked amongst the top three English cities after London, alongside York and Norwich, on the basis of tax receipts, until the rapid rise of Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester during the Industrial Revolution in the latter part of the 18th century. It borders the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire, and is also located near the historic cities of Bath to the south east and Gloucester to the north. The city is built around the River Avon, and it also has a short coastline on the Severn Estuary, which flows into the Bristol Channel.
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Bristol Channel
The Bristol Channel (Welsh: Môr Hafren, meaning 'Severn Sea') is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Severn (Welsh: Afon Hafren) to the North Atlantic Ocean. It takes its name from the English city of Bristol, and is over 30 miles (50 km) across at its widest point.
Long stretches of the coastline of the Bristol Channel, on both the South Wales and West Country sides, are designated as Heritage Coast, including Exmoor, Bideford Bay, the Hartland Point peninsula, Lundy Island, Glamorgan, Gower Peninsula, South Pembrokeshire and Caldey Island.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bristol Channel as "a line joining Hartland Point [in Devon] (51°01′N 4°32′W / 51.017°N 4.533°W / 51.017; -4.533) to St. Govan's Head [in Pembrokeshire] (51°36′N 4°55′W / 51.6°N 4.917°W / 51.6; -4.917)".
The upper limit of the Channel is between Sand Point, Somerset and Lavernock Point in South Wales. East of this line is the Severn Estuary. Western and northern Pembrokeshire, and north Cornwall are outside the defined limits of the Bristol Channel, and are considered part of the seaboard of the Atlantic Ocean, more specifically the Celtic Sea.
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Broxbourne
Coordinates: 51°44′58″N 0°01′18″W / 51.7495°N 0.0216°W / 51.7495; -0.0216
Broxbourne is a commuter town in the Broxbourne borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England with a population of 13,298 in 2001.
It is located 17.1 miles (27.5 km) north north-east of Charing Cross in London and about a mile (1.6 km) north of Wormley and south of Hoddesdon. The town is near to the River Lea which forms the boundary with Essex and is 4.5 miles (7.2 km) north of the M25 motorway. West of the town are Broxbourne Woods, a National Nature Reserve.
The Prime Meridian passes to the east of Broxbourne.
Broxbourne grew up on the Great Cambridge Road, now known as the A10. A number of old houses and inns dating from the 16th to the 19th century still line the High Street (now the A1170). The Manor of Broxbourne is described in the Domesday Book, which mentions Broxbourne Mill. The manor was held in the time of Edward the Confessor by Stigand, the Archbishop of Canterbury, but had passed into Norman hands following the Conquest. King John granted the manor to the Knights Hospitallers until the Dissolution, when it passed to John Cock, after whose family Cock Lane is named.
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Buckhurst Hill
Coordinates: 51°37′23″N 0°02′36″E / 51.623°N 0.0434°E / 51.623; 0.0434
Buckhurst Hill is an affluent suburban town in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England. Located adjacent to the northern boundary of Greater London, it forms part of the Greater London Urban Area.
It is at the western edge of Essex, 10.7 miles (17.2 km) north east of Charing Cross and near to the boundary with the London Borough of Redbridge. Parts of Epping Forest are in Buckhurst Hill intermingled with residential areas.
It was featured on the ITV1 series Essex Wives a programme about women in the area who were in business or fairly well-off. With Loughton and Chigwell, it is said to form part of the Essex golden triangle of wealthy places. Filming for The Only Way Is Essex takes place on Queens Road and at Belles & Beaus and Pet Couture.
Buckhurst Hill is served by Buckhurst Hill tube station and Roding Valley tube station, which are on the Central Line of the London Underground. The railway line was opened in 1856 as part of the Eastern Counties Railway and it is the middle-class development that resulted from this line that gives Buckhurst Hill its typical Victorian ambience.
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Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire ( /ˈbʌkɪŋəmʃər/ or /ˈbʌkɪŋəmʃɪər/; archaically the County of Buckingham; abbreviated Bucks) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe.
The area under the control of Buckinghamshire County Council, or shire county, is divided into four districts—Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe. The Borough of Milton Keynes is a unitary authority and forms part of the county for various functions such as Lord Lieutenant but does not come under county council control. The ceremonial county, the area including Milton Keynes borough, borders Greater London (to the south east), Berkshire (to the south), Oxfordshire (to the west), Northamptonshire (to the north), Bedfordshire (to the north east) and Hertfordshire (to the east).
Sections of the county closer to London are part of the Metropolitan Green Belt, which limits development. It is the location of the nationally important Pinewood Studios and Dorney Lake, which will be holding the rowing events at the 2012 Summer Olympics. It is also well known for the new town of Milton Keynes and the Chiltern Hills area of outstanding natural beauty.
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Bulmershe Court
Bulmershe Court is, today, a campus of the University of Reading, situated in what is now the Reading suburb of Woodley, in the English county of Berkshire. Historically, Bulmershe Court has been the name of a manor and of two quite distinct country houses, one of which still stands but is now known as Bulmershe Manor.
Bulmershe first appears in existing records in the 12th century as a place in the parish of Sonning. The first reference to it as a manor was in 1447 when it was granted to Reading Abbey. After the dissolution of the monasteries, the land was acquired by the poet William Gray. He probably built the first house here, the remains of which may be the basis of the present Bulmershe Manor.
William Gray's wife, Agnes, was the widow of Robert Blagrave, a merchant of London and Reading and their son, John was Gray's heir. Through this the Blagrave family came to own Bulmershe Court, although both John Blagrave the mathematician and Daniel Blagrave the regicide resided at the family's other residence, at Southcote House in what is now the Reading suburb of Southcote.
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Burgess Hill
Coordinates: 50°57′13″N 0°07′34″W / 50.9535°N 0.1262°W / 50.9535; -0.1262
Burgess Hill is a civil parish and a town primarily located in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England, close to the border with East Sussex, on the edge of the South Downs National Park. Located 62 km (39 mi) south of London, 16 km (9.9 mi) north of Brighton and Hove, and 47 km (29 mi) east-northeast of the county town of Chichester, it occupies an area of 9.47 km2 (3.66 sq mi) and had a population of 28,803 at the time of the 2001 Census, making it the most populous parish in the district. Other nearby towns include Haywards Heath to the north east and Lewes, the county town of East Sussex, to the south east.
Burgess Hill is predominantly situated just on the West Sussex side of the border dividing the two counties, although parts of the World's End district in the northeast are across the county boundary in the Lewes district of East Sussex.
Burgess Hill is twinned with Schmallenberg in Germany and Abbeville in France. It has recently achieved the status of being a Fairtrade Town. Burgess Hill Town Council was awarded the status of Town Council of the Year 2006.
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Burghfield
Coordinates: 51°24′40″N 1°02′31″W / 51.411°N 1.042°W / 51.411; -1.042
Burghfield is a village and civil parish in West Berkshire, England, close to the boundary with Reading. Burghfield can trace its history back to before the Doomsday book, and was once home to three manors: Burghfield Regis, Burghfield Abbas and Sheffield (or Soefeld). Since the 1980s the population of Burghfield has nearly doubled with the construction of many new housing estates, and Burghfield has become a popular commuter village for the nearby towns of Reading, Newbury and Basingstoke.
The areas around Pingewood, in the north of the parish, are divided by the M4 motorway, and have also been dramatically altered by gravel extraction in the mid to late 20th century, leading to the loss of many farms and cottages within the hamlet. Some of the pits were left to fill with water, and are now artifical lakes mostly used for various water sports, fishing, and other leisure activities. They are also a haven for migrating geese, water fowl and other wildlife. Other pits have been used for landfill waste.
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Bushey
Coordinates: 51°38′34″N 0°21′37″W / 51.6429°N 0.3604°W / 51.6429; -0.3604
Bushey (population 24,000) is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England. Bushey Heath is a large neighbourhood south east of Bushey on the boundary with the London Borough of Harrow reaching elevations of 165m above sea level.
The first written record of Bushey is an account in the Domesday Book, which describes a small agricultural village named 'Bissei' (which later became ‘Biss(h)e’ and then ‘Bisheye’ during the 12th century). However, chance archaeological findings of Stone Age tools provide evidence that the area was inhabited as far back as the Palaeolithic period. The town also has links to the Roman occupation of Britain, with the main road running through it being Roman; sites of possible Roman villas being unearthed in the area; and a Roman tessellated pavement was discovered near Chiltern Avenue.
The origin of the town’s name is not fully known. With the original name ‘Bissei’, an early theory in Reverend J.B. Johnstone’s book The Place-Names of England and Wales states that it may have meant ‘Byssa’s Isle’, and that it started life as a lake-village surrounded by marshes, streams and lakes. However, a more modern theory (albeit a less romantic one) is that it is simply derived from the Old English word bysce and Old French boisseie, meaning a ‘place covered with wood’. The latter theory could prove more apt, as the town is located on the border of the Chiltern Valleys, which were once covered in dense forests of oak, elm, ash, hazel and juniper.
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Calleva Atrebatum
Calleva Atrebatum (or Silchester Roman Town) was an Iron Age oppidum and subsequently a town in the Roman province of Britannia and the civitas capital of the Atrebates tribe. Its ruins are beneath and to the west of the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, which is just within the town wall and about 1 mile (1.6 km) to the east of the modern village of Silchester in Hampshire, England.
Most Roman towns in Britain continued to exist after the end of the Roman era, and consequently their remains underlay their more recent successors, which are often still major population centres. Calleva is unusual in that, for reasons unknown, it was abandoned shortly after the end of the Roman era. There is a suggestion that the Saxons deliberately avoided Calleva after it was abandoned, preferring to maintain their existing centres at Winchester and Dorchester. There was a gap of perhaps a century before the twin Saxon towns of Basing and Reading were founded on rivers either side of Calleva. As a consequence, Calleva has been subject to relatively benign neglect for most of the last two millennia.
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Camberley
Coordinates: 51°20′06″N 0°44′31″W / 51.335°N 0.742°W / 51.335; -0.742
Camberley ( /ˈkæmbərliː/) is a town in Surrey, England, situated 31 miles (50 km) southwest of central London, between the M3 and M4 motorways. The town lies close to the borders of both Hampshire and Berkshire; the boundaries intersect on the western edge of the town where all three counties converge. It is the main town in the borough of Surrey Heath. Camberley's suburbs include Crawley Hill, Heatherside, Yorktown and the Old Dean.
The town has a population of 30,155, whilst the Aldershot Urban Area (which also includes other towns, such as Aldershot, Farnborough, and Farnham) has a population of 243,344, making it the thirtieth-largest urban area in the UK.
Before the 19th century, the area now occupied by Camberley was referred to as Bagshot Heath, which was known as a haunt of Highwaymen such as William Davies - known as the Golden Farmer - and Claude Duval. The land remained largely undeveloped due to a sandy topsoil making it unsuitable for farming. In A tour thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain, written between 1724 and 1726, Daniel Defoe described the area as barren and sterile; "a mark of the just resentment shew’d by Heaven upon the Englishmen’s pride... horrid and frightful to look on, not only good for little, but good for nothing".
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Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire ( /ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒʃər/ or /ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒʃɪər/; also known, archaically, as the County of Cambridge; abbreviated Cambs.) is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west. The principal settlement is the city of Cambridge. Modern Cambridgeshire was formed from the historic counties of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire, together with the Isle of Ely and the Soke of Peterborough; it contains most of the region known as Silicon Fen.
Cambridgeshire is twinned with Kreis Viersen in Germany.
Cambridgeshire is noted as the site of some of the earliest known Neolithic permanent settlements in the United Kingdom, along with sites at Fengate and Balbridie.
Cambridgeshire was recorded in the Domesday Book as "Grantbridgeshire" (or rather Grentebrigescire) (cf the river Granta). Covering a large part of East Anglia, Cambridgeshire today is the result of several local government unifications. In 1888 when county councils were introduced, separate councils were set up, following the traditional division of Cambridgeshire, for
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Canvey Island
Coordinates: 51°30′58″N 0°34′59″E / 51.516°N 0.583°E / 51.516; 0.583
Canvey Island (area 18.45 km² - 7.12 mi²; pop. 37,479) is a civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary in England. It is separated from the mainland of south Essex by a network of creeks. Lying only just above sea level it is prone to flooding at exceptional tides, but has nevertheless been inhabited since the Roman invasion of Britain.
The island was mainly agricultural land until the 20th century when it became the fastest growing seaside resort in Britain between 1911-1951. The North Sea flood of 1953 devastated the island costing the lives of 58 islanders, and led to the temporary evacuation of the 13,000 residents. Canvey is consequently protected by modern sea defences comprising 15 miles (24 km) of concrete seawall.
Canvey is also notable for its relationship to the petrochemical industry. The island was the site of the first delivery in the world of liquefied natural gas by container ship, and later became the subject of an influential assessment on the risks to a population living within the vicinity of petrochemical shipping and storage facilities.
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Cardiff
Cardiff (i/ˈkɑrdɪf/; Welsh: Caerdydd (info) Welsh pronunciation: [kairˈdiːð, kaˑɨrˈdɨːð]) is the capital and largest city in Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for Wales. The unitary authority area's mid 2010 population was estimated to be 341,054, while the population of the Larger Urban Zone was estimated at 861,400 in 2009. Cardiff is a significant tourism centre and the most popular visitor destination in Wales with 18.3 million visitors in 2010. In 2011, Cardiff was ranked 6th in the world in National Geographic's alternative tourist destinations.
The city of Cardiff is the county town of the historic county of Glamorgan (and later South Glamorgan). Cardiff is part of the Eurocities network of the largest European cities. The Cardiff Urban Area covers a slightly larger area outside of the county boundary, and includes the towns of Dinas Powys and Penarth. A small town until the early 19th century, its prominence as a major port for the transport of coal following the arrival of industry in the region contributed to its rise as a major city.
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Caversham Heights
Coordinates: 51°28′34″N 0°59′20″W / 51.476°N 0.989°W / 51.476; -0.989
Caversham Heights is a residential area within Caversham in the English county of Berkshire (until 1911, in Oxfordshire). Today Caversham is a suburb of the larger town of Reading. Caversham Heights has no formal boundaries, but the name usually refers to that part of Caversham situated on higher ground to the west of central Caversham, straddling the Woodcote Road (A4074). House prices in Caversham Heights are among the highest in Reading.
There are two recreation grounds in Caversham Heights, and two golf courses and a health club with swimming pool just outside Caversham Heights in neighbouring South Oxfordshire.
The Albert Road recreation area provides public tennis courts, and is home to a bowling club and a croquet club.
Caversham Heights lies entirely within the Mapledurham and Thames wards of the borough of Reading. As a unitary authority, the borough is responsible for all aspects of local government within the area. The area is within the Reading East parliamentary constituency and the South East England European constituency.
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Central Bedfordshire
Central Bedfordshire is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. It was created from the merger of Bedfordshire County Council, Mid Bedfordshire and South Bedfordshire on 1 April 2009. The unitary council provides over a hundred services to 120,000 homes and over a quarter of a million people.
Since 1974, Bedfordshire had been governed as a shire county, mostly under the control of Bedfordshire County Council. It was divided into three local government districts, Bedford Borough, Mid Bedfordshire, and South Bedfordshire. Luton Borough became a unitary authority in 1997.
In 2006 the Department for Communities and Local Government considered reorganising Bedfordshire's administrative structure as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England. The four proposals considered were:
On 6 March 2008 the DCLG decided to implement Proposal 2. This meant that from 1 April 2009 there would be three unitary authorities in Bedfordshire: Bedford, Luton and the new Central Bedfordshire. Bedfordshire County Council initially challenged this decision in the High Court, but on 4 April 2008 it was announced the Judicial Review in the High Court had been unsuccessful, and the County Council declared they would not be appealing the decision.
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Chelmsford
Coordinates: 51°44′10″N 0°28′47″E / 51.7361°N 0.4798°E / 51.7361; 0.4798
Chelmsford ( /ˈtʃɛlmzfərd/) is the only city in Essex, England, UK, and the principal settlement of the Borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately 32 miles (51 km) northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester. The city currently has a population of approximately 169,500 however this is thought to be rapidly increasing on a year by year basis with many people from Essex and the London borders re-locating to the town.
The main conurbation incorporates all or part of the former parishes of Broomfield, Great Baddow, Moulsham, Widford and Springfield, including Springfield Barnes, now known as Chelmer Village. American tourists often visit the suburb of Springfield, the origin of "Springfield" as a popular place name, first giving its name to the important City of Springfield, Massachusetts, and subsequently Springfield, Illinois, the state capital of Illinois, and Springfield, Missouri, among numerous others.[citation needed]
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Chertsey
Coordinates: 51°23′25″N 0°30′27″W / 51.3902°N 0.5074°W / 51.3902; -0.5074
Chertsey is a town in Surrey, England, on the River Thames and its tributary rivers such as the River Bourne. It can be accessed by road from junction 11 of the M25 London orbital motorway. It shares borders with Staines, Laleham, Shepperton, Addlestone, Woking, Thorpe and Egham. It lies within the Godley hundred, 29km southwest of central London, close to the M3 and the M25.
The town is part of the London commuter belt, and is served by Chertsey railway station. It is located on the Chertsey branch of the Waterloo to Reading Line which is currently operated by South West Trains as part of the UK state-owned National Rail network. The town is home to the head office of Compass Group and the UK head office of Samsung Electronics. The Thorpe Park entrance is also in the town, including frequent buses from Staines and car parking. Elevation is generally low at 14m in the High Street and 11m on the river Thames where the Boat House and Kingfisher restaurants are located, making this the lowest place in Chertsey. The highest point is St. Anne's Hill in the forest, which peaks at around 77m, making it the second highest point in Runnymede. Across the river Thames from Chertsey Bridge on the Middlesex side of the river is the Thames Path National Trail, and Chertsey Lock.
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Chesham
Coordinates: 51°42′11″N 0°36′07″W / 51.703°N 0.602°W / 51.703; -0.602
Chesham ( /ˈtʃɛʃəm/, local /ˈtʃɛsəm/, or /ˈtʃɛzəm/) is a market town in the Chiltern Hills, Buckinghamshire, England. It is located 11 miles south-east of the county town of Aylesbury. Chesham is also a civil parish designated a town council within Chiltern district. It is situated in the Chess Valley and surrounded by farmland, as well as being bordered on one side by Amersham and Chesham Bois. The earliest records of Chesham as a settlement are from the second half of the 10th century although there is archaeological evidence of people in the area from around 8000 BC.
The town is known for its four Bs, usually quoted as:- boots, beer, brushes and Baptists. Chesham's prosperity grew significantly during the 18th and 19th centuries with the development of manufacturing industry.
In the face of fierce competition from both home and abroad all these traditional industries rapidly declined. The ready availability of skilled labour encouraged new industries to the town both before and after the end of the Second World War. Today employment in the town is provided by mainly small business engaged in light industry, technology and professional services.
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Cheshunt
Coordinates: 51°42′07″N 0°02′06″W / 51.702°N 0.035°W / 51.702; -0.035
Cheshunt ( /ˈtʃɛzənt/) is a town in Hertfordshire, England with a population of around 52,000 according to the United Kingdom's 2001 Census. It is a dormitory town and part of the Greater London Urban Area and London commuter belt served by Cheshunt railway station. The town is located 13 miles (21 km) from Charing Cross, making it one of the closest parts of Hertfordshire to Central London.
The Prime Meridian passes to the east of Cheshunt.
The town name comes from the Old English name (as recorded in the Domesday Book) for the area, Cestrehunt, which probably refers to a "castle, erected by the Romans", the word cestre (along with the form ceastre), or even its modern forms, chester and caster being derived from the Latin castrum meaning "fort". The town Chester also derives from this root and it is an element in various English place-names. This is commemorated in the arms of the former Cheshunt urban district council.
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Chigwell
Coordinates: 51°37′21″N 0°04′20″E / 51.6225°N 0.07227°E / 51.6225; 0.07227
Chigwell is a civil parish and town in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located 11.6 miles (18.7 km) north east of Charing Cross. It is served by two London Underground stations and uses the London (020) area code.
According to P. H. Reaney's Place-Names of Essex, the standard guide to etymology in the county, the name means 'Cicca's well', Cicca being an Anglo-Saxon personal name. In medieval sources the name appears with a wide variety of spellings including "Cinghe uuella" and Chikewelle". Folk etymology has sought to derive the name from a lost 'king's well', supposed to have been to the south-east of the parish near the border of what is now the London Borough of Redbridge. There were several medicinal springs in Chigwell Row documented by Miller Christy in his book History of the mineral waters and medicinal springs of the county of Essex, published in 1910. The proposal by 18th-century local historian Nathaniel Salmon that the "-well" element in the name derives from Anglo-Saxon weald (forest), indicating Chigwell's location in a royal demesne rather than Anglo-Saxon wielle (well) has long been superseded by modern onomastic study and is no longer credible.
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Chiltern Hills
The Chiltern Hills form a chalk escarpment in South East England. They are known locally as "the Chilterns". A large portion of the hills was designated officially as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1965.
The Chilterns cover an area of 833 km2 (322 sq mi) and are 18 km (11 mi) at their widest and stretch 74 km (46 mi) in a southwest to northeast diagonal from Goring-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, through Buckinghamshire, via Dunstable Downs and Deacon Hill in Bedfordshire, to near Hitchin in Hertfordshire.
The boundary of the hills is clearly defined on the northwest side by the scarp slope. The dip slope, by its nature, merges with the landscape to the southeast. Similarly, the Thames provides a clear terminal to the southwest, whereas northeast of Luton the hills decline slowly in prominence.
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Cholsey
Coordinates: 51°34′26″N 1°09′04″W / 51.574°N 1.151°W / 51.574; -1.151
Cholsey is a village and civil parish 2 miles (3 km) south of Wallingford, in South Oxfordshire. In 1974 it was transferred from Berkshire to the county of Oxfordshire, and from Wallingford Rural District to the district of South Oxfordshire.
The village green is known as The Forty. Winterbrook, at the north end of Cholsey parish adjoins Wallingford, and is the site of Winterbrook Bridge, which crosses the Thames.
A Bronze Age site has been found beside the River Thames at Whitecross Farm in the northeast of the parish.
A pre-Roman road, the Icknield Way, crosses the River Thames at Cholsey.
The village was originally founded on an island (Ceol's Isle) in marshy ground close to the Thames. There is evidence that the House of Wessex Royal family owned land in Cholsey in the 6th and 7th century. A royal nunnery, Cholsey Abbey, was founded in the village in 986 by Queen Dowager Ælfthryth on land given by her son, King Ethelred the Unready. The nunnery is thought to have been destroyed by invading Danes in 1006 when they camped in Cholsey after setting nearby Wallingford ablaze. However, Saxon masonry still survives in the Church of England parish church of St Mary. Most of this flint and stone church was built in the 12th century.
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City of Canterbury
The City of Canterbury is a local government district with city status in Kent, England. The main settlement in the district is Canterbury, the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the existing city of Canterbury with the Whitstable and Herne Bay Urban Districts, and Bridge-Blean Rural District. The latter district entirely surrounded the city; the urban districts occupied the coastal area to the north.
Within the district are the towns of Herne Bay and Whitstable, which with the parishes and the cathedral city itself, make up the 'City of Canterbury' district. There are 26 parishes within the district, as follows:
Swalecliffe is an unparished area within the district.
The area is in the main rural, although the entire coastal strip is taken up by the almost unbroken sprawl of seaside towns from Seasalter, west of Whitstable, to Herne Bay, Kent. Between them and the city there is high land, well wooded, south of which the Great Stour flows from its source beyond Ashford. The city of Canterbury stands upon this river.
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City of London
The City of London is an area in central London, England. In the medieval period it constituted most of London, but the conurbation has grown far beyond it. As the City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, it is now only a tiny part of the metropolis, though it remains a notable part of central London, holds city status in its own right, and is a separate ceremonial county.
It is often referred to as the City (often written on maps as "City") or the Square Mile, as it is just over one square mile (1.12 sq mi/2.90 km2) in area. These terms are also often used as metonyms for the United Kingdom's financial services industry, which continues a notable history of being based in the City.
The term London now refers to a much larger conurbation roughly corresponding to Greater London, a local government area which includes 32 London boroughs including the City of Westminster as well as the City of London. The local authority for the City, the City of London Corporation, is unique in the United Kingdom, and has some unusual responsibilities for a local authority in Britain, such as being the police authority for the City. It also has responsibilities and ownerships beyond the City's boundaries. The Corporation is headed by the Lord Mayor of the City of London, an office separate from (and much older than) the Mayor of London.
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City of Westminster
The City of Westminsteri/ˈwɛstmɪnstə/ is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary is the River Thames. It is an Inner London borough and was created in 1965 when Greater London was established. At its creation Westminster was awarded city status, which had been previously held by the smaller Metropolitan Borough of Westminster. Aside from a number of large parks and open spaces, the population density of the district is high. Many sites commonly associated with London are located in the borough, including Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, and 10 Downing Street. The borough is divided into a number of localities including the ancient political district of Westminster around the Palace of Westminster; the shopping areas around Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Bond Street; and the night time entertainment district of Soho. Much of the borough is residential, and in 2008 it was estimated to have a population of 236,000. The local authority is Westminster City Council.
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City of Winchester
Winchester ( /ˈwɪntʃɨstər/) is a local government district in Hampshire, England, with city status. It covers an area of central Hampshire including the city of Winchester itself, and neighbouring towns and villages including New Alresford, Colden Common and Bishops Waltham.
The current city boundaries were set on 1 April 1974 when the City of Winchester merged with Droxford Rural District and part of Winchester Rural District.
Other than Gosport and Eastleigh, Winchester is the only non Unitary Authority, council District in Hampshire not to border another county and is the only one that neither borders another county nor the coast. The two Unitary Authorities in Hampshire that don't border another county are Portsmouth and Southampton, Portsmouth and Southampton are the only Unitary Authorities in Hampshire.
Elections to the council are held in three out of every four years, with one third of the seats on the council being elected at each election. From 1995 to the 2004 election the Liberal Democrats had a majority on the council, but after 2 years when no party held a majority the 2006 election saw the Conservative party gain control. The elections on 6 May 2010 saw the Liberal Democrats re take control of the council.
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Clonmel
Clonmel (Irish: Cluain Meala, meaning "honey meadow") is the county town of South Tipperary in Ireland. It is the largest town in the county. While the borough had a population of 15,793 in 2011, another 2115 people were in the rural environs of Clonmel comprising Marlfield, Ardgeeha Upper (Cashel Rd), Boherduff (Fethard Rd) in County Tipperary and in County Waterford the area between the Dungarvan Rd and Mountain Rd. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian army which sacked both Drogheda and Wexford. It is in the former barony of Iffa and Offa East.
The name Clonmel is derived from the anglicisation of the Irish name Cluain Meala meaning honey meadow or honey vale. It is not clearly known when it got this name and many suppose that it come from fertility of soil and richness of country in which it is situated.
Clonmel grew significantly in medieval times, and many remainders of this period can be found in the town. A small section of the town walls remain in place near Old St. Mary's Church . This building is one of the main architectural features of the town. It was originally built in the 13th century or earlier but has been reconstructed or renovated on numerous occasions. The church was fortified early in its history, the town being strategically important, initially for the Earls of Ormonde, and later the Earl of Kildare. Some fortified parts of the church were destroyed or damaged during the Cromwellian occupation.One of the former entry points into the town is now the site of the 'West Gate', a 19th century reconstruction of an older structure. There were originally three gates in the walled town, North, East and West - with the South being protected by the river Suir and the Comeragh Mountains. The 'West Gate' is now an open arched entrance on to O'Connell street, the main street of the town.
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Coley Park
Coordinates: 51°26′41″N 0°59′11″W / 51.444860°N 0.986280°W / 51.444860; -0.986280
Coley Park is a suburb of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It is largely built on the estate of a country house of the same name.
Coley Park is an area of south-west Reading, bounded to the north by the Berkeley Avenue and the east by the older district of Coley, to the south and east by the Holy Brook and the water meadows of the Kennet Valley, and to the west by the railway line from Reading to Basingstoke and the suburb of Southcote.
Coley Park lies entirely within the borough of Reading, within Minster ward. It is within the Reading West parliamentary constituency.
Coley Park is split between the Church of England parishes of All Saints Church and St Giles' Church, although neither church is actually within the area.
The suburb of Coley Park was built largely on the lands of the Coley Park estate. The original manor house, known as Vachel House, was built c. 1555 by Thomas Vachell (1537–1610) on the banks of the Holy Brook rivulet (located where Coley Park Farm remains today). It was restored after the English Civil War c. 1651 by Tanfield Vachell (1602–1658).
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Cornwall
Cornwall ( /ˈkɔrnwɔːl/ or /ˈkɔrnwəl/;Cornish: Kernow [ˈkɛrnɔʊ]; Latin: Cornubia or Cornuvia) is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of 537,400 and covers an area of 3,563 km2 (1,376 sq mi). The administrative centre and only city is Truro.
The area now known as Cornwall was first inhabited in the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods. It continued to be occupied by Neolithic and then Bronze Age peoples, and later (in the Iron Age) by Brythons with distinctive cultural relations to neighbouring Wales and Brittany. There is little evidence that Roman rule was effective west of Exeter and few Roman remains have been found. Cornwall was a division of the Dumnonii tribe—whose tribal centre was in the modern county of Devon—known as the Cornovii, separated from Wales after the Battle of Deorham, often coming into conflict with the expanding English kingdom of Wessex before King Athelstan in AD 936 set the boundary between English and Cornish at the Tamar. From the early Middle Ages, British language and culture was apparently shared by Brythons trading across both sides of the Channel, evidenced by the corresponding high medieval Breton kingdoms of Domnonee and Cornouaille and the Celtic Christianity common to both territories.
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County Durham
County Durham /ˈdʌrəm/ is a ceremonial county and (smaller) unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county (in its own unitary Borough) is the town of Darlington. The county has a mixture of mining and farming heritage, as well as a heavy railway industry, particularity in the southwest of the county in Darlington, Shildon and Stockton. Its economy was historically based on coal and iron mining. It is an area of regeneration and promoted as a tourist destination.
The ceremonial county borders Tyne and Wear, North Yorkshire and Northumberland forms part of the North East England region.
Many counties are named after their principal town, and the expected form here would be Durhamshire. The county is commonly known as County Durham but was officially named Durham until at least 1997. The structural change legislation in 2009, however, referred to the county of County Durham. The former postal county was known as "County Durham" to distinguish it from the post town of Durham. Durham is the only English county name to be prefixed with "County" in common usage - a practice more common in Ireland.
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County Lock
County Lock is a lock on the River Kennet in Reading town centre in the English county of Berkshire. It is now administered by British Waterways as part of the Kennet and Avon Canal. Downstream from the lock is Brewery Gut, a particularly fast flowing, narrow and dangerous stretch of the river.
County Lock has the lowest rise of the locks on the Kennet, as boats only rise or fall about 30 cm (1 foot) in the lock. The main stream of the Kennet flows down the weir on the far side of the lock, while another arm of the Kennet disappears under the Bridge Street Roundabout.
The first County Lock was built between 1718 and 1723, during the navigation works undertaken under the supervision of the engineer John Hore of Newbury in order to create the Kennet Navigation between Reading and Newbury. Initially the lock was located on the north side of the river, adjacent to Bear Wharf, but it was relocated to its current location on the south bank as part of the Reading waterworks improvement scheme of 1876.
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Coventry
Coventry (i/ˈkɒvəntri/) is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although Stoke-on-Trent, Leicester and Nottingham have larger urban areas. The population of Coventry had risen to 315,800 as of 2010, according to the Office of National Statistics.
Historically within Warwickshire, Coventry is situated 95 miles (153 km) northwest of central London and 19 miles (31 km) east-southeast of Birmingham, and is further from the coast than any other city in Britain. Although harbouring a population of almost a third of a million inhabitants, Coventry is not amongst the English Core Cities Group due to its proximity to Birmingham.
Coventry was the world's first twin city when it formed a twinning relationship with the Russian city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) during World War II. The relationship developed through ordinary people in Coventry who wanted to show their support for the Soviet Red Army during the Battle of Stalingrad. The city is now also twinned with Dresden, Lidice and 23 other cities around the world.
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Crawley
Crawley ( pronunciation (help·info)) is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is 28 miles (45 km) south of Charing Cross, 18 miles (29 km) north of Brighton and Hove, and 32 miles (51 km) northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of 17.36 square miles (44.96 km2) and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.
The area has been inhabited since the Stone Age, and was a centre of ironworking in Roman times. Crawley developed slowly as a market town from the 13th century, serving the surrounding villages in the Weald; its location on the main road from London to Brighton brought a passing trade, encouraging the development of coaching inns. It was connected to the railway network in the 1840s.
Gatwick Airport, now one of Britain's busiest international airports, opened on the edge of the town in the 1940s, encouraging commercial and industrial growth. After the Second World War, the British Government planned to move large numbers of people and jobs out of London and into new towns around South East England. The New Towns Act 1946 designated Crawley as the site of one of these. A master plan was developed for the establishment of new residential, commercial, industrial and civic areas, and rapid development greatly increased the size and population of the town in a few decades.
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Crowthorne
Crowthorne is also a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa
Coordinates: 51°22′12″N 0°47′31″W / 51.370°N 0.792°W / 51.370; -0.792
Crowthorne is small town and civil parish in the Bracknell Forest district of south-eastern Berkshire. It has a population of 6,711. Crowthorne is best known for Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high-security psychiatric hospitals in England, which lies in the town.
The town was only a small hamlet until Wellington College was opened to educate sons of British Army officers in 1859, followed by Broadmoor in 1863. Crowthorne railway station, originally known as Wellington College for Crowthorne station, was opened in 1860, and the village grew quickly. In the 1960s, the Transport Research Laboratory opened in Crowthorne, and this is now the main employer[citation needed] for those who do not commute.
The Crowthorne urban area spills over into the neighbouring parish of Wokingham Without. (The parish of Wokingham Without consists of an area surrounding the town of Wokingham on its south-eastern side, but its name does not mean outside Wokingham. Historically when the parishes were church parishes, there was a local area which belonged to Wiltshire which was therefore known as Wokingham Without (i.e. outside) Berkshire, whereas the Town was ‘within’ Berkshire.) But the majority of Crowthorne is in the Bracknell Forest district. Edgbarrow Woods are between Sandhurst and Crowthorne.
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Croxley Green
Coordinates: 51°38′49″N 0°26′42″W / 51.647°N 0.445°W / 51.647; -0.445
Croxley Green is a large village and civil parish of approximately 5,000 dwellings and 12,000 residents located between Watford (to the north-east) and Rickmansworth (to the south-west) in Hertfordshire, England. Croxley is about 20 miles north-west of London.
Croxley Green has a large village green surrounded by some of its oldest buildings (17th century) including the Croxley Green Windmill. There is extensive building from the 19th Century centred around New Road plus a good deal of housing stock from the 1930s, built at the time of the Metropolitan Line branch. The Green houses the "Revels on The Green", an annual village fair which includes a traditional maypole dance, which used to be illustrated on the road signs on entering the village.
In 2008 a group of residents were successful in gaining "village green" status also for a small area of woodland ("Buddleia Wood") to the south of the village, thereby protecting the area for generations to come.
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Dartford
Coordinates: 51°27′50″N 0°15′14″E / 51.464°N 0.254°E / 51.464; 0.254
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, 16 miles (26 km) east south-east of central London.
The town centre is situated in a valley through which the River Darent flows, and where the old road from London to Dover crossed: hence the name, from Darent + ford. Dartford became a market town in medieval times and, although today it is principally a commuter town for Greater London, it has a long history of religious, industrial and cultural importance. It is an important rail hub; the main through-road now avoids the town itself.
In prehistory, the first people appeared in the Dartford area around 250,000 years ago: a tribe of prehistoric hunter-gatherers whose exemplar is called Swanscombe Man. Many other archaeological investigations have revealed a good picture of occupation of the district with important finds from the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age.
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Derby
Derby (i/ˈdɑːbi/ DAR-bi), is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407. According to the 2001 census, Derby was at that time the 18th largest settlement in England, measured by urban area.
The city has Roman, Saxon and Viking origins.
The Roman camp of 'Derventio' was probably at Little Chester/Chester Green (grid reference SK353375); The site of the old Roman fort is at Chester Green. Later the town was one of the 'Five Boroughs' (fortified towns) of the Danelaw.
Djúra-bý, recorded in Anglo-Saxon as Deoraby "Village of the Deer". This popular belief is asserted by Tim Lambert who states, "The name Derby is derived from the Danish words deor by meaning deer settlement" without reference or proof. However some[who?] assert that it is a corruption of the original Roman name 'Derventio'. The proven origin of the name "Derby" would seem to be elusive.
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Diocese of Oxford
The Diocese of Oxford forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England.
The Diocese of Oxford was created in 1541 out of part of the Diocese of Lincoln.
In 1836 the Archdeaconry of Berkshire was transferred from the Diocese of Salisbury to Oxford. This comprises the county of Berkshire and parts of Wiltshire.
In 1837 the County of Buckingham was similarly transferred from the then Diocese of Lincoln, to become the Archdeaconry of Buckingham, although this annexation did not take effect until 1845.
The Diocese now covers the counties of
and has
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The diocese is divided into three Episcopal Areas corresponding to its Archdeaconries. The Bishop of Oxford has authority throughout the diocese, but also has primary responsibility for the city and suburbs of Oxford, which are part of the Archdeaconry of Oxford.
Coordinates: 51°45′01″N 1°15′21″W / 51.750199°N 1.255853°W / 51.750199; -1.255853
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Dorking
Coordinates: 51°14′02″N 0°19′54″W / 51.2340°N 0.3318°W / 51.2340; -0.3318
Dorking ( /ˈdɔrkɪŋ/) is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately 21 miles (34 km) south of London, in Surrey, England.
Dorking began life as a small staging on Stane Street, the Roman Road that linked London to Chichester on the English Channel.
Dorking appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as the Manor of Dorchinges. It was held by William the Conqueror. Its domesday assets were: one church, 3 mills worth 15s 4d, 16 ploughs, 3 acres (1.2 ha) of meadow, woodland and herbage worth 88 hogs. It rendered £18.
Subsequent Lords of the Manor were to include the Dukes of Norfolk, who lived in Dorking until they moved to Arundel. One of them is buried in Dorking churchyard. In the Medieval period, Dorking was a prosperous agricultural and market town, benefitting from its position on the junction of a number of important roads and tracks.
In 1750, the construction of a Turnpike Road made Dorking a staging post on the route to Brighton and the coast. The Bull's Head in South Street had a famous coachman, William Broad, whose portrait hangs in Dorking Museum in West Street. The inn that now dominates the centre of Dorking, the White Horse, was developed in the 18th century; previous buildings on this site having belonged to the Knights Templar and later the Knights of St John.
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Dorset
Dorset (
/ˈdɔrsɨt/) (or archaically, Dorsetshire), is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974. The ceremonial county comprises the area covered by the non-metropolitan county, which is governed by Dorset County Council, together with the unitary authorities of Poole and Bournemouth. Dorset covers an area of 2,653 square kilometres (1,024 sq mi); it borders Devon to the west, Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north-east, and Hampshire to the east. Around half of Dorset's population lives in the South East Dorset conurbation. The rest of the county is largely rural with a low population density.
The county has a long history of human settlement and some notable archaeology, including the hill forts of Maiden Castle and Hod Hill. A large defensive ditch, Bokerley Dyke, delayed the Saxon conquest of Dorset for up to 150 years. In 1348 the black death came ashore at Melcombe Regis and spread throughout England, killing a third of the population. Dorset has seen much civil unrest: the first trade union was formed by farm labourers from Tolpuddle in 1834, the Glorious Revolution was instigated in an ice-house at Charborough Park, and the Duke of Monmouth and his rebels landed at Lyme Regis. During the English Civil War (1642–1651) angry yokels fought with Cromwell's forces near Shaftesbury. The naval base at Portland has had a pivotal role in the nation's defence for many years, and with Weymouth and Poole was one of the main embarkation points on D-Day.
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Dudley
Coordinates: 52°30′43″N 2°05′45″W / 52.5119°N 2.0957°W / 52.5119; -2.0957
Dudley (i/ˈdʌdli/ DUD-lee) is a large town in the West Midlands county of England, and the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. At the 2001 census (according to the Office of National Statistics), the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the one of the largest settlements in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without its own university.
Dudley is part of the West Midlands conurbation, and is located south of the city of Wolverhampton. It is the largest town in the Black Country region of England, and for many years the town (but not the castle, which was classed as part of Staffordshire) formed part of an exclave of the county of Worcestershire. Despite the more recent changes in county borders, the town still remains part of the Anglican Diocese of Worcester.
Dudley unsuccessfully bid to receive city status in 2012, losing out to Chelmsford, Perth and St. Asaph.
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Dunstable
Coordinates: 51°53′10″N 0°31′16″W / 51.88603°N 0.52102°W / 51.88603; -0.52102
Dunstable ( /ˈdʌnstəbəl/) is a market town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles north of London. These geographical features form several steep chalk escarpments most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north.
In Roman times its name was Durocobrivis. There was a general assumption that the nominative form of the name had been Durocobrivae, so that is what appears on the map of 1944 illustrated below. But current thinking is that the form Durocobrivis, which occurs in the Antonine Itinerary, is a fossilised locative that was used all the time and Ordnance Survey now uses this form.
There are several theories concerning its modern name:
Relics of Palæolithic man, such as flint implements and the bones of contemporary wild animals, suggest settlement is prehistoric. At Maidenbower in the parish of Houghton Regis to the north, there is an Iron Age hill fort and is clearly marked on the Ordnance survey maps. Maidenbower has some of the ramparts showing through the edge of an old chalk quarry at Sewell where there are Bronze Age remains of an older fort. There are a lot of prehistoric sites in this area and details can be found with the Manshead Archaeological Society who are based in Winfield Street, Dunstable.
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Earley
Coordinates: 51°25′59″N 0°55′59″W / 51.433°N 0.933°W / 51.433; -0.933
Earley is a town and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. The Office for National Statistics places Earley within the Reading/Wokingham Urban Area, for purposes of local government it falls within the Borough of Wokingham, outside of the jurisdiction of Reading Borough Council. The name is sometimes spelt Erleigh or Erlegh.
The town consists of a number of subordinate areas, including Maiden Erlegh and Lower Earley, and lies some 2 miles (3.2 km) south and east of central Reading, and some 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Wokingham. It has a population of around 30,000 people.
Evidence of early man has been found in several locations around Earley, amongst recorded finds: a hand axe was found in the railway cutting, flint implemets in a garden in Elm Lane and hand axes in the gardens in Fowler Close (no 12) and Silverdale Road. Most of these finds are thought to come from the late Paleolithic period around 35,000 years ago. Traces of flimsy shelters from the Mesolithic were discovered at the site of the old power station at Thames Valley Park in North Earley. Tools from this time have also been found, including a flint blade found in the garden of 42 Silverdale Road. Archaeological evidence for continued human presence during the Bronze Age and Iron Age were also discovered on the site of Thames Valley Business Park and Roman remains were found on a building site off Meadow Road.
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East Grinstead
Coordinates: 51°07′44″N 0°00′25″W / 51.129°N 0.007°W / 51.129; -0.007
East Grinstead is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. It lies 27 miles (43 km) south of London, 21 miles (34 km) north northeast of Brighton, and 38 miles (61 km) east northeast of the county town of Chichester. The civil parish covers an area of 2443.45 hectares (6,035 acres) and had a population of 23,942 persons in the 2001 census. Nearby towns include Crawley to the west, Tunbridge Wells to the east and Redhill and Reigate to the northwest. The town is continuous with the village of Felbridge to the northwest. Until 1974 East Grinstead was the centre for local government - East Grinstead Urban District Council - and was located in the county of East Sussex. East Grinstead, along with Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill, as part of the former Cuckfield Rural District Council, came together as Mid-Sussex; moving to the jurisdiction of West Sussex County Council. The town has many historic buildings and is located on the Greenwich Meridian. It is located in the Weald and Ashdown Forest lies to the south of the town.
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East Hampshire
East Hampshire is a local government district in Hampshire, England. Its council is based in Petersfield. Other towns are Alton, Horndean and Whitehill-Bordon.
The district was originally to be known as the District Council of Petersfield. It comprised 42 seats and first met on 18 June 1973. For ten months it operated alongside the councils that it was formed to replace: the Alton and Petersfield urban districts along with Alton Rural District and Petersfield Rural District.
On 8 October 1973, the new council changed its name to the current East Hampshire District Council (or EHDC as it is usually known).
On 1 April 1974, the old councils were dissolved, leaving only EHDC.
Sandy Hopkins was the first joint Chief Executive in Hampshire when she was appointed to head both EHDC and Havant Borough Council in October 2009.
Councillors approved the business case put forward by the Chief Executive for a shared management team between the two authorities in June 2010.
The new team took up its position in October 2010 and consists of five Executive Heads reporting to two Executive Directors. This is a reduction in senior management from 15 to 7 positions.
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East Reading
Coordinates: 51°27′11″N 0°56′59″W / 51.453020°N 0.949790°W / 51.453020; -0.949790
East Reading is a district of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire.
The district has no formal boundaries, but the name is generally used to refer to the area within the borough boundaries to the east of the city centre, to the south of the River Kennet, to the north of Whitley and to the west of Earley. As such it includes the densely populated area of Newtown, as well as the areas around London and Earley Roads, Cemetery Junction and the Wokingham Road as far as the borough boundary at the Three Tuns.
The Royal Berkshire Hospital and the University of Reading's London Road Campus lie on the district's western boundary, whilst the University of Reading's larger Whiteknights Campus is on the southern boundary. Both Reading College and the Thames Valley University are in the district, as is Reading School. The oldest building in the area is Watlington House, situated on Watlington Street.
Reading Buses operate frequent bus services along the Wokingham Road, and to the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
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East Sussex
East Sussex ( /ˈsʌsɨks/) is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.
East Sussex is part of the historic county of Sussex, which has its roots in the ancient kingdom of the South Saxons, who established themselves there in the 5th century AD, after the departure of the Romans. Archaeological remains are plentiful, especially in the upland areas. The area's position on the coast has also meant that there were many invaders, including the Romans and later the Normans. Earlier industries have included fishing, iron-making, and the wool trade, all of which have declined, or been lost completely.
Sussex is traditionally divided into six sub-divisions known as rapes. From the 12th century the three eastern rapes and the three western rapes each had separate quarter sessions, with the county town of the three eastern rapes being Lewes. This situation was formalised by Parliament in 1865, and the two parts were made into administrative counties, each with distinct elected county councils in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888. In East Sussex there were also three self-administered county boroughs: Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings.
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Eastbourne
Eastbourne ( pronunciation (help·info)) is a large town and borough in East Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head. The modern town emerged in the early 19th century as a seaside resort, assisted by the arrival of the railway in 1849, and developed a spacious, regular layout.
Prior to its Victorian development, the area consisted of the estates of the Duke of Devonshire and others, which had evolved around the village of East Burne. From the Bronze Age onward there were small settlements in and around the "Burne", an ancient stream which ran from what is now Motcombe Gardens down to the sea. During the Middle Ages sheep farming and fishing were the main activities. Eastbourne's earliest claim as a seaside resort was a summer holiday visit by four of King George III's children in 1780. During the Napoleonic Wars, the Wish Tower and the Redoubt were built as defences. In the wake of the fall of France in 1940, the town’s population fell sharply as this part of the south coast was considered a likely invasion zone. The town was badly bombed thus gaining it the dubious reputation of being ‘the most raided town in the southeast’. Thousands of Canadian soldiers were stationed in and around Eastbourne from the summer of 1941 to the run-up to D-Day.
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Edinburgh
Edinburgh (i/ˈɛdɪnbʌrə/ ED-in-burr-ə; Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Èideann) is the capital city of Scotland and the seat of the Scottish Parliament. It is the second largest city in Scotland and the seventh most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a 30 square miles (78 km2) rural area. Located in the south-east of Scotland, Edinburgh lies on the east coast of the Central Belt, along the Firth of Forth, near the North Sea.
The city was one of the historical major centres of the Enlightenment, led by the University of Edinburgh, helping to earn it the nickname Athens of the North. The Old Town and New Town districts of Edinburgh were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 in recognition of the unique character of the Medieval Old Town and the planned Georgian New Town. It covers both the Old and New Towns together with the Dean Village and the Calton Hill areas. There are over 4,500 listed buildings within the city. In May 2010, it had a total of 40 conservation areas covering 23% of the building stock and 23% of the population, the highest such ratios of any major city in the UK. In the 2011 mid-year population estimates, Edinburgh had a total resident population of 495,360.
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Elmbridge
Elmbridge is a local government district and borough in Surrey, England. Its council is based in Esher. The district has only one civil parish, which is Claygate. The borough shares a boundary with Greater London—the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames to the north and the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames to the east—and borders the Surrey boroughs of Runnymede, Spelthorne, Woking, Guildford and Mole Valley. Elmbridge is located almost entirely within the bounds of the M25 motorway.
Elmbridge is named after the Elmbridge hundred, which appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Amelebrige. The district was formed on 1 April 1974 following the Local Government Act 1972.
The borough is governed by Elmbridge Borough Council. Prior to 1974, the borough was split between the Esher Urban District, whose council had existed since 1933, and the Walton and Weybridge Urban District. The councils arms were created upon the formation of the present day district, being formed out of symbols taken from the local towns and villages. A new Civic Centre was opened in 1991.
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Emmer Green
Coordinates: 51°28′59″N 0°57′43″W / 51.483°N 0.962°W / 51.483; -0.962
Emmer Green is a suburb of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It is situated immediately north of Caversham on the border with Oxfordshire, the county in which both places formerly stood.
Emmer Green has five former mansions. Two are now converted for residential use; Rosehill House and Notley Place. Rosehill House, standing in 14 acres of ground, was once part of Caversham Manor, the first building being erected in 1791. Martin John Sutton, of Sutton's Seeds, lived there, the house then being called Kidmore Grange. In 1923 it was bought for the Oratory Preparatory School; then from the outbreak of the last war until 1958 it accommodated part of The Salvation Army's Headquarters as staff were evacuated from central London. The house has since been converted into flats and a housing estate built on the grounds. The third, Caversham Park, is owned by the BBC, while Grove House has become Highdown School. Caversham Place was designed by the architect Clough Williams-Ellis for Major-General Sir Cecil Pereira, whose brother The Rev Edward Thomas Pereira was headmaster and benefactor of The Oratory School.
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England
Englandi/ˈɪŋɡlənd/ is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, while the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separate it from continental Europe. Most of England comprises the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain in the North Atlantic. The country also includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic period, but it takes its name from the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in AD 927, and since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century, has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world. The English language, the Anglican Church, and English law—the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world—developed in England, and the country's parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation. England's Royal Society laid the foundations of modern experimental science.
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Englefield Green
Coordinates: 51°25′48″N 0°34′12″W / 51.4301°N 0.5699°W / 51.4301; -0.5699
Englefield Green is a large village in northern Surrey, England. It is home to Royal Holloway, University of London, the south eastern corner of Windsor Great Park and close to the towns of Egham, Windsor, Staines and Virginia Water. The village was built up in the 19th century and contains some of the most expensive housing in south-eastern England.
It is represented in Parliament by Conservative MP for Runnymede, Philip Hammond. The village is divided into two wards for the purpose of Borough Council elections - East (Cllr Peter Taylor, Cllr Marisa Heath, Cllr Pat Roberts) and West (Cllr Mike Kusneraitis, Cllr Hugh Meares, Cllr Nick Prescot). The village is represented on Surrey County Council by Cllr Marisa Heath.
On the road past the former Brunel University campus and towards Kingswood Hall of Royal Holloway is the Air Forces Memorial which commemorates by name over 20,000 airmen and women who were lost in the Second World War during operations from bases in the United Kingdom and North and Western Europe, and who have no known graves. They served in Bomber, Fighter, Coastal, Transport, Flying Training and Maintenance Commands, and came from all parts of the Commonwealth, as well as some from countries in continental Europe which had been overrun but whose airmen continued to fight in the ranks of the Royal Air Force. The names in their thousands are inscribed on panels in a courtyard.
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Environment Agency
The Environment Agency (Welsh: Asiantaeth yr Amgylchedd) is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Government that serves England and Wales.
The Environment Agency's stated purpose is, "to protect or enhance the environment, taken as a whole" so as to promote "the objective of achieving sustainable development" (taken from the Environment Act 1995, section 4). Protection of the environment relates to threats such as flood and pollution. The vision of the Agency is of "a rich, healthy and diverse environment for present and future generations".
The Environment Agency's remit covers the whole of England and Wales; about 15 million hectares of land, 22,000 miles (35,000 km) of river and 3,100 miles (5,000 km) of coastline seawards to the three mile limit which includes 2 million hectares of coastal waters. In a sharing arrangement with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), it also exercises some of its functions over parts of the catchments of the River Tweed and the Border Esk which are, for the most part, in Scotland
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Epping
Coordinates: 51°42′01″N 0°06′31″E / 51.7004°N 0.1087°E / 51.7004; 0.1087
Epping is a small market town and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of the County of Essex, England. It is located 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north-east of Loughton, 4.6 miles (7.4 km) south of Harlow and 10.9 miles (17.5 km) north-west of Brentwood.
The town retains a rural appearance being surrounded by Epping Forest and working farmland, and has many very old buildings, many of which are Grade I and II listed buildings. The town also retains its weekly market which is held every Monday and dates back to 1253. In 2001 the parish had a population of 11,047 although this has increased marginally since then.
Epping has been twinned with the German town of Eppingen in north-west Baden-Württemberg since 1981. Although the once-famous Epping Butter, which was highly sought after in the 18th and 19th centuries, is no longer made, the equally well-known Epping sausages are still manufactured by Church's Butchers who have been trading on the same site since 1888.
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Epsom
Coordinates: 51°20′10″N 0°16′03″W / 51.3361°N 0.2674°W / 51.3361; -0.2674
Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England. Some parts of Epsom are in the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. The town is located 16 miles (26 km) south-south-west of Charing Cross, within the Greater London Urban Area. The town lies on the chalk downland in the valley of Epsom Downs.
Epsom lies within the Copthorne hundred, an administrative division devised by the Saxons. The name of Epsom derives from Ebba's ham. Ebba was a Saxon landowner. There were a string of settlements, many ending in -ham, along the northern slopes of the Downs, including Effingham, Bookham, and Cheam. The only relic from this period is a 7th century brooch found in Epsom and now in the British Museum.
The early history of the area is bound up with the Abbey of Chertsey, whose ownership of Ebbisham was confirmed by King Athelstan in 933.
Epsom appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Evesham. It was held by Chertsey Abbey. Its domesday assets were: 11 hides; 2 churches, 2 mills worth 10 shillings, 18 ploughs, 24 acres (97,000 m2) of meadow, woodland worth 20 hogs. It rendered £17. The town at the time of Domesday Book had 38 peasant households grouped near St. Martin's Church. Later, other small settlements grew up at the town pond (now the Market in the High Street), and at Epsom Court, Horton, Woodcote, and Langley Vale.
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Epsom and Ewell
Epsom and Ewell is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England, covering the town of Epsom and the village of Ewell. The borough was formed as an urban district in 1894, and was known as Epsom until 1934. It was made a municipal borough in 1937. The district was considered for inclusion in Greater London in 1965 but was left unaltered by the London Government Act 1963 and the Local Government Act 1972 in 1974. However, despite being outside modern Greater London the borough was in the Metropolitan Police District until it was transferred to Surrey Police in 2000. In the May 2011 elections, the borough was held by the Epsom and Ewell Residents Association with 26 seats, Liberal Democrats with 6 seats and both the Labour and Conservatives with 3 seats.
Epsom and Ewell lie on the spring line on the north face of the North Downs where pervious chalk meets impervious London clay and a series of springs form. In Ewell the springs which form the Hogsmill River are evident, those in Epsom less so. The springs attracted prehistoric people and remains have been found, mostly in Ewell and particularly near the Hogsmill. In Roman times the road now known as Stane Street, from London to Chichester, passed through Epsom and Ewell. Roman remains have been found in Ewell suggesting a sizeable settlement. Epsom and Ewell have Saxon names: Ewell takes its name from the spring in the centre of the village and Epsom, or Ebbisham, is the enclosure of Ebbi. A Saxon cemetery in The Grove in Ewell was excavated in the 1930s.
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Essex
Essex ( /ˈɛsɨks/) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west. Essex County Council is the principal local authority for much of the county, sharing functions with twelve district councils. The county town is Chelmsford. The southern Essex boroughs of Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea are governed separately as unitary authorities. It was established in antiquity and formed the eastern portion of the Kingdom of Essex. Sections of the county closer to London are part of the Metropolitan Green Belt, which prohibits development. It is the location of the regionally significant Lakeside Shopping Centre and London Stansted Airport; and the new towns of Basildon and Harlow.
The name Essex originates in the Anglo-Saxon period of the Early Middle Ages and has its root in the Old English Ēastseaxe (i.e. the "East Saxons"), the eastern kingdom of the Saxons. Originally (in 527 AD) it occupied territory to the north of the River Thames, incorporating all of what later became Middlesex and most of what later became Hertfordshire, though its territory was later restricted to lands east of the River Lea.Colchester in the north east of the county is Britain's oldest recorded town, dating back to before the Roman conquest, when it was known as Camulodunum and was sufficiently well-developed to have its own mint. Subsequently the Kingdom of Essex was subsumed into the Kingdom of England and Essex eventually became a county.
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Ewell
Coordinates: 51°21′01″N 0°14′55″W / 51.3502°N 0.2486°W / 51.3502; -0.2486
Ewell ( /ˈjuːl/) is a village in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, close to the southern boundary of Greater London. It is located 14 miles (22.5 km) south-south-west of Charing Cross and forms part of the suburbia that surrounds Greater London. Despite its growing population it is still referred to as a village by locals and largely maintains a rural character. Ewell is at the head of the Hogsmill river, a tributary of the River Thames, and the spring has likely been considered sacred dating back into pre-history.
Neighbouring towns and villages include Cheam, Chessington, Epsom, Tolworth, Stoneleigh and Worcester Park.
The name Ewell derives from Old English æwell, which means river source or spring. The old Roman road Stane Street deviates from a straight line slightly at Ewell in order to pass by the spring. Ewell is one of a number of settlements founded along the geological line between the chalk of the North Downs to the south, and the clay of the London Basin to the north. The A24 London Road runs from Merton to Ewell along the course of the Roman road, and Stane Street leaves Ewell connecting it towards Leatherhead and Dorking to the south-west. Bronze Age remains have also been found in Ewell and the Romans are likely to have encountered an existing religious site when they first arrived.
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Eye and Dunsden
Eye and Dunsden is a largely rural civil parish in the most southern part of English county of Oxfordshire.
It includes the villages of Sonning Eye, Dunsden Green and Playhatch and borders on the River Thames with the village of Sonning in Berkshire connected via Sonning Bridge just over the river to the south. Before 1866, Eye & Dunsden was part of the trans-county parish of Sonning.[citation needed]
To the west, it abuts the growing Berkshire town of Reading. To the east lies the Oxfordshire parish of Shiplake. Sonning Common and the relatively newly created parish of Binfield Heath lie to the north.
Caversham Lakes, including the Thames and Kennet Marina, Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake, Reading Sailing Club, Isis Water Ski Club, and Sonning Works, are all on the Thames flood plain within the parish. Berry Brook starts close to the Redgrave-Pinsent Rowing Lake to the southwest, running northeast through the River Thames floodplain past Playhatch, under the B478 Playhatch Road near the Sonning Works, before joining the river at Hallsmead Ait. Eye & Dunsden also includes attractively wooded parts of the Chiltern Hills and rolling farmland.
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Farnham
Coordinates: 51°12′50″N 0°47′56″W / 51.214°N 0.799°W / 51.214; -0.799
Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles (67 km) southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire. By road Guildford is 11 miles (17 km) to the east and Winchester 28 miles (45 km) to the southwest. Farnham is the largest town in Waverley, with a total resident population of 38,000 people. It is of historic interest, with many old buildings, including a number of Georgian houses. Farnham Castle overlooks the town. A short distance southeast of the town centre are the ruins of Waverley Abbey, Moor Park House and Mother Ludlam's Cave. Farnham is twinned with Andernach in Germany.
Farnham's history and present status are mainly the result of its geography; a combination of river, streams, fresh water springs and varied soils, together with a temperate climate, attracted early man to the area and, even today, the geology of the area greatly influences the town, both in terms of communications, scenic and botanic variety and the main local industries of agriculture and minerals extraction. Farnham Geological Society is an active organisation in the town, and the Museum of Farnham has a collection of geological samples and fossils.
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Fobney Lock
Fobney Lock is a lock on the River Kennet in the Small Mead area of Reading in the English county of Berkshire.
Fobney Lock was built between 1718 and 1723 under the supervision of the engineer John Hore of Newbury, and this stretch of the river is now administered by British Waterways and known as the Kennet Navigation. It has a rise/fall of 7 ft 8 in (2.24 m). There is also an adjacent pumping station which ensures the lock has sufficient water levels.
There have been ongoing plans to turn Fobney Island, adjacent to the lock, into a wetlands nature reserve.
Coordinates: 51°26′01″N 0°59′14″W / 51.43362°N 0.98722°W / 51.43362; -0.98722
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Fords Farm
Coordinates: 51°26′26″N 1°01′30″W / 51.440473°N 1.025119°W / 51.440473; -1.025119
Fords Farm is a suburb within Reading in the English county of Berkshire.
Fords Farm lies south of the Bath Road west of the centre of Reading.
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Glasgow
Coordinates: 55°51′29″N 4°15′32″W / 55.858°N 4.259°W / 55.858; -4.259
Glasgow (i/ˈɡlɑːzɡəʊ/, locally /ˈɡlazɡo/, GLAZ-goh; Scots: Glesga listen (help·info); Scottish Gaelic: Glaschu ([ˈkɫ̪as̪əxu] listen (help·info))) is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's West Central Lowlands.
Glasgow grew from a small rural settlement on the River Clyde to become one of the largest seaports in Britain. Expanding from the medieval bishopric of Glasgow and the later establishment of the University of Glasgow in the 15th century, it became a major centre of the Scottish Enlightenment in the 18th century. From the 18th century the city also grew as one of Britain's main hubs of transatlantic trade with British North America and the British West Indies. With the Industrial Revolution, the city and surrounding region shifted to become one of the world's pre-eminent centres of heavy engineering, most notably in shipbuilding and marine engineering industry, which produced many innovative and famous vessels. Glasgow was known as the "Second City of the British Empire" for much of the Victorian era and Edwardian period. Today it is one of Europe's top ten financial centres and is home to many of Scotland's leading businesses. Glasgow is also ranked as the 57th most liveable city in the world.
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Godalming
Coordinates: 51°11′06″N 0°36′36″W / 51.185°N 0.61°W / 51.185; -0.61
Godalming ( /ˈɡɒdəlmɪŋ/) is a town and civil parish in the Waverley district of the county of Surrey, England, 7 kilometres (4 mi) south of Guildford. It is built on the banks of the River Wey and is a prosperous part of the London commuter belt. Godalming shares a three-way twinning arrangement with the towns of Joigny in France and Mayen in Germany. Friendship links are in place with the state of Georgia in the United States and the city of Moscow in Russia. James Oglethorpe of Godalming was the founder of the colony of Georgia.
The town has existed since Saxon times (see also Godalming (hundred)), and probably earlier. It is mentioned in the will of King Alfred the Great, and the name itself has Saxon origins, 'Godhelms Ingus' roughly translated as “the family of Godhelm”, and probably referring to one of the first lords of the manor.
Godalming grew in size because its location is roughly half-way between Portsmouth and London, which encouraged traders to set up stalls and inns for travellers to buy from and rest in.
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Gosport
Gosport /ˈɡɒspɔrt/ is a town, district and borough situated on the south coast of England, within the county of Hampshire. It has approximately 80,000 permanent residents with a further 5,000–10,000 during the summer months. It is part of the South Hampshire conurbation and lies on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour opposite the City of Portsmouth, to which it is linked by a pedestrian ferry.
Up until the last quarter of the 20th century, Gosport was a major naval and military town associated with the defence and supply infrastructure of Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Portsmouth. As a result of a decline in these activities, many of its fortifications and installations, such as Fort Brockhurst, have been opened to the public as tourism and heritage sites, with extensive redevelopment of the harbour area as a marina.
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Gravesham
Gravesham ( /ˈɡreɪvʃəm/ GRAYV-shəm) is a local government district and borough in North West Kent, England. It has borders with Thurrock across the River Thames to the north; the former city of Rochester and Medway to the east; the borough of Tonbridge and Malling (to the south); and the boroughs of Sevenoaks and Dartford to the west.
Its council is based at the Town Hall in Gravesend, and the borough shares similar borders with the Gravesham constituency. As well as the parishes listed below, the area of the former urban district of Northfleet was also included in the borough when it was formed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It is the successor to the Gravesend Municipal Borough, Northfleet Urban District, and part of Strood Rural District. Gravesham is twinned with Cambrai.
Robert H Hiscock, Chairman of the Gravesend Historical Society, in the foreword to his book, 'A History of Gravesend' (Phillimore, 1976) wrote:
Gravesham Borough Council is elected every four years, with currently 44 councillors being elected at each election. From the first election in 1973 the council has alternated between Labour and Conservative control. Since 1995 Labour has controlled the council apart from 4 years between the 2007 and 2011 elections. As of the 2011 election the council is composed of the following councillors:-
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Grays
Coordinates: 51°28′21″N 0°19′29″E / 51.4724°N 0.3247°E / 51.4724; 0.3247
Grays (or Grays Thurrock) is the largest town in the borough and unitary authority of Thurrock in Essex and one of the Thurrock's traditional (Church of England) parishes. It is situated approximately 20 miles (32 km) to the east of London on the north bank of the River Thames, and near the M25 motorway.
Parts of Grays and Chafford Hundred are set within three Victorian chalk pits; the largest two being the Lion Gorge, and the Warren Gorge. Another area of the Chafford Hundred residential development is built on a Victorian landfill site.
Thurrock is a Saxon name meaning "the bottom of a ship". The element "Grays" comes from Henry de Grai, a descendant of the Norman knight Anchetil de Greye, who was granted the manor of Grays Thurrock 1195 by Richard I.
Nearest places:
Local sites of interest include the Thameside Theatre, the Thurrock History Museum, Grays Beach and the now-disused State Cinema (which was used as a location in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit and for sections of Jamiroquai's video of "Deeper Underground" for the film Godzilla).
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Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London and the 32 London boroughs. This territory has the same boundaries as the London Government Office Region and the London European Parliament constituency. The region has by far the highest GVA per capita in the United Kingdom. It covers 1,572 km2 (607 sq mi) and had a 2009 mid-year estimated population of 7,753,600. The term Greater London was in use before 1965 to refer to a variously defined area, larger than the County of London and often similar to the Metropolitan Police District.
In addition to its administrative and statistical functions, Greater London (excluding the City of London) is one of the 48 ceremonial counties of England, and is under the Greater London Lieutenancy.
Instead of forming a single political unit, London is divided into the small, interior City of London and the much wider Greater London. This arrangement has come about because as the area of London grew and absorbed neighbouring settlements, a series of administrative reforms did not fully amalgamate the City of London with the metropolitan area, and its unique political structure was retained. Outside the limited boundaries of the old city, a variety of arrangements governed the wider area since 1855, culminating with the creation of the Greater London administrative area in 1965.
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Greenlands
Coordinates: 51°33′47″N 0°52′57″W / 51.5631°N 0.8825°W / 51.5631; -0.8825
Greenlands is a country house situated by the River Thames in Buckinghamshire, just outside Henley-on-Thames. Built in the nineteenth century, it now forms the core of Greenlands Campus of the University of Reading, and is used by their Henley Business School as the base for its MBA and corporate learning offerings.
The present building was built on the site of a previous house which was owned in the seventeenth century by the D’Oyley family, descendants of the Norman Robert D'Oyly. In the early nineteenth century, the land was owned by Thomas Darby-Coventry and a house called Greenland Lodge was built.
The next owner, Edward Marjoribanks, enlarged the house but then sold it in 1868. It was bought by William Henry Smith, son of the founder of WH Smith. He further extended the building, though its appearance received a cool reception from Jerome K. Jerome who joked in Three Men in a Boat that it was ‘the rather uninteresting-looking river residence of my newsagent.’ On Smith’s death, his family was ennobled with the title of Viscount Hambleden. Greenlands remained their home until immediately after the Second World War.
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Guildford
Coordinates: 51°14′12″N 0°34′13″W / 51.236538°N 0.570309°W / 51.236538; -0.570309
Guildfordi/ˈɡɪlfərd/ is the county town of Surrey, England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford. It is situated 27 miles (43 km) southwest of London on the A3 trunk road mid-way between the capital and Portsmouth.
The town has Saxon roots, and likely owes its location to the existence of a gap in the North Downs where the River Wey is forded by the Harrow Way. The town grew enough in importance that by 978 it was home to the Royal Mint. With the building of the Wey Navigation and Basingstoke Canal Guildford was in the centre of a network of waterways that aided its prosperity.
The Guildford pub bombing by the Provisional IRA in 1974 killed five people including four off-duty soldiers from the local barracks. The subsequently arrested suspects became known as the Guildford Four.
It is believed that Guildford was founded by Saxon settlers shortly after Roman authority had been removed from Britain (which was c.410AD). The site was likely chosen because the Harrow Way (an ancient trackway that continues along Hog's Back) crosses the River Wey at this point, via a ford. This probably gives rise to the second half of Guildford's name. The root of the first part is gold rather than society or meeting place.[citation needed] The Saxon name would have been Gyldeford, meaning golden ford. It has been suggested[by whom?] that the gold may refer to golden flowers by the ford, or the golden sand, but this is not certain. There is an old coaching Inn on the Epsom Road previously called the 'Sanford Arms', which almost certainly derives from 'Sand Ford', so this adds weight to the suggestion that 'Guildford' is a corruption of 'Gold Ford', referring to the very distinctive golden sand showing on the banks of the River Wey where it cuts through the sandy outcrop just south of the town.[citation needed]
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Hampshire
Hampshire (i/ˈhæmpʃɪər/ or /ˈhæmpʃər/; abbreviated Hants) is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, the former capital city of England. Hampshire is the most populous ceremonial county in the United Kingdom and if excluding newly formed metropolitan counties such as the West Midlands, Hampshire would be the most populous county in the whole of the United Kingdom. Hampshire is notable for housing the birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force. The ceremonial county borders Dorset to the west, Wiltshire to the north-west, Berkshire to the north, Surrey to the north-east, and West Sussex to the east. The southern boundary is the coastline of the English Channel and The Solent.
Hampshire is the largest county in South East England and the third largest shire county in the United Kingdom despite losing more land than any other English county during the Local Government Act 1972 boundary changes. At its greatest size in 1889, Hampshire was the fifth largest county in England. It now has an overall area of 3,700 square kilometres (1,400 sq mi), and measures approximately 86 kilometres (53 mi) east–west and 76 kilometres (47 mi) north–south.
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Harlow
Harlow is a new town and local government district in Essex, England. It is located in the west of the county and on the border with Hertfordshire, on the Stort Valley, The town is near the M11 motorway and forms part of the London commuter belt.The district has a current population of 78,889 (2010 estimate).
There is some dispute as to where the placename Harlow derives from. One theory is that it derives from the Anglo-Saxon words 'here' and 'hlaw', meaning "army hill", probably to be identified with Mulberry Hill, which was used as the moot or meeting place for the district.
The other theory is that it derives from the words 'here' and 'hearg', meaning "temple hill/mound", probably to be identified with an Iron Age burial mound, later a Roman temple site on River Way.
The original village, mentioned in the Norman Domesday Book, developed as a typical rural community around what is now known as Old Harlow, with many of its buildings still standing.
The earliest deposits are of a Mesolithic (circa 10,000 BC) hunting camp excavated by Davey in Northbrooks in the 1970s(Unpublished) closely followed by the large and unexcavated deposits of Neolithic flint located at Gilden Way. These deposits are mostly known of due to the large numbers of surface bound worked flint ; indeed there is substanital amounts to speculate on organised working of flint in the area. Large amounts of debetage litter the area and tools found include Axeheads, hammers, blades, dowles and other boring tools and multipuprpose flints such as scrapers. An organised Field Walk in the late 1990s by Bartlett(Unpublished)indicates that most of the area, some 80 hectares, produces worked flint from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age with a smattering of Mesolithic ; so basically it indicates organised industry from 5000 BC to 2000 BC. Indeed the deposits are so large and dispersed that any major archaeological work in the area will have to take this into consideration before any ground work is started.
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Harpenden
Coordinates: 51°49′03″N 0°21′09″W / 51.8175°N 0.3524°W / 51.8175; -0.3524
Harpenden is a town in Hertfordshire, England.
The town's total population is just under 30,000.
There are two civil parishes: Harpenden and Harpenden Rural.
Harpenden railway station is on a frequent and fast rail link to central London now served by First Capital Connect, having been served previously by Thameslink. Some trains stop at 'all stations' on the route, others stop at St Albans before continuing non-stop to London St Pancras International (Harpenden to St Pancras International - 25 minutes). Trains run north to Luton and on to Bedford. From London, the trains continue south to Brighton via Gatwick, Sevenoaks or Wimbledon and Sutton. The rail link therefore gives direct access to London Luton Airport (one stop north) and London Gatwick Airport (approx 1hr 10 m on a limited stops train).
In common with much of the region, Harpenden is an area of extremely high property costs. Land Registry data suggests that the average house price in Harpenden in the 1st quarter of 2006 was £500,902 (against £287,277 for St Albans District generally, and £183,598 nationally). The data also indicates that an unusually high proportion of houses in Harpenden are owner occupied (81.4%, as opposed to 69.6% in the District generally, and 66.2% nationally).
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Hastings
Coordinates: 50°51′N 0°34′E / 50.85°N 0.57°E / 50.85; 0.57
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located 24 mi (39 km) east of the county town of Lewes and 53 mi (85 km) south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900.
In historical terms, Hastings can claim fame through its connection with the Norman conquest of England; and also because it became one of the medieval Cinque Ports. Hastings was, for centuries, an important fishing port; although nowadays much reduced, it still has the largest beach-based fishing fleet in England. The town became a watering place in the 1760s, and then, with the coming of the railway, a seaside resort.
The attraction of Hastings as a tourist destination continues; although the number of hotels has decreased, it caters for wider tastes, being home to internationally-based cultural and sporting events, such as chess and running. It has set out to become "a modern European town" and seeks to attract commercial business in the many industrial sites round the borough.
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Haywards Heath
Coordinates: 51°00′17″N 0°05′52″W / 51.0048°N 0.0979°W / 51.0048; -0.0979
Haywards Heath is a town in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, within the historic county of Sussex, England. It lies 36 miles (58 km) south of London, 12 miles (19 km) north of Brighton, 15 miles (24 km) south of Gatwick Airport and 31 miles (50 km) east northeast of the county town of Chichester. Nearby towns include Burgess Hill to the southwest, Horsham to the northwest, Crawley north-northwest and East Grinstead north-northeast. Being a commuter town, many of the residents commute daily via rail to London, Brighton, Crawley or Gatwick for work.
The name Hayward comes from Old English meaning an official who protected hedged enclosures from wandering livestock. There is a local legend that the name comes from a highwayman who went under the name of Jack but this is almost definitely apocryphal.
Haywards Heath gets a mention in English Civil War records. Early in December 1642 the High Sheriff of Sussex (Sir Edward Ford) advanced with Royalist troops towards Lewes in East Sussex from Chichester in West Sussex. He was intercepted in Haywards Heath by local Parliamentarians and defeated. Haywards Heath as a settlement is a relatively modern development. Following the arrival of the London & Brighton Railway in 1841, its size has increased considerably. Haywards Heath railway station opened on 12 July 1841 and served as the southern terminus of the line until the completion of Brighton station on 21 September. The position of Haywards Heath, and its place on both this railway and near the main road (A23) between London and Brighton, enables it to function as a commuter town, with many residents working in London, Brighton, Crawley and Gatwick Airport.
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Heart Thames Valley
Heart Thames Valley is an Independent Local Radio Station serving Berkshire, Oxfordshire, north Hampshire and parts of west Buckinghamshire from studios in Reading, southern England. The station is the result of a merger between Heart Oxfordshire (formerly Fox FM) and Heart Berkshire (formerly 2-Ten FM) and is owned and operated by Global Radio.
The station originally broadcast as two separate stations. Fox FM served Oxfordshire and West Buckinghamshire and was latterly owned by Capital Radio. Radio 210, later 2-Ten FM served Berkshire and North Hampshire and was eventually acquired by the GWR Group forming part of GWR's Mix Network. This later merged with Capital's equivalent Capital FM network (comprising the former Invicta FM, the former Southern FM, BRMB, Red Dragon FM and the former Power FM) to form The One Network, after the GWR Group plc and Capital Radio Group plc merged in May 2005. Global Radio acquired GCap Media in 2008 and rebranded most of the One Network stations to Heart, in phases by area, from January 2009.
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Heckfield
Coordinates: 51°20′32″N 0°58′27″W / 51.342316°N 0.97406901°W / 51.342316; -0.97406901
Heckfield is a village in Hampshire, England. It lies between Reading, Berkshire and Hook, Hart. It is the location of Highfield Park, where Neville Chamberlain died in 1940, and it is adjacent to Stratfield Saye House, the large stately home that has been the home of the Dukes of Wellington since 1817.
Media related to Heckfield at Wikimedia Commons
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Hemel Hempstead
Coordinates: 51°45′09″N 0°28′09″W / 51.7526°N 0.4692°W / 51.7526; -0.4692
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, 24 miles (38.6 km) to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 (but now estimated at around 89,000 by Hertfordshire County Council).
Developed after World War II as a new town, it has existed as a settlement since the 8th century and was granted its town charter by King Henry VIII in 1539. It is part of the district (and borough since 1984) of Dacorum and the Hemel Hempstead constituency.
The settlement was called by the name Henamsted or Hean-Hempsted, i.e. High Hempstead, in Anglo-Saxon times and in William the Conqueror's time by the name of Hemel-Amstede. The name is referred to in the Domesday Book as "Hamelamesede", but in later centuries it became Hamelhamsted. In Old English, "-stead" or "-stede" simply meant a place, such as the site of a building or pasture, as in clearing in the woods, and this suffix is used in the names of other English places such as Hamstead and Berkhamsted.
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Herefordshire
Herefordshire ( /ˈhɛrɨfərdʃər/; abbreviated Herefs.) is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region (code UKG11) and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the County of Herefordshire. It borders the English ceremonial counties of Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh preserved counties of Gwent to the south-west and Powys to the west. Hereford is a cathedral city and is the county town; with a population of approximately 55,800 inhabitants it is also the largest settlement.
The county is one of the most rural and sparsely populated in England, with a population density of 82/km² (212/sq mi). The land use is predominantly agricultural and the county is well known for its fruit and cider production, and the Hereford cattle breed.
From 1974 to 1998, Herefordshire was part of the former non-metropolitan county of Hereford and Worcester.
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Hertford
Coordinates: 51°47′42″N 0°04′41″W / 51.795°N 0.078°W / 51.795; -0.078
Hertford ( /ˈhɑrtfərd/ or /ˈhɑrfərd/) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. Forming a civil parish, the 2001 census put the population of Hertford at about 24,180. Recent estimates are that it is now around 28,000[citation needed]. The name is Anglo Saxon and means the ford frequented by harts or stags.
Hertford has been the county town of Hertfordshire since Saxon times when it was governed by the king's reeves. By the 13th century, these had been replaced by a bailiff, elected by the burgesses. Charters of 1554 and 1589 established a common council of eleven chief burgesses and a bailiff. Another charter of 1605 changed the bailiff's title to mayor. In 1835, Hertford became a Municipal Corporation; the ratepayers elected twelve councillors, who chose four aldermen, aldermen and councillors composing the council. This body elected the mayor.
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Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire (i/ˈhɑrtfərdʃɪər/ or /ˈhɑrfərdʃər/; abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.
Hertfordshire is one of the home counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London (to the south), Buckinghamshire (to the west), Bedfordshire (including the unitary authorities of Luton and Central Bedfordshire to the north), Cambridgeshire (to the north east) and Essex (to the east).
Hertfordshire was originally the area assigned to a fortress constructed at Hertford under the rule of Edward the Elder in 913. The name Hertford is derived from the Anglo-Saxon heort ford, meaning deer crossing (of a watercourse). The name Hertfordshire first appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 1011. Deer feature prominently in many county emblems.
There is evidence of human beings living in Hertfordshire since the Middle Stone Age. It was first farmed during the Neolithic period and permanent habitation appeared at the beginning of the Bronze Age. This was followed by tribes settling in the area during the Iron Age.
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High Wycombe
Coordinates: 51°37′43″N 0°44′54″W / 51.628661°N 0.748238°W / 51.628661; -0.748238
High Wycombe ( /ˌhaɪ ˈwɪkəm/), commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is 29 miles (47 km) west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this information is also engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town. According to the 2001 census High Wycombe had a population of 92,300, making it the largest town in the non-metropolitan county of Buckinghamshire now that the Borough of Milton Keynes is a unitary authority area, and the second largest in the ceremonial county. The High Wycombe Urban Area, the conurbation of which the town is the largest component has a population of 118,219.
High Wycombe is mostly an unparished area in the Wycombe district. Part of the urban area constitutes a civil parish of Chepping Wycombe, which had a population of 14,455 according to the 2001 census – this parish represents that part of the ancient parish of Chepping Wycombe which was outside the former municipal borough of Wycombe.
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Hitchin
Coordinates: 51°56′49″N 0°16′59″W / 51.947°N 0.283°W / 51.947; -0.283
Hitchin is a market town in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 30,360.
Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people mentioned in a 7th century document, the Tribal Hidage. The tribal name is Brittonic rather than Old English and derives from *siccā, meaning 'dry', which is perhaps a reference to the local stream, the Hiz. It has been suggested that Hitchin was the location of Clofeshoh, the place chosen in 673 by Archbishop Theodore of Tarsus during the Synod of Hertford, the first nationwide meeting of representatives of the fledgling Catholic churches of Anglo-Saxon England, to hold annual synods of the churches as Theodore attempted to consolidate and centralise Catholicism in England. By 1086 Hitchin is described as a Royal Manor in the Domesday Book: the feudal services of Avera and Inward, usually found in the eastern counties, especially Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, were due from the sokemen, but the manor of Hitchin was unique in levying Inward. Evidence has been found to suggest that the town was once provided with an earthen bank and ditch fortification, probably in the early tenth century but this did not last. The modern spelling 'Hitchin' first appears in 1618 in the "Hertfordshire Feet of Fines".
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Hoddesdon
Coordinates: 51°45′32″N 0°00′54″W / 51.759°N 0.015°W / 51.759; -0.015
Hoddesdon is a town in the English county of Hertfordshire, situated in the Lea Valley. The town grew up as a coaching stop on the route between Cambridge and London. It is located 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Hertford, 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Waltham Cross and 11 miles (18 km) southwest of Bishop's Stortford. At its height during the 18th century, more than 35 coaches a day would pass through the town. It saw a boom in the mid 20th century as gravel was extracted from the area to be exhausted by the 1970s. The lakes and water pits left behind have been used for local leisure amenities. Today, Hoddesdon has a little light industry but is mainly a London commuter belt town. The town hosted the eighth Congres Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne in 1951. It is twinned with the Belgian city of Dinant.
The Prime Meridian passes just to the east of Hoddesdon.
The town is served by Rye House railway station and nearby Broxbourne railway station.
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Holybrook
Coordinates: 51°26′24″N 1°02′18″W / 51.439875°N 1.038444°W / 51.439875; -1.038444
Holybrook is a civil parish on the outskirts of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. The parish takes its name from the Holy Brook, a watercourse which forms its southern boundary.
There is no village or hamlet called Holybrook, and the parish is largely made up of two recent suburbs of Reading, Beansheaf Farm and Fords Farm, together with that part of the older suburb of Calcot that lies south of the A4 Bath Road.
The civil parish is a recent creation, dating from 2000 when it was created from the part of Theale that lay to the east of the M4 motorway.
The parish has an elected parish council, and falls within the area of the unitary authority of West Berkshire. The parish council and the unitary authority are responsible for different aspects of local government. The parish falls within the Reading West parliamentary constituency.
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Horley
Coordinates: 51°10′25″N 0°10′20″W / 51.1736°N 0.1721°W / 51.1736; -0.1721
Horley is a town in Surrey, England, situated south of the twin towns of Reigate and Redhill, and north of Gatwick Airport and Crawley.
With fast links by train to London from Horley railway station, it has grown popular with commuters in recent years. The Horley Master Plan, which was approved by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council in February 2005, will see almost 2,600 new homes, built by Wates and Martin Grant Homes. This has caused much controversy as the area as with most of non-metropolitan Surrey, i.e. since its reduction in 1974, is green-belt and any development had to be in pursuant to such a local plan, sustainable, and various requirements protecting character of existing localities.
In the past the Weald was a densely forested and marshy area. During Saxon times, the Manor of Horley came under the control of the Benedictine Abbey of St Peter at Chertsey. The Manor passed to Henry VIII on the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 and changed hands several times during the next sixty years.
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Horsham
Coordinates: 51°03′43″N 0°19′30″W / 51.062°N 0.325°W / 51.062; -0.325
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 (2008)[citation needed] on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is 31 miles (50 km) south south-west of London, 18.5 miles (30 km) north-west of Brighton and 26 miles (42 km) north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby towns include Crawley to the north-east and Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill to the south-east. It is the administrative and market centre of Horsham District Council area.
The first historical record of Horsham is from AD 947. The name either originates from "Horse Ham", meaning a place where horses were kept, or "Horsa's Ham", named for a Saxon warrior who was granted land in the area.
The town has historically been known for horse trading in early medieval times, iron and brick making up until the 20th century, and brewing more recently.
Horsham is the largest town in the Horsham District Council area. The second tier of local government is by West Sussex County Council, based in Chichester. In addition there are various Parish Councils.
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Houghton Regis
Coordinates: 51°54′14″N 0°31′29″W / 51.9039°N 0.5247°W / 51.9039; -0.5247
Houghton Regis ( /ˈhaʊtən ˈriːdʒɨz/) is a town and civil parish sandwiched between the major towns of Luton to the east and Dunstable to the west. The parish includes the ancient hamlets of Bidwell, Thorn and Sewell. Houghton Regis, along with its near neighbours of Dunstable and Luton form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area, with a population over 230,000.
Relics of Palæolithic man, such as flint implements and the bones of contemporary wild animals, suggest prehistoric settlement. At Maiden Bower within Houghton Regis CP, near Sewell, there is an Iron Age hill fort. This is clearly marked on the Ordnance Survey maps.
Maiden Bower has some of the ramparts showing through the edge of an old chalk quarry where there are Bronze Age remains of an older Fort. According to W.H. Matthews (Mazes and Labyrinths, 1922), a turf maze once existed at "Maiden Bower".
Houghton Regis is considerably older than Dunstable, and it is mentioned in the Domesday Book when it was called Houstone. At the time of the Domesday Survey a great part of what is now Dunstable was included in Houghton parish. When Henry I founded Dunstable he gave in compensation to the men of Houghton a wood called Buckwood. . At that time it paid in tax the large amount of three pounds by weight and twenty shillings of blanch silver (to the King) and one ounce of gold for the Sheriff..
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Hungerford
Coordinates: 51°24′52″N 1°30′53″W / 51.4144°N 1.5146°W / 51.4144; -1.5146
Hungerford is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 9 miles (14.5 km) west of Newbury. It covers an area of 5,372 acres (22 km2) and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 5,559 (2006 estimated at 6,789).
Hungerford is on the River Dun in the Kennet Valley at grid reference SU337685. It is the westernmost town in Berkshire, situated on the border with Wiltshire, and lies within the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The highest point in the entire South East England region is the 297 m (974 ft) summit of Walbury Hill, situated only 4 miles (7 km) from the town. The Kennet and Avon Canal separates Hungerford from what might be described as the town's only suburb, the hamlet of Eddington.
The town marks the border of the South East England and South West England regions (it is situated only 3 km within South East England), being some 68 miles (109 km) west of central London and 55 miles (88 km) east of Bristol on the A4 national trunk route. It is almost equidistant from the towns of Newbury and Marlborough, and lies 2.5 miles (4 km) south of junction 14 of the M4 motorway.
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Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–5 miles (3–7 km) off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent. The Island has many resorts which have been holiday destinations since Victorian times.
The Island has a rich history, including a brief status as an independent kingdom in the 15th century. Until 1995, like Jersey and Guernsey, the Island had its own Governor—most notably Lord Mountbatten from 1969 to 1974, after which he became Lord Lieutenant until his assassination in 1979.
It was home to the poets Swinburne and Alfred Lord Tennyson, and to Queen Victoria, who built her much-loved summer residence and final home Osborne House at East Cowes. The Island's maritime and industrial history encompasses boat building, sail making, the manufacture of flying boats, the world's first hovercraft and the testing and development of Britain's space rockets. It is home to the Isle of Wight International Jazz Festival, Bestival and the recently revived Isle of Wight Festival, which, in 1970, was the largest rock music event ever held. The Island has some exceptional wildlife and is one of the richest locations of dinosaur fossils in Europe.
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John Lewis Reading
John Lewis Reading is a major department store in Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Until 2001, the store was known as Heelas, and that name is still in common usage. The store fronts on to Reading's main pedestrianised shopping street, Broad Street, and backs onto Minster Street and The Oracle shopping centre. The store belongs to the John Lewis Partnership.
Heelas started in Reading with just one small shop at 33 Minster Street. John Heelas, who already had a shop in Wokingham, set up the new business in 1854 with his sons, John and Daniel. They described themselves as 'Linen and Woollen Drapers, Silk Mercers etc..'. Over the years they acquired adjacent properties and by 1877 the business had become a department store.
In 1897 the family firm became a public company, Heelas Sons and Co. Ltd, and in 1890 the House of Heelas was appointed Linen Drapers and House Furnishers to the then Prince of Wales. This warrant was continued on his accession to the throne as King Edward VII.
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Katesgrove
Coordinates: 51°26′38″N 0°58′05″W / 51.444°N 0.968°W / 51.444; -0.968
Katesgrove is a suburb of Reading, Berkshire.
Katesgrove elects three councillors to the unitary Reading Borough Council, with each elected in separate years for a four-year term. Traditionally an area of strength for the Labour Party, the 2000s witnessed a surge in votes for the Liberal Democrats, resulting in 2007 with the election of Gareth Epps - future candidate for the Reading East parliamentary constituency of which Katesgrove forms a part - and culminating in 2010 with all Katesgrove councillors being Liberal Democrats. However, the 2011 council election saw Labour candidate Matt Rodda elected. As well as Rodda, the other two councillors are Rebecca Rye, elected in 2010, and Warren Swaine, elected in 2008 but who will not be running for re-election in the 2012 election in May. Notably, one of Katesgrove's earlier councillors was Labour's David Sutton: leader of the council for thirteen years before his defeat by Swaine.
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Kennet Island
Coordinates: 51°25′51″N 0°58′31″W / 51.43095°N 0.97540°W / 51.43095; -0.97540
Kennet Island is a housing development in Reading, Berkshire, England. It is situated halfway between Reading town centre and the M4 motorway.
Part of the development is covered by a Government-backed initiative called My Choice Homebuy, aimed at giving first-time buyers a chance to get on the property ladder.
Kennet Island is developed by St James, and the first properties were sold early 2007. It is still being heavily developed, and plans for the future include a new traffic circle allowing easier access from the A33 dual-carriageway onto the estate itself. The Kennet Island development is one of the reasons why Berkeley Group has been able to weather the 2008 recession.
The development is expanding rapidly, with two more phases planned, the latter of the two coinciding with an expansion of Prudential plc, with new office buildings in a nearby industrial estate. In the 'Piazza', the central square of Kennet Island, is where the shops and several water features are located.
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Kent
Kent /ˈkɛnt/ is a county in South East England, and one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of Medway. Kent has a nominal border with France halfway through the Channel Tunnel. Maidstone is its county town and historically Rochester and Canterbury have been accorded city status, though only the latter still holds it.
Kent's location between London and the continental Europe has led to its being in the front line of several conflicts, including the Battle of Britain during World War II. East Kent was known as Hell Fire Corner during the conflict. England has relied on the county's ports to provide warships through much of the past 800 years; the Cinque Ports in the 12th–14th centuries and Chatham Dockyard in the 16th–20th centuries were of particular importance to the country's security. France can be seen clearly in fine weather from Folkestone, and the iconic White Cliffs of Dover.
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Kestrel FM
Kestrel FM is the local radio station covering Alton, Basingstoke, Bordon, Four Marks, Haslemere, Hindhead, Petersfield and the surrounding area of Hampshire, and Surrey UK.
The Basingstoke station launched on 18 May 1998, and is now owned by Tindle Radio. The previous owners Milestone launched a free weekly local newspaper, the Basingstoke Observer, in association with Kestrel FM in 2000.
In 2010, 107.6 Kestrel FM in Basingstoke was merged with Delta FM in Alton, Bordon, Haslemere and Petersfield. However, initially the old Delta FM frequencies has a separate Breakfast Show, hosted by Dave Trumper. Outside of weekday Breakfast the former Delta Radio frequencies shared with Kestrel FM 107.6.
By 2011, even this practice seemed to have been discontinued, with all areas receiving programming from Basingstoke.
Coordinates: 51°15′56″N 1°05′00″W / 51.265461°N -1.083227°E / 51.265461; -1.083227
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Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull (i/ˌkɪŋstən əpɒn ˈhʌl/ KING-stən ə-pon HUL), usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles (40 km) inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of 263,900 (2010 est.). The Larger Urban Zone (LUZ) population stands at 573,300.
Renamed Kings town upon Hull by King Edward I in 1299, the town and city of Hull has served as market town, military supply port, a trading hub, fishing and whaling centre, and industrial metropolis.
Hull was an early theatre of battle in the English Civil Wars. Its 18th-century Member of Parliament, William Wilberforce, played a key role in the abolition of the slave trade in Britain.
The city is unique in the UK in having had a municipally-owned telephone system from 1902, sporting cream, not red, telephone boxes.
After suffering heavy damage during the Second World War, Hull weathered a period of post-industrial decline, during which the city gained unfavourable results on measures of social deprivation, education and policing. In recent years the city has embarked on an extensive programme of economic regeneration, reconstruction and urban renewal. The economic crisis since 2008 has caused some setbacks to these developments.
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Knaphill
Coordinates: 51°19′09″N 0°37′00″W / 51.319149°N 0.61663°W / 51.319149; -0.61663
Knaphill is an urban village in Surrey, UK. To the east is Woking, to the west, eventually, is Aldershot, while to the south and north on the A322 – which forms its effective western border – are Brookwood, and Bisley, respectively. Some of the village is set on a hill, hence the name.
The village name was first recorded in 1225 as La Cnappe. Since then there has been various spellings of the name including 'Nap Hill, Naphill and Knap Hill.
In 958 A.D., the village was probably part of land granted to Westminster Abbey; there is clear ownership by 1278. The land passed to Henry VIII on the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s.
The Basingstoke Canal was built to the south of Knaphill in 1794 and the railway line came in 1838. In 1859, a prison was built in Knaphill. This was later converted into army barracks.
Knaphill is also the home to three schools: Knaphill Lower School, Knaphill Junior School and St John's Primary School. Furthermore Peer Productions, a large theatre company, is based at the Woking Youth Arts Centre in Knaphill. It provides dramatic education for students of all ages.
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Leeds
Coordinates: 53°47′59″N 1°32′57″W / 53.79972°N 1.54917°W / 53.79972; -1.54917 Leeds (i/ˈliːdz/) is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 (2011 est.), making it the 24th-most populous city in the European Union
Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial heart of the West Yorkshire Urban Area, which at the 2001 census had a population of 1.5 million, and the Leeds-Bradford Metropolitan Area, of which Leeds is the integral part, had a population of around 2.3 million, making it the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom. In addition, the Leeds city region, an economic area with Leeds at its core, had a population of 2.9 million. Leeds is the UK's largest centre for business, legal, and financial services outside London, and its office market is the best in Europe for value. Leeds is considered a Gamma World City, alongside cities such as Phoenix, St. Petersburg and Valencia.
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Leicester
Coordinates: 52°38′03″N 1°08′19″W / 52.63422°N 1.13852°W / 52.63422; -1.13852
Leicester (/lɛstər/ LESS-tər pronunciation (help·info)) is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest. In 2010, the population of the Leicester unitary authority was estimated at 306,600, the second highest in the region, whilst 441,213 people lived in the wider Leicester Urban Area in 2006, making Leicester the tenth most populous settlement in the United Kingdom and the UK's fourteenth largest urban area. It is the largest city in the East Midlands yet has the second largest urban area in the region behind Nottingham Urban Area. Eurostat's Larger Urban Zone listed the population of the area at 772,400 people as of 2004.
Ancient Roman pavements and baths remain in Leicester from its early settlement as Ratae Corieltauvorum, a Roman military outpost in a region inhabited by the Celtic Corieltauvi tribe. Following the demise of Roman society the early medieval Ratae Corieltauvorum is shrouded in obscurity, but when the settlement was captured by the Danes it became one of five fortified towns important to the Danelaw. The name "Leicester" is thought to derive from the words castra of the "Ligore", meaning camp of the dwellers on the (river) Legro. Leicester appears in the Domesday Book as "Ledecestre". Leicester continued to grow throughout the Early Modern period as a market town, although it was the Industrial Revolution that facilitated a process of rapid unplanned urbanisation in the area.
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Letchworth
Coordinates: 51°58′41″N 0°13′48″W / 51.978°N 0.230°W / 51.978; -0.230
Letchworth, correctly titled Letchworth Garden City, is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England with a population of 33,600.
The town's name is taken from one of the three villages it surrounded (the other two being Willian and Norton) - all of which featured in the Domesday Book. The land used was purchased by Quakers who had intended to farm the area and build a Quaker community. The current town was laid out by Ebenezer Howard in 1903 using his radical new garden city approach which incorporated elements of the country, alongside city life. Mocked in the press at the time, the design was supported by the Arts and Crafts movement and the Quakers.
As one of the world's first new towns and the first 'Garden city' it had great influence on future town planning and the New Towns movement; it influenced Welwyn Garden City, which used a similar approach and inspired other projects around the world including Canberra, the Australian capital, Hellerau, Germany, small village of Tapanila, Finland, and Mežaparks in Latvia), .
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Liverpool
Liverpool ( /ˈlɪvəpuːl/) is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Liverpool was 445,200 and was part of a larger urban area of 816,216.
Historically a part of Lancashire, the urbanisation and expansion of Liverpool were both largely brought about by the city's status as a major port. By the 18th century, trade from the West Indies, Ireland and mainland Europe coupled with close links with the Atlantic Slave Trade furthered the economic expansion of Liverpool. By the early 19th century, 40% of the world's trade passed through Liverpool's docks, contributing to Liverpool's rise as a major city.
Inhabitants of Liverpool are referred to as Liverpudlians but are also colloquially known as "Scousers", in reference to the local dish known as "scouse", a form of stew. The word "Scouse" has also become synonymous with the Liverpool accent and dialect. Liverpool's status as a port city has contributed to its diverse population, which, historically, were drawn from a wide range of peoples, cultures, and religions, particularly those from Ireland. The city is also home to the oldest Black African community in the country and the oldest Chinese community in Europe.
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London
Londoni/ˈlʌndən/ is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Romans, who named it Londinium. London's ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its square-mile mediaeval boundaries. Since at least the 19th century, the name London has also referred to the metropolis developed around this core. The bulk of this conurbation forms the London region and the Greater London administrative area, governed by the elected Mayor of London and the London Assembly.
London is a leading global city, with strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transport all contributing to its prominence. It is the world's leading financial centre alongside New York City and has the fifth-largest city GDP in the world (and the largest in Europe). London has been described as a world cultural capital. It was the world's most visited city during 2011 and London Heathrow is the world's busiest airport by number of international passengers. London's 43 universities form the largest concentration of higher education in Europe. In 2012 London will become the first city to host the modern Summer Olympic Games three times.
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London Road Campus
London Road Campus of the University of Reading is the original campus of that university. It is on the London Road, immediately to the south of Reading town centre in the English county of Berkshire.
The site for the campus was given to the university in 1904 by the Palmer family, owners of Reading's Huntley & Palmers biscuit makers. It served as the university's main site until after the much larger Whiteknights Campus was acquired in 1947.
The University Great Hall, which plays host to the university graduation ceremonies, is to be found at London Road. The University's war memorial, which takes the form of a clock tower, is situated near the Great Hall.
While most departments of the university have now relocated to the university's other campuses, London Road is still home to several university departments and facilities. These include the School of Continuing Education, the School of Health & Social Care, Estates Management, the University Archive Service, the Innovation Centre @ Reading and the Cotton Club.
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Loughton
Coordinates: 51°38′58″N 0°04′25″E / 51.6494°N 0.0735°E / 51.6494; 0.0735
Loughton ( /ˈlaʊtən/) is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located between 11 and 13 miles (21 km) north east of Charing Cross in London, south of the M25 and west of the M11 motorway and has boundaries with Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill. Loughton includes three conservation areas and there are 56 listed buildings in the town, together with a further 50 locally listed.
The parish of Loughton covers an area of about 3,724 acres (15 km2), of which over 1,300 acres (5 km2) are part of Epping Forest. The ancient parish contained over 3,900 acres (16 km2), but in 1996 some parts of the south of the old parish were transferred to Buckhurst Hill parish, and other small portions to Chigwell and Theydon Bois. At the time of the 2001 census Loughton had a population of 30,340. It is the most populous civil parish in the Epping Forest district, and within Essex it is the second most populous civil parish (after Canvey Island) and the second largest in area.
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Lower Caversham
Coordinates: 51°27′54″N 0°57′35″W / 51.464916°N 0.959587°W / 51.464916; -0.959587
Lower Caversham is an area of the former town of Caversham, in the English county of Berkshire (formerly Oxfordshire). Today this is itself a suburb of the larger town of Reading. Lower Caversham has no formal boundaries, but the name usually refers to that part of Caversham situated on lower ground to the east of central Caversham, close to the River Thames.
The area lies entirely within the Caversham ward of the borough of Reading. As a unitary authority, the borough is responsible for all aspects of local government within the area. Lower Caversham is within the Reading East parliamentary constituency and the South East England European constituency.
Caversham Lock is situated on the south bank of the Thames, and is connected to Lower Caversham by a weir which carries a public footpath, popularly known as The Clappers, across the river. This path also provides access to View Island, now a public park. Upstream of the lock, Reading Bridge provides a direct road link between Reading town centre and Lower Caversham.
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Luton
Luton (i/ˈluːtən/ LOOT-ən, local /ˈluːʔən/) is a large town, borough and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles (50 km) north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000.
Luton is home to Blue Square Premier team Luton Town Football Club, whose history includes several spells in the top flight of the English league as well as a Football League Cup triumph in 1988. They play at Kenilworth Road stadium, which has been their home since 1905.
London Luton Airport, opened in 1938, is one of England's major airports. During the Second World War it doubled as an RAF base.
The University of Bedfordshire is based in the town.
The Luton Carnival, held on the late May bank holiday, is the largest one-day carnival in Europe.
The town was for many years famous for hat-making, and was also home to a large Vauxhall Motors factory; the head office of Vauxhall Motors is still situated in the town. Car production at the plant began in 1905 and continued until 2002, but commercial vehicle production remains.
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M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places along the route include Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea. Originally referred to as the London-South Wales Motorway, the English section was constructed between 1965 and 1971, the Welsh section was completed in 1993 and the Second Severn Crossing opened in 1996.
The M4 runs close to the A4 from London to Bristol. After crossing the River Severn it follows the A48 through South Wales, using the Brynglas Tunnels at Junction 25a, Newport and terminates just north of Pontarddulais. The route of the M4 is known as the M4 corridor.
A new road from London to South Wales was first proposed in the 1930s, and the Ministry of Transport announced plans for the M4 as one of the first major post-war trunk road improvement projects in 1956.
The Chiswick Flyover opened in 1959. However it was not originally classed as a motorway. The Maidenhead bypass opened in 1961 whilst J1-J5 opened in 1965. From J18 to the west of Newport was opened in 1966 and included the Severn Bridge (now part of the M48). The Port Talbot by-pass, also built in the 1960s and now part of the M4, was originally the A48(M) motorway, a number now allocated to a short section of motorway near Cardiff. The Ministry of Transport originally intended that the M4 would terminate at Tredegar Park west of Newport, and it was only following the creation of the Welsh Office that the Government became committed to a high-standard dual carriageway to Pont Abraham in Carmarthenshire.
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Maidenhead
Coordinates: 51°31′18″N 0°43′04″W / 51.5217°N 0.7177°W / 51.5217; -0.7177
Maidenhead is a town and unparished area within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It lies on the River Thames and is situated 25.7 miles (41.4 km) west of Charing Cross in London.
Maidenhead's name, strictly speaking, refers to the busy riverside area where the "New wharf" or "Maiden Hythe" was built, perhaps as early as Saxon times. It has been suggested that the nearby Great Hill of Taplow was called the "Mai Dun" by the Iron Age Brythons. The area of the town centre was originally known as "South Ellington" and is recorded in the Domesday Book as Ellington in the hundred of Beynhurst.
In 1280, a bridge was erected across the river to replace a ferry in what was then the hamlet of South Ellington. The Great West Road to Reading, Gloucester and Bristol was diverted over the new bridge - previously it kept to the north bank crossed the Thames by ford at Cookham—and mediaeval Maidenhead grew up around it. Within a few years a wharf was constructed next to the bridge and the South Ellington name was dropped with the area becoming known as Maidenhythe (literally meaning "new wharf"). The earliest record of this name change is in the Bray Court manorial rolls of 1296. The bridge led to the growth of Maidenhead: a stopping point for coaches on the journeys between London and Bath and the High Street became populated with inns. The current Maidenhead Bridge, a local landmark, dates from 1777 and was built at a cost of £19,000.
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Maidstone
Coordinates: 51°16′19″N 0°31′44″E / 51.272°N 0.529°E / 51.272; 0.529
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, 32 miles (51 km) south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural county of Kent, known as the Garden of England. There is evidence of a settlement in the area dating back to beyond the Stone Age.
The town is within the borough of Maidstone. In 2001, the town had a population of 75,070.
Maidstone's economy has changed over the years from being involved in heavy industry, to more light and service industries.
Saxon charters (c975) show the first recorded instances of the town's name; de maeides stana and maegdan stane with the possible meaning of either stone of the maidens, or possibly stone of the people. The latter meaning may refer to the nearby megalith around which gatherings would take place. The name evolved through medestan/meddestane as reported in the Domesday Book until, in 1610, the modern name appeared. It has also been suggested that the name derives from stones set into the river to allow clothes to be rinsed in the cleaner water away from the banks of the river.[citation needed]
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Malmesbury
Coordinates: 51°35′02″N 2°05′56″W / 51.5840°N 2.0988°W / 51.5840; -2.0988
Malmesbury is a market town and civil parish located in the southern Cotswolds in the county of Wiltshire, England. Historically Malmesbury was a centre for learning and home to Malmesbury Abbey. Once the site of an Iron Age fort, it is the oldest borough in England, created around 880 AD by charter from Alfred the Great.
The hilltop contains several freshwater springs, which helped early settlements. Recent archaeological excavations have revealed stone town wall defences, which have shown history of a Neolithic fort and foundations of a wooden Iron Age fort between 800 and 500 BC, making Malmesbury arguably the oldest continually inhabited town in England. According to William of Malmesbury, writing in the 12th century, Malmesbury was a pre-Roman "ancient city of the Britons" known as Caer Bladon.[citation needed] Wrestled from control of the ancient Britons by the Saxons in around 600 AD, Malmesbury is recorded by Guinness World Records as the oldest borough in England, although Barnstaple has a counter claim: both were given royal borough status by Alfred the Great around 880 AD. In 925 AD, King Athelstan of Wessex the grandson of Alfred made Malmesbury his capital.
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Manchester
Coordinates: 53°28′N 2°14′W / 53.467°N 2.233°W / 53.467; -2.233
Manchesteri/ˈmæntʃɛstər/ is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England with an estimated population of 498,800 in 2010. Manchester lies within one of the United Kingdom's largest urban areas; the Greater Manchester Urban Area which has a population of 2.2 million. The demonym of Manchester is Mancunian and the local authority is Manchester City Council.
Manchester is situated in the south-central part of North West England, fringed by the Cheshire Plain to the south and the Pennines to the north and east. The recorded history of Manchester began with the civilian settlement associated with the Roman fort of Mamucium, which was established in c. 79 AD on a sandstone bluff near the confluence of the rivers Medlock and Irwell. Historically, most of the city was a part of Lancashire, although areas south of the River Mersey were in Cheshire. Throughout the Middle Ages Manchester remained a manorial township, but it began to expand "at an astonishing rate" around the turn of the 19th century. Manchester's unplanned urbanisation was brought on by a boom in textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution, and resulted in it becoming the world's first industrialised city. An early 19th-century factory building boom transformed Manchester from a township into a major mill town and borough that was granted city status in 1853. In 1894 the Manchester Ship Canal was built, creating the Port of Manchester.
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Mapledurham
Coordinates: 51°29′06″N 1°02′17″W / 51.485°N 1.038°W / 51.485; -1.038
Mapledurham is a small village, civil parish and country estate beside the River Thames in Oxfordshire. The village gives its name to an electoral ward It should not be confused with the Mapledurham electoral ward of the nearby Borough of Reading, which is a subdivision of that town's suburb of Caversham.
The village is on the north bank of the River Thames about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) northwest of Reading. The only road access is by a narrow and steep lane from Trench Green on the road between Caversham and Goring-On-Thames. Despite the fact that Mapledurham village is closer, as the crow flies, to central Reading than some of that town's suburbs, it remains a remote and rural location.
The Church of England parish church of St. Margaret is mainly 14th and 15th century, and was restored in 1863 by the Gothic Revival architect William Butterfield. Mapledurham Watermill is 16th and 17th century and is the last operational watermill on the Thames. Mapledurham House, the country house that is the headquarters of the Mapledurham estate, is one of the largest Elizabethan houses in Oxfordshire
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Microsoft
Coordinates: 47°38′22.55″N 122°7′42.42″W / 47.6395972°N 122.12845°W / 47.6395972; -122.12845
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, United States that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions. Established on April 4, 1975 to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800, Microsoft rose to dominate the home computer operating system market with MS-DOS in the mid-1980s, followed by the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems. Microsoft is one of the largest software corporations in the world.
Microsoft would also come to dominate the office suite market with Microsoft Office. The company has diversified into the video game industry with the Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles and the consumer electronics and digital services market MSN, the Zune and the Windows Phone OS. The ensuing rise of stock in the company's 1986 initial public offering (IPO) made an estimated three billionaires and 12,000 millionaires from Microsoft employees (Forbes 400 list revealed that in March 2011 both Jon Shipley and Nathan Myhrvold lost their billionaire status). In May 2011, Microsoft Corporation acquired Skype Communications for $8.5 billion.
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Mid Sussex
Mid Sussex is a local government district in the English county of West Sussex. It contains the towns of East Grinstead, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill.
The district was created on 1 April 1974, and replaced the urban districts of Cuckfield, Burgess Hill, and East Grinstead and nearly all of Cuckfield Rural. These districts had previously been under East Sussex.
The district borders the Tandridge district of Surrey to the north, Lewes district and Wealden district to the east, and Brighton and Hove to the south, all in East Sussex, and Horsham district and Crawley to the west and northwest respectively, both of which are in West Sussex.
Within the Mid Sussex District are the following civil parishes:
The parliamentary constituency of Mid Sussex covers most (but not all) of the district, and is held by the Conservative Party. The incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) is Nicholas Soames, the grandson of former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, and a former junior minister in the Government of John Major (1990–97). In the 2005 general election, Nicholas Soames held the seat with 48.0% of the popular vote, a 1.8% increase; the Liberal Democrat candidate Ms Serena Tierney took 36.1% of votes, a 5.0% increase; the Labour Party candidate Robert Fromant received 12.7% of the vote, a 6.1% decrease; and the United Kingdom Independence Party candidate Harold Piggott received 3.2%, a 0.7% increase. The turnout for Mid Sussex was 68.6% (49,494 people voted) up 3.7% from 2001.
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Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough (i/ˈmɪdəlzbrə/ MID-əlz-brə) is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. The local authority, a unitary authority, is Middlesbrough Borough Council.
Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, in 1968 the town became the centre of the County Borough of Teesside, which was absorbed by the non-metropolitan county of Cleveland in 1974. In 1996 Cleveland was abolished, and Middlesbrough became a unitary authority, within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire.
It is locally regarded that the town exceeds the confines of the Middlesbrough Borough to include the areas of Eston, Grangetown, Normanby, Ormesby, and South Bank which are wards of the neighbouring unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland.[citation needed][by whom?]
To the northeast of Middlesbrough lies the Tees Estuary, approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) away. A few miles to the south lies the edge of the North York Moors National Park.
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Middlesex
Middlesex ( /ˈmɪdəlsɛks/; abbreviated Middx) is one of the 39 historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time. The county was significantly affected by the expansion of the metropolitan area of London in both the 18th and 19th centuries, such that from 1855 the south-east was administered as part of the metropolis. When county councils were initially introduced in England in 1889 about 20% of the area of Middlesex, along with a third of its population, was transferred to the County of London, and the remainder formed a smaller county, in the north-west, under the control of Middlesex County Council.
In the interwar years urban London had further expanded, with increasing suburbanisation, improvement and expansion of public transport, and the setting up of new industries outside the inner London area. After the Second World War, the population of the County of London and inner Middlesex was in steady decline, with new population growth only experienced in the outer suburbs. After a Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London, almost all of the original area was incorporated into an enlarged Greater London in 1965, with small parts transferred to neighbouring Hertfordshire and Surrey. Despite the disappearance of the county council, Middlesex is still used as an area name and was retained as a postal county; which is now an optional component of postal addresses.
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Mole Valley
Mole Valley is a local government district in Surrey, England. Its council is based in Dorking.
The two towns in the district are Dorking and Leatherhead. The largest villages are Ashtead, Fetcham and Great Bookham, in the northern third of the district. The rest of the district includes some of the Surrey Hills AONB, the middle of the district is dominated by the North Downs, including Polesden Lacey, Box Hill, Denbies Wine Estate (the largest vineyard in the country ) and parts of the Pilgrims' Way, the southern third includes Leith Hill and the Greensand Ridge. There are stations on the London–Worthing and Reading–Gatwick Airport railways, and in the northern third, a commuter stopping service from London–Guildford additionally the A23 road and the M25 motorway.
Mole Valley District Council is elected by thirds: one-third of councillors are elected at each election, each serving four year terms, three years out of four having elections.
The council was however elected across all areas in 2000 after major boundary changes to the wards.
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Museum of Reading
Coordinates: 51°27′26″N 0°58′13″W / 51.4572°N 0.9702°W / 51.4572; -0.9702
The Museum of Reading (run by the Reading Museum Service) is a museum of the history of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire, and the surrounding area. It is accommodated within Reading Town Hall, and contains galleries describing the history of Reading and its related industries, a gallery of artefacts discovered during the excavations of Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester Roman Town), a copy of the Bayeux Tapestry and an art collection.
Reading Town Hall was built in several phases between 1786 and 1897, although the principal facade was designed by Alfred Waterhouse in 1875. In 1879, the foundation stone was laid for a new wing containing a library and museum, and the museum duly opened in 1883. Three art galleries were added in further extension in 1897.
In 1975, the civic offices moved out of the Town Hall, to Reading Civic Centre followed in 1985 by the Reading Central Library, leaving only the museum and concert hall in use. After some debate, plans to demolish the Town Hall and replace it with a new cultural centre were dropped, and in 1986 refurbishment of the building started. The museum was closed for renewal in 1989, reopening in stages from 1993 (the Reading: People & Place gallery) to 2000.
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Newcastle upon Tyne
Coordinates: 54°58.440′N 1°36.792′W / 54.974°N 1.6132°W / 54.974; -1.6132
Newcastle upon Tyne (locallyi/njuːˈkæsəl/; often shortened to Newcastle) is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne. The city developed in the area that was the location of the Roman settlement called Pons Aelius, though it owes its name to the castle built in 1080, by Robert II, Duke of Normandy, the eldest son of William the Conqueror. The city grew as an important centre for the wool trade and it later became a major coal mining area. The port developed in the 16th century and, along with the shipyards lower down the river, was amongst the world's largest shipbuilding and ship-repairing centres. These industries have since experienced severe decline and closure, and the city today is largely a business and cultural centre, with a particular reputation for nightlife.
Like most cities, Newcastle has a diverse cross section, from areas of poverty to areas of affluence. Among its main icons are Newcastle Brown Ale, a leading brand of beer, Newcastle United F.C., a Premier League team, and the Tyne Bridge. It has hosted the world's most popular half marathon, the Great North Run, since it began in 1981.
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Norcot
Coordinates: 51°27′36″N 1°01′37″W / 51.460°N 1.027°W / 51.460; -1.027
Norcot is an area of Tilehurst in Reading, Berkshire. It also gives its name to an electoral ward.
Norcot ward is the south-eastern sector of the Reading borough portion of Tilehurst. However, as a suburban area, Norcot centres on Norcot Road and the upper Oxford Road on Norcot Hill. It is partly in Norcot ward and partly in Kentwood. The original hamlet was near the junction of Norcot Road and Romany Lane and was largely made up of Norcot Farm in the north-east of old Tilehurst parish. The name means 'North Cottage' and is thus twinned with Southcote, below Tilehurst church and manor.
The Norcot Water Tower, built at the end of the 19th century, is somewhat older than the more prominent Tilehurst Water Tower. It is 50ft high, a Grade II listed building and since 2002 has been converted into a luxury apartment. Norcot School was built in 1906. In its lifetime, it was both a senior and a junior school. It closed in 1989. Like much of Tilehurst, Norcot Hill was used for the extraction of clay for brickmaking. In the 1920s, S. E. Collier's transported the clay via overhead cables to their main site in the Dee Road area of Tilehurst. St George's Church was built on the north-eastern edge of Norcot in 1886, largely to service the soldiers of the nearby Brock Barracks. Norcot Mission Church was started in 1929 to serve the new Norcot council estate. It started in a hut on land rented from the Pulsometer Engineering Works. The church moved to a permanent building in Brockley Close in 1972. The post office is on the Oxford Road.
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North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in the region of Yorkshire and the Humber in England. For ceremonial purposes it is part of Lincolnshire. There are three significant towns: Scunthorpe (the administrative centre), Brigg and Barton-upon-Humber.
It is also home to the Haxey Hood, which is a traditional event which takes place in Haxey on 6 January in the afternoon and is a kind of large rugby football scrum where a leather tube (called the "hood") is pushed to 1 of 4 pubs, where it remains until next year's game.
The 846 km2 (327 sq mi) council area lies on the south side of the Humber estuary and consists mainly of agricultural land, including land on either side of the River Trent. It borders onto North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire. The council's administrative base is at Pittwood House in Scunthorpe.
Before the creation of Humberside in 1974, it was part of Lincolnshire, becoming North Lincolnshire only in 1996, on the abolition of Humberside. Until 1 April 1996, the area had been part of Humberside. The district was formed by a merger of the boroughs of Glanford and Scunthorpe, and southern Boothferry.
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North Somerset
North Somerset is a unitary authority in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare.
North Somerset borders the local government areas of Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, Mendip and Sedgemoor. North Somerset contains the parliamentary constituencies of Weston-super-Mare and North Somerset.
Between 1 April 1974 and 31 March 1996, it was the Woodspring district of the county of Avon (named after Woodspring Priory, an isolated mediaeval church near the coast just north east of Weston-super-Mare). The district of Woodspring was formed from the municipal boroughs of Weston-super-Mare, Clevedon and Portishead urban districts, Long Ashton Rural District, and part of Axbridge Rural District.
Though the government proposed that the new unitary area be known as "North West Somerset" from 1 April 1996, the council voted instead to adopt the name "North Somerset" and so the name "North West Somerset" was never widely used. There remained some legal doubt as to whether the council had validly changed the name to "North Somerset", but in 2005 the council passed a resolution to put the matter beyond doubt.
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North Wessex Downs
Coordinates: 51°10′19″N 1°49′30″W / 51.172°N 1.825°W / 51.172; -1.825
The North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is located in the English counties of Berkshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. The name North Wessex Downs is not a traditional one, the area covered being better known by various overlapping local names, including the Berkshire Downs, the White Horse Hills, the Lambourn Downs, the Marlborough Downs, the Vale of Pewsey and Savernake Forest.
The AONB covers an area of some 1,730 km2 (670 sq mi). It takes the form of a horse shoe on its side, with the open end facing east, surrounding the town of Newbury and the River Kennet watershed. The northern arm reaches as far east as the suburbs of Reading, mid-Berkshire, whilst the southern arm similarly reaches Basingstoke in northern Hampshire. The western extreme of the AONB reaches as far as Calne and Devizes. The highest points are the 297m (974 ft) summit of Walbury Hill, situated southwest of Hungerford in West Berkshire, close to the Hampshire border, and the Milk Hill-Tan Hill ridge east of Devizes, mid-Wiltshire, at 295m (968 ft) above sea level.
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Northampton
Northamptoni/nɔrˈθæmptən/ is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about 67 miles (108 km) north-west of London and around 50 miles (80 km) south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is Northamptonian.
Original settlements in Northampton date back to the 6th century. Its modern development is largely due to its rapid population increase since the 1960s after a planned expansion occurred under the New Towns Commission in the early 1970s. In 2001, its urban area population was 197,199 while its town population was 189,474, making Northampton the 27th largest settlement in England, and the UK's 3rd largest town without official city status after Reading and Dudley. Northampton is the most populous district in England that is not a unitary authority, a status it failed to obtain in the 1990s local government reform.
Northampton has a history of the manufacture of boots and shoes yet engineering has taken over as a modern key industry; other industries include food processing, brewing, and the manufacture of shoe machinery, cosmetics, leather goods, and car accessories. At present, the major employers are public administration, financial services, and the distribution trade.
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Northumberland
Northumberland ( /nɔrˈθʌmbərlənd/; abbreviated Northumb. or Northd, the latter being preferred by the Royal Mail) is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. It borders Cumbria to the west, County Durham to the south and Tyne and Wear to the south east and the Scottish Borders council area to the north. Its North Sea coastline is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with a 64 mile (103 km) long distance path. Since 1981, the county council has been located in Morpeth, situated in the east of the county.
The historical boundaries of the county of Northumberland included Newcastle upon Tyne, the traditional county town, as well as Tynemouth and other settlements in North Tyneside, all areas transferred to Tyne and Wear in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The historical county boundaries are sometimes taken to exclude Islandshire, Bedlingtonshire and Norhamshire (collectively North Durham), exclaves of County Durham which were incorporated into Northumberland in 1844. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region (code UKC21) and is one of three local authority areas that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region.
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Nottingham
Nottingham (i/ˈnɒtɪŋəm/ NOT-ing-əm) is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and is one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group.
Nottingham is famed for its links with the legend of Robin Hood and, during the Industrial Revolution, obtained worldwide recognition for its lace-making, bicycle and tobacco industries. With origins tracable back to 600 AD, Nottingham was granted its city charter as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria in 1897 and has since been officially titled the City of Nottingham. The city has historically been nicknamed The Queen of the Midlands, being the smaller yet less industrialised regional neighbour to the Midlands biggest city, Birmingham. Nottingham is considered the primary centre of England's East Midlands region, being home to numerous regional headquarters and media stations including the BBC East Midlands and the Regional Government Office.
Whilst Nottingham has always had a tightly-drawn authority boundary, accounting for its relatively small population of 306,700, Nottingham's Urban Area has a population of approximately 670,000; in the 2001 census, it was the eighth largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Eurostat's concept of the Larger Urban Zone listed the area's population at 825,600 as of 2004.
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Nvidia
Coordinates: 37°22′14.62″N 121°57′49.46″W / 37.3707278°N 121.9637389°W / 37.3707278; -121.9637389
Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA; /ɪnˈvɪdiə/ in-VID-ee-ə) is an American global technology company based in Santa Clara, California. Nvidia is best known for its graphics processing units (GPUs). Nvidia and chief rival AMD Graphics Technologies (formerly ATI Technologies) have dominated the high performance GPU market, pushing other manufacturers to smaller, niche roles. Nvidia's best known GPU product line labeled "GeForce" is in direct competition with AMD's "Radeon" products.
In addition to GPU manufacturing, Nvidia provides parallel processing capabilities, to researchers and scientists, that allow them to efficiently run high-performance applications. They are deployed in supercomputing sites around the world. More recently, Nvidia has moved into the mobile computing market, where its Tegra processors powered phones and tablets, as well as auto infotainment systems. In addition to AMD, its other competitors include Intel and Qualcomm.
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Oxford
Oxfordi/ˈɒksfəd/ is a city in central southern England, the home of the University of Oxford. The city is the county town of Oxfordshire, and forms a district within the county. It has a population of just under 165,000, of whom 153,900 live within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles (80 km) north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames (also sometimes known as the Isis locally) run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre.
Oxford has a diverse economic base. Its industries include motor manufacturing, education, publishing and a large number of information technology and science-based businesses.
Buildings in Oxford demonstrate an example of every English architectural period since the arrival of the Saxons, including the iconic, mid-18th century Radcliffe Camera. Oxford is known as the "city of dreaming spires", a term coined by poet Matthew Arnold in reference to the harmonious architecture of Oxford's university buildings. The University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world.
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Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire ( /ˈɒksfərdʃər/ or /ˈɒksfərdʃɪər/; archaically the County of Oxford; abbreviated Oxon from the Latinised form of "Oxford", Oxonia) is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire (to the north/northeast), Buckinghamshire (to the east), Berkshire (to the south), Wiltshire (to the southwest) and Gloucestershire (to the west).
The county has major education and tourist industries. The area is noted for the concentration of performance motorsport companies and facilities. Oxford University Press is the largest firm among a concentration of print and publishing firms; the University of Oxford is also linked to the concentration of local biotechnology companies.
The main centre of population is the city of Oxford. Other significant settlements are Banbury, Bicester, Kidlington, and Chipping Norton to the north of Oxford; Witney to the west; Thame and Chinnor to the east; and Abingdon, Wantage, Didcot, Wallingford and Henley-on-Thames to the south. Future population growth in the county is hoped[clarification needed] to be concentrated around Oxford, Banbury, Bicester, Didcot and Witney, near the South Midlands growth area.
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Palmer Park Stadium
Palmer Park Stadium is located in Palmer Park, Reading. It contains a velodrome and athletics stadium. Set in acres of parkland, the stadium provides a focal point for a variety of indoor and outdoor leisure activities.
Palmer Park has several clubs who use the facilities:
The velodrome was originally built at the turn of the 20th century, making it one of the oldest in the country. It has hosted weekly track leagues throughout the summer and many national events and championships such as the British National Derny Championships.
459 metres in length, it has been described as one of the country's best asphalt track surfaces, although until 1955 when it was resurfaced, it was a loose red shale which meant riders often slid sideways in the bankings. The velodrome was closed in 2002 due to subsidence, as the track was built on the location of some old chalk pits. Reading Borough Council had the dips filled and the track surface refurbished for the start of the 2003 season. Palmer Park Velo cycling club is based at the velodrome, it caters for children between the ages of 4 and 18. Past members of Palmer Park Velo include John Paul, who in August 2011 won the World Junior Track Sprint Championship. Other past members include the female professional riders Hannah Barnes and Harriet Owen.
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Pangbourne
Coordinates: 51°29′02″N 1°05′13″W / 51.4839°N 1.08691°W / 51.4839; -1.08691
Pangbourne is a large village and civil parish on the River Thames in the English county of Berkshire. Pangbourne is the home of the independent school, Pangbourne College.
Pangbourne is located some 5 miles (8.0 km) from Reading and 20 miles (32 km) from Oxford on the River Thames and is directly across the river from the smaller Oxfordshire village of Whitchurch-on-Thames. The two villages of Pangbourne and Whitchurch are connected by both Whitchurch Bridge and by the weir of Whitchurch Lock.
Pangbourne railway station, on the Reading to Oxford railway line, serves both villages. The River Pang also flows through the centre of Pangbourne village before joining the River Thames between the lock and bridge.
Pangbourne is a civil parish with an elected parish council. The parish covers the immediate area around the village, together with a rural area to the south-west. This rural area contains no other significant settlements, but is the location of Pangbourne College.
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Peterborough
Peterborough ( /ˈpiːtərbrə/ or 
i/ˈpiːtərbərə/) is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of 173,400 in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated 75 miles (121 km) north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea approximately 30 miles (48 km) to the north-east. The railway station is an important stop on the East Coast Main Line.
The local topography is flat and low-lying, and in some places lies below sea level. The area known as the Fens is to the east of Peterborough. The City of Peterborough includes the outlying military installation of RAF Wittering, and as a unitary authority it borders Northamptonshire and Rutland to the west, Lincolnshire to the north, and Cambridgeshire to the south and east.
Human settlement in the area dates back to before the Bronze Age, as can be seen at the Flag Fen archaeological site to the east of the current city centre. This site also shows evidence of Roman occupation. The Anglo-Saxon period saw the establishment of a monastery, then known as Medeshamstede, which later became Peterborough Cathedral. The population grew rapidly following the arrival of the railways in the 19th century, and Peterborough became an industrial centre, particularly noted for its brick manufacture.
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Pingewood
Coordinates: 51°25′21″N 1°06′00″W / 51.422494°N 1.0999885°W / 51.422494; -1.0999885
Pingewood is a hamlet in the civil parish of Burghfield, to the south of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It lies to the Southwest of Burghfield Bridge
The name Pingewood derives from the old Celtic word 'pen' meaning head, peak, tip or end. The 'ge' is a contraction of the Celtic word for wood, 'coed'. When the Saxons moved into the area in the 5th century, they did not understand the meaning and added their own descriptive word 'wood' on the end.
Until 1938, Pingewood was a peaceful little hamlet with country lanes and high hedges. In the centre of the hamlet was Kirton's Farm, 13 cottages, a Church school, a large village green with a Coronation seat, and Moore's Farm - a smallholding. There was also a large pond, dug out when the railway bridge was built. Around the copse were more cottages, all being pulled down under a system known as 'quit-rent'. In one of these lived a woman reputed to be a witch. A little further out was Cottage Lane, farm buildings, and cottages. On the 5 November 2011 a local resident of one of the remaining Cottages took photographic evidence of a witch whilst driving along Berrys lane towards Searles Farm.
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Plymouth
Plymouthi/ˈplɪməθ/ is a city and unitary authority area on the south coast of Devon, England, about 190 miles (310 km) south-west of London. It is situated between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound. Since 1967, the City of Plymouth has included the suburbs of Plympton and Plymstock, which are on the east side of the River Plym.
Plymouth's history goes back to the Bronze Age, when its first settlement grew at Mount Batten. This settlement continued to grow as a trading post for the Roman Empire, until the more prosperous village of Sutton, the current Plymouth, surpassed it. In 1620, the Pilgrim Fathers left Plymouth for the New World and established Plymouth Colony – the second English settlement in what is now the United States of America. During the English Civil War the town was held by the Parliamentarians and was besieged between 1642 and 1646.
Throughout the Industrial Revolution, Plymouth grew as a major commercial shipping port, handling imports and passengers from the Americas, while the neighbouring town of Devonport grew as an important Royal Naval shipbuilding and dockyard town. In 1914 the three neighbouring and independent towns, viz., the county borough of Plymouth, the county borough of Devonport, and the urban district of East Stonehouse were merged to form a single County Borough. The new, merged town took the name of Plymouth which, in 1928, achieved city status. The city's naval importance later led to its targeting and partial destruction during World War II, an act known as the Plymouth Blitz. After the war the city centre was completely rebuilt.
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Poole
Coordinates: 50°43′N 1°59′W / 50.717°N 1.983°W / 50.717; -1.983
Poole ( pronunciation (help·info)) is a large coastal town and seaport in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is 33 kilometres (21 mi) east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council. The town had a population of 138,288 according to the 2001 census, making it the second largest settlement in Dorset. Together with Bournemouth and Christchurch, the town forms the South East Dorset conurbation with a total population of over 400,000.
Human settlement in the area dates back to before the Iron Age. The earliest recorded use of the town’s name was in the 12th century when the town began to emerge as an important port, prospering with the introduction of the wool trade. In later centuries the town had important trade links with North America and at its peak in the 18th century it was one of the busiest ports in Britain. During the Second World War the town was one of the main departing points for the D-Day landings of the Normandy Invasion.
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Portsmouth
Portsmouth (i/ˈpɔːtsməθ/) is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island. It is situated 64 miles (103 km) south west from London and 19 miles (31 km) south east from Southampton.
As a significant naval port for centuries, Portsmouth is home to the world's oldest dry dock still in use and also home to some famous ships, including HMS Warrior, the Tudor carrack Mary Rose and Lord Nelson's flagship, HMS Victory. Although smaller than in its heyday, the naval base remains a major dockyard and base for the Royal Navy and Royal Marine Commandos whose Headquarters resides there. There is also a thriving commercial ferryport serving destinations on the continent for freight and passenger traffic. The City of Portsmouth and Portsmouth Football Club are both nicknamed Pompey.
The Spinnaker Tower is a striking recent addition to the city's skyline. It can be found in the redeveloped former HMS Vernon, formerly a shore establishment or 'stone frigate' of the Royal Navy, now an area of retail outlets, restaurants, clubs and bars now known as Gunwharf Quays.
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Potters Bar
Coordinates: 51°41′53″N 0°10′59″W / 51.698°N 0.183°W / 51.698; -0.183
Potters Bar is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England, located 18 miles (29 km) north of Central London. In 2001 it had a population of 21,618.
The town originated in the early 13th century and remained a small settlement until the arrival of the Great Northern Railway in 1850. It is part of the London commuter belt.
The origin of the Potters element of the town's name is uncertain but is generally thought to be either a reference to a Roman pottery, believed to have been sited locally, or alternatively to the Pottere family who lived in the South Mimms parish. The Bar is thought to refer to the gates leading from the South Mimms parish and into the Enfield Chase parish, or possibly from some sort of toll on the Great North Road. The original "Bar" is said to have been at what is now the Green Man pub, or at the current entrance to Morven House.
Potters Bar is located on the Great North Road, one of two road routes from the City of London to the north of England. The road was originally numbered as the A1, and later the A1000.
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Progress Theatre
Progress Theatre is a theatre company owning and managing its own theatre on The Mount, in Reading, Berkshire, England, close to Reading University. The theatre is the oldest one operating in Reading and the only venue in the town dedicated entirely to theatrical productions.
The company was formed in 1946, staging its first production in 1947. The theatre itself was opened in 1951 and has a reputation for excellence.
The company is a registered charity and it is a member of the Little Theatre Guild (LTG) and the National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA).
Progress Theatre was established in 1946 by a young group of Reading people as a voluntary theatre group in Reading to present new and challenging productions.
The first production was staged in 1947 and for five years performances were in Palmer Hall, West Street, Reading. The Mildmay Hall in The Mount was found to be available for rent from the Co-operative Society who agreed to its use as a theatre. The members together with families and friends, converted it into a working theatre and the first production was in October 1951.
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Purley on Thames
Coordinates: 51°28′51″N 1°02′48″W / 51.48088°N 1.04665°W / 51.48088; -1.04665
Purley on Thames or simply Purley, is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It forms part of the Reading urban area, but remains outside the borough, in West Berkshire. The village is situated about 3 miles (4.8 km) north-west of Reading, 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Pangbourne, and 24 miles (39 km) east of Oxford. In mediaeval times the parish had three manors, Purley Magna centred around where the church is today, Purley Parva centred om Westbury Farm and Purley La Hyde centred on what is now Sulham Home Farm and Purley Hall.
Purley lost most of its old houses due to emparkment around 1800 and redevelopment in the 20th century. It is bounded to the north by a stretch of the River Thames, to the east by Reading Borough, to the west by Pangbourne and to the south by Tilehurst and Sulham. After the sale of Purley Magna in the 1920s most of the eastern part of the parish has been developed but beyond this the other two manors have retained a very rural aspect.
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Reading Abbey
Reading Abbey is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Henry I in 1121 "for the salvation of my soul, and the souls of King William, my father, and of King William, my brother, and Queen Maud, my wife, and all my ancestors and successors".
The abbey was founded by Henry I in 1121. As part of his endowments, he gave the abbey his lands within Reading, along with land at Cholsey. He also arranged for further land in Reading, previously given to Battle Abbey by William the Conqueror, to be transferred to Reading Abbey, in return for some of his land at Appledram in Sussex.
Following its royal foundation, the abbey was established by a party of monks from the French abbey of Cluny, together with monks from the Cluniac priory of St Pancras at Lewes in Sussex. The abbey was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and St John the Evangelist. The first abbot, in 1123, was Hugh of Amiens who became archbishop of Rouen and was buried in Rouen Cathedral.
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Reading Civic Centre
Reading Civic Centre is a civic centre in the town of Reading, itself in the English county of Berkshire. The centre dates from the mid-1970s.
The civic centre comprises four adjacent and interlinked buildings:
All four buildings are positioned around the southern and western sides of an above-ground public plaza, with the area below the buildings and plaza given over to service roads and car parking structures. To the north the plaza is bounded by the Broad Street Mall, a contemporaneous shopping mall.
Prior to the 16th century, civic administration for the town of Reading was situated in the Yield Hall, a guild hall situated by the River Kennet near today's Yield Hall Lane. After a brief stay in what later became Greyfriars Church, the town council created a new town hall by inserting an upper floor into the refectory of the Hospitium of St John, the former hospitium of Reading Abbey. This was to remain the site of Reading's civic administration, through the successive re-buildings that eventually created today's Reading Town Hall, until the 1970s.
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Reading Coachway
The Reading Coachway (also known as the Calcot Coachway) is a Coachway interchange situated close to Junction 12 of the M4 motorway in Calcot, west of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. There is no dedicated infrastructure for the interchange, which uses bus stops adjacent to a Sainsbury's supermarket.
The interchange uses bus stops outside a Sainsbury's supermarket close to a McDonald's fast food restaurant.
The interchange is also served by frequent local bus services. Reading Buses' route 26 operates distinctively branded buses into Reading every 15 min between 7am and 7pm and every 30 min between 5am and midnight. The same operator's route 1 operates to both Reading and Newbury every 30 minutes between 7am and 7pm.
Coordinates: 51°26′34″N 1°03′40″W / 51.4427°N 1.0611°W / 51.4427; -1.0611
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Reading College
Coordinates: 51°27′14″N 0°57′17″W / 51.453978°N 0.954739°W / 51.453978; -0.954739
Reading College is a further education college based in Reading, Berkshire, England. It has over 8,500 local learners on over 900 courses.
The Kings Road site that is the principal location of Reading College has been used for further education since 1955, when the Reading College of Technology was opened. The College of Technology later became the Reading College and School of Arts and Design, until it was taken over and became part of Thames Valley University in 2004. Thames Valley University continued to offer further education courses at the site, whilst also offering higher education courses more in keeping with its status as a university.
In 2009, the Thames Valley University decided to concentrate on higher education. In 2010 the responsibility for further education, along with the Kings Road site, were transferred to a re-launched Reading College. The college is a partnership between Oxford and Cherwell Valley College, an Oxfordshire based further education college, and the Learning and Skills Network (LSN), a not-for-profit organisation active in education and training.
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Reading Minster
Reading Minster, or the Minster Church of St Mary the Virgin as it is more properly known, is the oldest ecclesiastical foundation in the English town of Reading. Although eclipsed in importance by the later Reading Abbey, Reading Minster has regained its importance since the destruction of the Abbey and is now an Anglican parish church.
The Minster Church of St Mary the Virgin should not be mistaken for the rather similarly named St Mary's Church, Castle Street, which is only a few yards away.
According to unverified tradition, Saint Birinus founded a small chapel on the site of Reading Minister in the 7th century. Silver coins of the 9th century have been found in the churchyard, dating back to the period when Kings Ethelred and Alfred of Wessex were fighting the Danes at Reading, and also the era in which Reading supplanted Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester) as the local centre of importance.
In 979, Queen Ælfthryth, wife of King Edgar of England, founded a royal nunnery on the site as an act of repentance for the murder of her stepson, King Edward the Martyr. All that remains of this nunnery is a rounded Saxon door in the church, most likely used by the nuns to attend church services.
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Reading Rowing Club
Reading Rowing Club is an amateur rowing club, on the River Thames in England. It is situated on the Berkshire bank of the Thames at Reading, Berkshire just above Caversham Bridge and on the reach above Caversham Lock.
The club was founded in 1867 at Reading where there had been an interest in rowing for several years. After its foundation the club revived the Reading Amateur Regatta and has been the driving force behind it ever since. The club was particularly successful at Henley Royal Regatta in the 1930s.
The present boathouse was built in 1989 replacing a succession of earlier sites.
Coordinates: 51°27′58.71″N 0°58′44.69″W / 51.4663083°N 0.9790806°W / 51.4663083; -0.9790806
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Reading School
Reading School is a state-funded, selective academy school for boys in the English town of Reading. It is notable for tracing its history back to the school of Reading Abbey, making it one of the oldest schools in England. There are no tuition fees for day pupils, and boarders only pay for food and lodgings.
Reading School was founded as part of Reading Abbey. The date of the Abbey's charter, March 29, 1125, is taken as the foundation date, making it the 10th oldest school in England, although there are hints that there may have been a school running in Reading before this.
In 1486, the school was refounded as a "Free Grammar School" ("free" here meaning teaching the free, or liberal, arts, not that no fees were paid) by Henry VII on the urging of the then Abbot, John Thorne. From at least this time, the School was housed in the former Hospitium of St John. The main building of the hospitium still exists, but the refectory, which once housed the schoolroom, was demolished in 1785 and Reading Town Hall now stands on the site.
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Reading Town Hall
Reading Town Hall is the town hall for the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. The town hall was built in several phases between 1786 and 1897, although the principal facade was designed by Alfred Waterhouse in 1875. Situated close to the site of Reading Abbey, it is adjoined to the north by the Hospitium of St John and to the south by St Laurence's Church.
No longer the home of the town's administration, the Town Hall now houses the Museum of Reading, a large concert hall, several smaller halls and conference rooms, and a public cafe. It is a listed building, with the block designed by Alfred Waterhouse being listed grade II*, whilst other parts of the building are listed grade II.
The first recorded town or guild hall for Reading was known as the Yield Hall and is known to have been situated beside the River Kennet near the current Yield Hall Lane. However by the middle of the 16th century this had proved too small, and the spoils of the dissolution of the monasteries were to provide both of the town's next two halls. Initially, in 1543, the town was granted part of the former friary that was later to become Greyfriars Church.
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Redcar and Cleveland
The borough of Redcar & Cleveland is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England consisting of Redcar, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Guisborough, and small towns such as Brotton, Eston, Skelton and Loftus. It had a resident population of 139,132 in 2001, and is part of the Tees Valley economic area. It is represented in Parliament by Ian Swales (Liberal Democrat) for the Redcar constituency and by Tom Blenkinsop (Labour) for the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency.
The district was created in 1974 as the borough of Langbaurgh, one of four districts of the new non-metropolitan county of Cleveland. It was formed from the Coatham, Kirkleatham, Ormesby, Redcar and South Bank wards of the county borough of Teesside, along with Guisborough, Loftus, Saltburn and Marske-by-the-Sea, Eston Grange and Skelton and Brotton urban districts, from the North Riding of Yorkshire. The borough was named after the ancient Langbaurgh wapentake of Yorkshire. On 1 January 1988 the borough was renamed as Langbaurgh-on-Tees.
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Reigate
Coordinates: 51°13′48″N 0°11′17″W / 51.230°N 0.188°W / 51.230; -0.188
Reigate ( /ˈraɪɡeɪt/) is a historic market town in Surrey, England, at the foot of the North Downs, and in the London commuter belt. It is one of the main constituents of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. This part of Surrey including the adjacent town of Redhill is sometimes grouped together as part of the Gatwick Diamond, M23 corridor or Crawley Urban Area however is spaced out with Metropolitan Green Belt.
Colley Hill, one mile (1.6 km) north of Reigate, is the sixth highest point in Surrey at 756 feet (230 m). Reigate Hill, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) to the east of Colley Hill, is the seventh highest point in Surrey at 723 feet (220 m).
There are neolithic flint mines on the ridge of the North Downs above Reigate. The Bronze Age barrows on Reigate Heath indicate there was ancient settlement in the area. A Bronze Age spearhead was recovered on Park Hill in Reigate Priory Park. In 2004, a c. 92 AD Roman tile kiln (pictured left) was recovered from the grounds of Rosehill in Doods Way, Reigate. Tiles on the Rosehill site were first discovered in the 1880s. The tiles would have been used for important buildings in the area. The Rosehill find is also the oldest recorded use of Reigate Stone (Upper Greensand) for "ashlar masonry work".
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Reigate and Banstead
Coordinates: 51°14′56″N 0°09′36″W / 51.249°N 0.160°W / 51.249; -0.160
Reigate and Banstead is a local government district with borough status in east Surrey England. It covers the towns of Reigate, Banstead, Redhill and Horley.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It was a merger of the former borough of Reigate with Banstead Urban District and part of Dorking and Horley Rural District. There are two civil parishes within the borough: Horley and Salfords and Sidlow.
After the 3 May 2007 elections, there are 41 Conservatives seats, six Reigate and Banstead Residents Association, two Liberal Democrats, one Labour and one seat held by an Independent.
In recent years Reigate and Banstead Borough Council has been notable in seeing a number of younger councillors elected.
The borough is twinned with:
At one time the airline Dan-Air had its head office in the Newman House in Horley, Reigate and Banstead. At one time Air Europe had its head office in Reigate, Reigate and Banstead.
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Rickmansworth
Coordinates: 51°38′18″N 0°27′57″W / 51.6383°N 0.4659°W / 51.6383; -0.4659
Rickmansworth is the administrative seat of the Three Rivers District Council in Hertfordshire, England. With a population of 14,571 recorded at the 2001 census, Rickmansworth is a small town in South-West Hertfordshire, located mainly to the north of the Grand Union Canal and the River Colne. The nearest large town is Watford, 4.4 miles (7.1 km) to the east. It grew dramatically during the Victorian era, and then again during the 1920s and 1930s as part of the Metro-land area, due to the extension of Metropolitan Railway, and became a commuter town. Chiltern Main Line diesel-express trains from Marylebone station, London, via Harrow-on-the Hill, to Aylesbury–change for Birmingham–and fast, electric Metropolitan trains from the City of London, via Baker Street, to Amersham-on-the-Hill (all stopping at Rickmansworth station) together with the rural surroundings, have all contributed to the growth of Rickmansworth.
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Rother
Rother is a local government district in East Sussex, England. The district is named after the River Rother which flows within its boundaries.
The District of Rother was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Bexhill, the Municipal Borough of Rye and Battle Rural District. It is one of three districts within the county without borough status and is the easternmost one: the other two being Lewes to the west, and Wealden in the centre. The Borough of Hastings lies surrounded by Rother.
Rother District Council offices are based in Bexhill-on-Sea.
The district is second-level in local government. There are 38 members of the Council, representing 20 wards. Bexhill has nine wards: the remaining councillors represent the other 29 wards.
The lowest level of local government is the civil parish: there are 29 within the Rother District which are:
Playden and East Guldeford are merged in the statistical analysis although they are both civil parishes in their own right. Playden has a Parish Council whilst East Guldeford holds a Parish Meeting.
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Rushmoor
Rushmoor is a local government district and borough in Hampshire, England. It covers the towns of Aldershot and Farnborough.
It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Aldershot and the Farnborough urban district.
The borough took its name from Rushmoor Arena, a military showground constructed at Rushmoor Bottom in 1923. In May 2000, a referendum was held to on whether to change the name of the borough. Two alternative names were suggested in place of Rushmoor: Aldershot and Farnborough or Farnborough and Aldershot. In the event, more than 81% of those who voted chose to retain the name, on a turnout of 29%.
Rushmoor's population has grown from 1,366 in 1801, through 39,616 in 1901 to over 90,000 in 2001.
In 2006, Rushmoor gained a Silver Gilt award in the South and South East in Bloom awards.
Rushmoor is twinned with Oberursel in Germany, Meudon in France and Sulechów in Poland.
Elections to the council are held in three out of every four years, with one third of the seats on the council being elected at each election. Since 1973 the council has either been under Conservative overall control, or no party has had a majority. Since the 2000 election the Conservatives have had a majority, with the last election in 2011 resulting in the council having 32 Conservative, 4 Liberal Democrat and 6 Labour councillors.. Since then, two Conservative councillors have defected to the United Kingdom Independence Party.
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Rutland
Coordinates: 52°39′20.00″N 0°39′30.00″W / 52.65556°N 0.65833°W / 52.65556; -0.65833
Rutland ( /ˈrʌtlənd/) is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough (a unitary authority ceremonially in Cambridgeshire) and Northamptonshire.
Its greatest length north to south is only 18 miles (29.0 km), greatest breadth east to west, 17 miles (27.4 km). It is the smallest (in terms of population) normal unitary authority in mainland England (only the City of London is smaller in terms of area), and is 348th of the 354 districts in terms of population. It is the smallest historic English county, leading to the adoption of the Latin motto Multum In Parvo or "much in little" by the county council in 1950. Among modern ceremonial counties the Isle of Wight, City of London and City of Bristol are all smaller. The former County of London, in existence 1889 to 1965, also had a smaller area.
The only towns in Rutland are Oakham, the county town, and Uppingham. At the centre of the county is the large artificial reservoir, Rutland Water, with a similar surface area to Windermere. It is an important nature reserve serving as an overwintering site for wildfowl and a breeding site for ospreys. The town of Stamford is just over the border in a protruding part of Lincolnshire.
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San Francisco Libre
San Francisco Libre is a municipality in the Managua department of Nicaragua. It is twinned with Reading (UK).
Coordinates: 12°30′N 86°18′W / 12.5°N 86.3°W / 12.5; -86.3
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Sevenoaks
Coordinates: 51°16′41″N 0°11′15″E / 51.2781°N 0.1874°E / 51.2781; 0.1874
Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, 24 miles (38.6 km) south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital. The town gives its name to the Sevenoaks district, of which it is the principal town, followed by Swanley and Edenbridge.
The presence of Knole House, a large mansion, led to the earlier settlement becoming a village and in the 13th century a market was established.[citation needed] Sevenoaks became part of the modern communications network when one of the earlier turnpikes was opened in the 18th century; the railway was relatively late in reaching it. It has a large commuting population although the nearby Fort Halstead defence installation is a large local employer.
There are several independent educational establishments in the town, including the prestigious Sevenoaks School.
The town's name is derived from the Saxon word "Seouenaca", the name given to a small chapel near seven oak trees in Knole Park around AD 800.[citation needed]
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Sheffield
Sheffieldi/ˈʃɛfiːld/ is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely industrial roots to encompass a wider economic base. The population of the City of Sheffield is 555,500 (2010 est.) and it is one of the eight largest regional English cities that make up the English Core Cities Group.
During the 19th century, Sheffield gained an international reputation for steel production. Many innovations were developed locally, including crucible and stainless steel, fuelling an almost tenfold increase in the population during the Industrial Revolution. Sheffield received its municipal charter in 1843, becoming the City of Sheffield in 1893. International competition in iron and steel caused a decline in traditional local industries during the 1970s and 1980s, coinciding with the collapse of coal mining in the area.
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Shepperton
Coordinates: 51°24′N 0°28′W / 51.40°N 0.46°W / 51.40; -0.46
Shepperton is an English town in the borough of Spelthorne, Surrey which was formerly in the historic county of Middlesex. It is located about 15 miles (24 km) south west of Central London. To the south it is bounded by the river Thames at Desborough Island and is bisected by the M3 motorway. It is equidistant between the north Surrey towns of Chertsey to the west and Sunbury-on-Thames to the east.
The name is derived from 'Shepherd's Town', which translates into Saxon language as the 'Scepertone' and the name of one of the older streets, Sheep Walk, still reflects that origin.
Shepperton in the Domesday Book of 1086 was called Scepertone. It was held by Westminster Abbey. Its domesday assets were: 8 hides. It had 7 ploughs, pasture for 7 ploughs, 1 weir worth 6s 8d. It rendered £6.
The Church Square area, next to the river is the original village. When a railway station was constructed a mile to the North, linking Shepperton to London's Waterloo station, the village expanded in that direction. George Eliot's Scenes of Clerical Life tells the Sad Fortunes of The Rev.Amos Barton, its curate, and gives a vivid picture of church and village in the early 19th century. Shepperton was a parish in the Staines Rural District in Middlesex from 1894 to 1930, when it became part of the Sunbury-on-Thames Urban District. It was transferred to Surrey in 1965 rather than becoming part of Greater London, though the town is still designated under Middlesex within the Royal Mail's postal system. The town includes the hamlet of Lower Halliford.
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Shepway
Shepway is a local government district in Kent, England. It includes the towns of Folkestone and Hythe and the Romney Marsh. It is named after the Jutish lathe of Shepway; the Royal Court of Shepway, which met near Lympne at a place called Shepway Cross, was the principal court of the Cinque Ports Federation. Shepway District Council uses the Folkestone White Horse as a logo.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 as a merger of the boroughs of Folkestone, Hythe, Lydd and New Romney, along with Elham and Romney Marsh Rural Districts. Its council offices are in Folkestone.
In 2011, Lydd Airport's owners – who are seeking to expand the airport – gave "gifts to councillors", which councillors did not declare.
The District Council consists of 46 councillors representing 22 wards. Those wards are:
Following the May 2011 elections, the composition of Shepway District Council is 44 Conservatives and two from the People First party.
The third tier of local government in Shepway consists of town councils in Folkestone, Hythe, New Romney and Lydd; and the following parish councils:
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Shiplake
Coordinates: 51°30′11″N 0°53′56″W / 51.503°N 0.899°W / 51.503; -0.899
Shiplake is a village and civil parish about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, England on the River Thames.
The Church of England parish church of St. Peter and St. Paul dates from at least the 13th century, but in 1869 the Gothic Revival architect G.E. Street rebuilt the chancel, north aisle, parts of the south aisle and replaced the tracery of all the windows. The tower has a peal of eight bells.
In 1773 the Thames Navigation Commission built Shiplake Lock on the Thames about 0.5 miles (800 m) downriver from the village. In 1857 the Great Western Railway opened a branch line between Twyford and Henley-on-Thames, crossing the Thames on Shiplake Railway Bridge, about 300 yards (270 m) downstream from Shiplake Lock. The GWR built Shiplake railway station at Lower Shiplake 1 mile (1.6 km) northwest of the village. Lower Shiplake has since grown into the largest settlement in the parish.
In 1889 the author Jerome K. Jerome featured the village in his book Three Men in a Boat.
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Shropshire
Shropshire ( /ˈʃrɒpʃər/ or /ˈʃrɒpʃɪər/; alternatively Salop; abbreviated, in print only, Shrops) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Wales to the west, Cheshire to the north, Staffordshire to the east, Worcestershire to the south-east and Herefordshire to the south. A unitary authority (Shropshire Council) was created on 1 April 2009, taking over from the previous county council and 5 district councils, and covers most of the county. The borough of Telford and Wrekin, included in Shropshire for ceremonial purposes, has been a separate unitary authority since 1998.
The county's population and economy is centred on five towns: the county town of Shrewsbury, which is culturally and historically important and is located in the centre of the county;Telford, a new town in the east which was constructed around a number of older towns, most notably Wellington, Dawley and Madeley, which is today the most populous; and Oswestry in the north-west, Bridgnorth just to the south of Telford, and Ludlow in the south. The county has many further smaller towns, including Whitchurch in the north, Newport just to the north-east of Telford, and Market Drayton in the north-east of the county.
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Siege of Reading
The Siege of Reading refers to the English Civil War military campaign waged to besiege a Royalist garrison quartered in the town of Reading, Berkshire from 4 November 1642 to 25 April 1643.
In late October 1642, King Charles returned to Oxford from the indecisive Battle of Edgehill (23 October). On 4 November, he entered Reading from Oxford and later that month retired leaving a Royalist garrison, of 2,000 foot soldiers and a cavalry regiment, under Sir Arthur Aston.
The town and townspeople suffered many privations due to the demands of the garrison for money and lodging.
On 13 April 1643, the Earl of Essex at the head of a Parliamentary army of 16,000 men left Windsor and laid siege to Reading using cannon. Despite attempts by the King and Prince Rupert to lift the siege, the Royalist garrison surrendered on 26 and 27 April 1643.
Reading stayed a Parliamentary possession for the remainder of the Civil War, except for a single Royalist incursion.
Coordinates: 51°27′26″N 0°57′59″W / 51.4572°N 0.9665°W / 51.4572; -0.9665
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Sittingbourne
Coordinates: 51°20′N 0°44′E / 51.34°N 0.74°E / 51.34; 0.74
Sittingbourne is an industrial town about eight miles (12.9 km) east of Gillingham in England, beside the Roman Watling Street off a creek in the Swale, a channel separating the Isle of Sheppey from mainland Kent. The town is growing rapidly due to a number of large residential developments, and its train line links to London Victoria and HS1 to St Pancras International, the journey taking about an hour from Sittingbourne railway station.
Sittingbourne owes its name to a modernised version of an observation on its location. The town's name came from the fact that there is a small stream or "bourne" running underground in part of the town. Hasted writing in the 1790s in his History of Kent states that:
The Kent Hundred Rolls of 1274-5, preserved in the National Archives, record Sittingbourne as Sydingeburn in the following entries " Item dicunt quod Johannes Maresescall de Synele tenet unam parvam purpresturam in villa de Sydingeburn et solvit domino regi per annum 1d et dominus rex nichil perdit et quod Petrus de London tenet unam parvam purpresturam in villa de Sydingeburn et solvit inde per annum domino regi 1d et rex nichil perdit." Translated as, "Then they say John Marshall de Synele holds one small encroachment in the vill of Sittingbourne and he pays the lord king 1d. each year and the lord king loses nothing and that Peter of London holds one small encroachment in the vill of Sittingbourne and he pays 1d. each year to the lord king and the king loses nothing."
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Slough
Coordinates: 51°30′36″N 0°35′35″W / 51.51°N 0.593056°W / 51.51; -0.593056
Sloughi/ˈslaʊ/ is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road (it becomes the Great West Road closer to London) and the Great Western Main Line, 22 miles (35 km) west of central London. At the 2001 census, the population of Slough was 119,070 (est. 122,000 in 2006) and the borough area was the most ethnically diverse local authority area outside London in the United Kingdom. Slough has the highest proportion of religious adherents in England.
Historically, the larger part of the present-day Slough area was formerly in Buckinghamshire with a small part of the borough originally in Middlesex. Slough is home to the Slough Trading Estate, which, coupled with extensive transport links, makes it an important business centre in South East England. It is the largest industrial estate in single private ownership in Europe.
Slough is at grid reference SU978797, just west of Greater London. Nearby towns are Windsor to the south, Maidenhead to the west, Uxbridge to the northeast and Beaconsfield to the north.
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Snodland
Coordinates: 51°19′41″N 0°26′48″E / 51.328°N 0.4467°E / 51.328; 0.4467
Snodland is a small town in the county of Kent, England, located on the River Medway between Rochester and Maidstone. It has a population of about 12,000 people.
The town is situated on the A228 road connecting the Medway Towns with Tonbridge. The M20 motorway junction 4 is 2 miles south of the town allowing good access to London and the Channel Ports. The Snodland by-pass takes heavy commercial traffic away from the town centre (an area commonly referred to as "the village" by residents). The Medway Valley Line between Strood and Maidstone passes through Snodland. There is a station; for London passengers change at Strood or Maidstone Barracks/Maidstone East.
The first Roman advance in the conquest of Britain may have crossed the River Medway near Snodland, although there are contending locations. The supposed crossing place is marked by a memorial on the opposite side of the river from Snodland, close to Burham. Near this spot, a ferry later carried pilgrims bound for Canterbury along the Pilgrims' Way.
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Sonning
Coordinates: 51°28′23″N 0°54′40″W / 51.473°N 0.911°W / 51.473; -0.911
Sonning, occasionally called Sonning-on-Thames is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Wokingham in the English county of Berkshire, a few miles east of Reading. The village is situated on the River Thames and was described by Jerome K. Jerome in his book Three Men in a Boat as "the most fairy-like little nook on the whole river".
The parish of Sonning originally included Charvil, Woodley and Earley and, before 1866, was a cross-county-boundary parish containing Sonning Eye, Dunsden Green and Playhatch in Oxfordshire as well. It is now much smaller and triangular shaped. The north-western boundary is formed by the River Thames before passing through the middle of the Thames Valley Park. The southern border follows the railway line. The north-eastern boundary travels over Charvil Hill and follows the edge of the housing at Charvil itself until it reaches the confluence of St Patrick's Stream with the Thames, near St Patrick's Bridge. The northern corner of the parish consists of very low-lying land adjoining the River. The Sonning Golf Course sits in the south-east corner, with Holme Park, Sonning Hill and the business park in the south-west, and the village roughly in the middle.
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South Bucks
South Bucks is one of four local government districts in the non-metropolitan county of Buckinghamshire, in South East England.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, by the amalgamation of the area of Beaconsfield Urban District with part of Eton Rural District. The district was originally named Beaconsfield: it was renamed to its present title on on 1 April 1980, following the passing of a resolution by the district council. It is formally called 'South Bucks' rather than 'South Buckinghamshire'.
A large part of the district is sandwiched between the M40 and M4 motorways, both of which have junctions within the district. The major M40/M25 interchange is located near Gerrards Cross, it is the M25's only junction in the district. South Bucks contains the greatest length of motorway in any Buckinghamshire district. Railway lines follow the motorways- they are the Great Western Main Line and the Chiltern Main Line, with important stations in Beaconsfield and Gerrards Cross. Denham Aerodrome in the southeast of the district has a small number of chartered flights running out of it.
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South Oxfordshire
South Oxfordshire is a local government district in Oxfordshire, England. Its council is based in Crowmarsh Gifford, just outside Wallingford.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, from the municipal boroughs of Henley-on-Thames and Wallingford, Thame urban district, and Wallingford Rural District, Bullingdon Rural District and Henley Rural District. The Wallingford parts were previously part of the administrative county of Berkshire.
The River Thames flows for approximately 47 miles through South Oxfordshire and it is joined by the River Thame within the district. A characteristic of the rivers within the district is that they have wide floodplains with few houses on them so that fluvial flooding is a lesser problem than flash flooding.
The towns in the district are Didcot, Henley-on-Thames, Thame, Wallingford and Watlington.
The larger villages in the district include:
See List of civil parishes in South Oxfordshire
In May 2006, a report commissioned by British Gas showed that housing in South Oxfordshire produced the 5th highest average carbon emissions in the country at 7,356 kg of carbon dioxide per dwelling.
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Southampton
Southamptoni/saʊθˈhæmptən/ is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated 120 kilometres (75 mi) south-west of London and 30 kilometres (19 mi) north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest. It lies at the northernmost point of Southampton Water at the confluence of the River Test and River Itchen, with the River Hamble joining to the south of the urban area. The local authority is Southampton City Council, which is a unitary authority.
The city represents the core of the Greater Southampton region, and the city itself has an estimated population of 239,700 Southampton combines with Portsmouth to form a single metropolitan area; with a population of over a million this makes the region one of the United Kingdom's most populous metropolitan areas. The city's name is sometimes abbreviated in writing to "So'ton" or "Soton", and a resident of Southampton is called a Sotonian.
Significant employers in Southampton include the University of Southampton, Southampton Airport, the Ford Transit factory, Ordnance Survey, BBC South, the NHS, ABP and Carnival. Southampton is noted for its association with the RMS Titanic, the Spitfire and more recently a number of the largest cruise ships in the world.
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Southcote Lock
Southcote Lock is a lock on the River Kennet at Southcote within the town of Reading in Berkshire, England.
Southcote Lock was built between 1718 and 1723 under the supervision of the engineer John Hore of Newbury, and this stretch of the river is now administered by British Waterways and known as the Kennet Navigation. It has a rise/fall of 5 ft 3 in (1.65 m).
The Victorian brick building that overlooks Southcote Lock is the redundant Southcote Pumping Station which, when it opened in 1850, pumped water to the Bath Road Reservoir thus providing the key meeting to Reading's demanding water needs.
Coordinates: 51°26′08″N 1°00′16″W / 51.43557°N 1.00444°W / 51.43557; -1.00444
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Southend Urban Area
The Southend Urban Area is the informal name for the urban area including and surrounding Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England. The ONS defines the Southend Urban Area as having a population of 269,400, making it the largest urban area within the East of England. Its population has grown nearly 1% from the 1991 figure of 266,749
It includes the following places:
Southend-on-Sea borough has a population of 160,257, although during the summer months numbers in the town are swelled significantly by tourists - the figures for 2004, for instance, show that 6.43 million visitors made their way to the Southend-on-sea area over the course of that year.
The postcode for Southend Urban Area is SS.
Coordinates: 51°32′39″N 0°40′12″E / 51.5443°N 0.6700°E / 51.5443; 0.6700
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Southern England
Southern England, the South and the South of England are imprecise terms used to refer to the southern counties of England bordering the English Midlands. It has a number of different interpretations of its geographic extents. The South is considered by many to be a cultural region with a distinct identity from that of the rest of England. The special cultural, political and economic characteristics of "the South" are, however, not universally agreed upon, nor are its geographical limits and stereotypes of the South mask the cultural, physical and historical differences within this region. For government purposes Southern England is divided in South West England, South East England, Greater London, and the East of England. Combined, these have a total area of 62,042 square kilometres (23,955 sq mi), and a population of 26 million.
The term "southern" is often loosely used without any deeper consideration of the geographical identities of Southern England, leading to confusion over the depth of affiliation between its areas.
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Speightstown
Speightstown /ˈspaɪts.taʊn/ SPYTS-town, also known as Little Bristol, is the second largest town centre of Barbados. It is situated 12 miles (19 km) north of the capital city of Bridgetown, in the northern parish of Saint Peter.
The town is named after William Speight, a member of Barbados' first Assembly during the Settlement years, and the former owner of the land where the town is located.
Speightstown was formally settled around 1630 and in the earliest days of Settlement was Barbados's busiest port (AMS Seaport Code: 27213, UN/LOCODE: BB SPT ). Ships laden with sugar and other commodities left Speightstown bound directly for London and especially Bristol. For this reason Speightstown is sometimes known as Little Bristol. The quaint town has now become the centre of a tourist area as well as a secondary shopping centre.
The area of Speightstown was the first major port and commercial centre of Barbados. The city is named after William Speight, a member of Barbados' first Assembly during the colonial years as well as the former land owner where the city is located. It has a long and colorful history reaching back to the 17th century when it served as one of the main ports connecting the island with the “mother country,” England. Back then Speightstown was sometimes called “Little Bristol” because of these trading connections with Bristol in England. This little village was the port that Ayscue could not take, when dispatched by Cromwell to quell the insurrection in Barbados in 1649. The Barbadians were loyal to Charles I, and would not accept Oliver Cromwell as their protector. For six months Ayscue was unable to land in Barbados, and concentrated attacks on Speightstown were repelled by the small forts along the shore.
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Spelthorne
Spelthorne is a local government district and borough in Surrey, England. It includes the towns of Ashford, Laleham, Shepperton, Staines-upon-Thames, Stanwell and Sunbury. Boroughs adjacent to Spelthorne include Runnymede and Elmbridge in Surrey, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, the London Borough of Hillingdon to the north, as well as the London Borough of Hounslow and the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames to the east. The borough is home to a number of large reservoirs, including Queen Mary, Staines and King George VI, all important bird reserves as is Staines Moor, designated an area of outstanding scientific interest.
Spelthorne appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Spelet(h)orne, in Middlesex. Spelthorne was a hundred, an administrative area, where local leaders met about once a month. The Spelthorne hundred also covered East Bedfont, Feltham and Hanworth, all now in the London Borough of Hounslow in Greater London.
The borough was formed in 1974 from Staines Urban District and Sunbury-on-Thames Urban District. The urban districts had originally been part of Middlesex; however in 1965 when much of the rest of Middlesex was absorbed into Greater London these two were instead transferred to Surrey. Its boundary changed in 1995 when Poyle was transferred to Slough in Berkshire. The borough remained inside the Metropolitan Police District, and was not transferred to Surrey Police until the boundary was realigned to Greater London in 2000.
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St Albans
Coordinates: 51°45′18″N 0°20′10″W / 51.755°N 0.336°W / 51.755; -0.336
St Albans /sɨnt ˈɔːlbənz/ is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around 22 miles (35 km) north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans.
It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt. Property prices are notoriously high within the district, which is one of the most expensive in the UK.
St Albans has two official demonyms: Verulamian and Old Albanian. St Albans was a settlement of pre-Roman origin named Verlamion (or Verulam) by the Ancient British, Catuvellauni tribe. It became the first major town on the old Roman road of Watling Street for travellers heading north and became the Roman city of Verulamium.
Saint Alban, the first British Christian martyr, was beheaded in AD 308 by Maximian on the orders of Emperor Diocletian, who denounced the Christian faith and had ordered the deaths of all subjects and allies of the Roman Empire who refused to give up the faith. Saint Alban consequently gave the town its modern name.
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Stanwell
Coordinates: 51°27′02″N 0°28′59″W / 51.45067°N 0.48314°W / 51.45067; -0.48314
Stanwell is a suburban village in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne. It is located 15.7 miles (24.8 km) west south-west of Charing Cross and half a mile (0.8 km) from the southern boundary of London Heathrow Airport and the London Borough of Hillingdon. The census area Stanwell North has a population of 7,301 and the census area Stanwell South has a population of 4,766.
There are two theories regarding the origin of the name Stanwell. One is that it was named after St Anne's Well in the village. The second, and more likely, theory is that it in fact means 'stone well'. Indeed the first few letters of the name are the same as in the name of neighbouring Staines, which also is said to mean 'stones'.[citation needed]
Stanwell appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Stanwelle. It was held by Walter, son of Othere. Its domesday assets were: 15 hide. It had 4 mills worth £3 10s 0d and 375 eels, 3 weirs worth 1000 eels, 10 ploughs, meadow for 12 ploughs and woodland worth 12 hogs. It rendered £14.
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Stevenage
Stevenage is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England. It is situated to the east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), and is between Letchworth Garden City to the north, and Welwyn Garden City to the south.
Stevenage is roughly 30 miles (50 km) north of central London. Its population was 1,430 in 1801, 4,049 in 1901, 79,724 in 2001 and 84,651 in 2007. The largest increase occurred in the 1950s and 1960s, after Stevenage was designated a new town under the New Towns Act of 1946.
Two films have been filmed and set in Stevenage, Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush and Boston Kickout. Spy Game was partly filmed in Stevenage but set in Washington, D.C. The BBC sitcom Saxondale was set and filmed almost entirely in Stevenage.
Stevenage may derive from Old English stiþen āc / stiðen āc / stithen ac (various Old English dialects cited here) meaning '(place at) the strong oak'.
The name was recorded as Stithenæce, c.1060 and Stigenace in 1086 in the Domesday Book.
The present site of Stevenage lies near a Roman road that ran from Verulamium to Baldock. Some Romano-British remains were discovered during the building of the New Town, and a hoard of 2,000 silver Roman coins was discovered in 1986 during new house building in the Chells Manor part of Stevenage. The most substantial evidence of activity from Roman times are the Six Hills, six tumuli by the side of the old Great North Road - presumably the burial places of a local family.
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Strood
Coordinates: 51°24′11″N 0°29′17″E / 51.403168°N 0.488033°E / 51.403168; 0.488033
Strood is a town in the unitary authority of Medway in South East England. It is part of the ceremonial county of Kent. It lies on the north west bank of the River Medway at its lowest bridging point, and is part of the Rochester post town.
Strood was part of Frindsbury until 1193, but now Frindsbury is considered part of Strood. Strood's history has been dominated by the river, the bridges and the road and rail links they carried. It is now a mainly residential suburb of Rochester, and a commuter town for London.
Strood was part of Frindsbury until 1193. It was named "Strodes" in the Textus Roffensis, though most early records use the spelling Stroud. The name Strõd or Strõþ refers to a marshy land overgrown with brushwood.
The Romans built a stone bridge and laid a road on a causeway across the marshy ground. The foundations were about 8 ft below the level of the 1856 road. The road went up Strood Hill, and was called Watling Street, as it still is today. This is the A2 road . There is further evidence of a causewayed road leading along the bank towards the Frindsbury Peninsula leading to a villa, was found in 1819. The present road and field pattern suggest that there was a substantial Roman agricultural settlement centred near Frindsbury.
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Surrey
Surrey /ˈsʌri/ is a county in the South East of England, and one of the home counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford.Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of Greater London since 1965. The London boroughs of Lambeth, Wandsworth and Southwark were considered part of Surrey until 1889; and Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Sutton, Barnes and Richmond - all now reclassified as part of Greater London - were part of Surrey until 1965.
Surrey is divided into 11 boroughs and districts: Elmbridge, Epsom and Ewell, Guildford, Mole Valley, Reigate and Banstead, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Tandridge, Waverley, Woking. After the elections of 1 May 2008, the Conservatives are in control of 10 out of 11 councils in Surrey, with Epsom and Ewell in Residents Association control. The Conservatives hold all 11 Parliamentary constituencies within the county borders.
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Surrey Heath
Surrey Heath is a local government district with Borough status in Surrey, England. Its Council is based in Camberley. Much of the area is within the Metropolitan Green Belt.
Surrey Heath was voted the 6th best place to live in Channel 4's Location, Location, Location 'best and worst' survey.
The district was formed on April 1, 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, as a merger of Frimley and Camberley Urban District, and Bagshot Rural District. The Borough acquired its name because it includes extensive areas of heath and woodland including Chobham Common and Lightwater Country Park.
The Borough is governed by Surrey Heath Borough Council. Parish councils in Surrey Heath are in Bisley with the chairman being Cllr Barry Woodhead; Chobham with the chairman being Cllr Ian AC Taylor; West End with the chairman being Cllr David Elliott and Windlesham (which includes Lightwater and Bagshot) where the chairman is Cllr Keith Hand.
The 3 May 2007 borough elections produced 30 Conservative seats, 7 Liberal Democrat seats, 2 Labour seats and 1 other.
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Swale
Swale is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England. Its council is based in Sittingbourne. The borough is named after the narrow channel called The Swale, a channel that separates the mainland of Kent from the Isle of Sheppey, and which occupies the central part of the district.
The Roman Watling Street passed through the area, as witness the straightness of the A2 main road, now by-passed by the M2 motorway. Apart from northern coast of the Isle of Sheppey, and the immediate areas around the towns, it is a mainly rural borough, containing a high proportion of the UK's apple, pear, cherry and plum orchards, as well as remaining hop gardens.
The district was formed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, from the boroughs of Faversham and Queenborough-in-Sheppey (which covered all of Sheppey), the Sittingbourne and Milton urban district and Swale Rural District.
Swale railway station is at the southern end of the Kingsferry Bridge.
There are four towns in the borough: Sittingbourne and Faversham on the mainland; Sheerness, Queenborough on the Isle. In addition local government is carried out by the following parish councils:
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Swallowfield
Coordinates: 51°22′41″N 0°57′32″W / 51.378°N 0.959°W / 51.378; -0.959
Swallowfield is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. It is situated 5 miles (8.0 km) south of the town of Reading, and 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the county boundary with Hampshire.
The civil parish of Swallowfield also includes the nearby villages of Riseley and Farley Hill, and is in turn is within the Borough of Wokingham.
Swallowfield Park is a stately home situated in an estate half a mile north east of the village. The current mansion has been converted into exclusive apartments.
Swallowfield has been the home of a number of famous persons including Thomas 'Diamond' Pitt, the Governor of Fort St. George; William Backhouse, the Rosicrucian philosopher; Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon; and, in his childhood, Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon. The 19th century authoress, Mary Russell Mitford retired to the village and is buried in the churchyard.
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Swanley
Coordinates: 51°24′N 0°11′E / 51.4°N 0.18°E / 51.4; 0.18
Swanley is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located on the south-eastern outskirts of London, north of Sevenoaks town. The town boundaries encompass the settlements of Swanley itself, Hextable (Hextable recently voted to become an independent parish council) and Swanley Village. Swanley has a population of 20,986
In 1066, Swanley only consisted of a few cattle farms, surrounded in oak, sycamore and ash (Fraxinus) woodland. Because Swanley only consisted of a few homesteads,so it was not mentioned in the Domesday Book.
There is a theory that the placename Swanley developed from the Saxon term 'Swine-ley', "Ley" meaning a clearing in the woods and "swine" meaning pigs. So it has been suggested that it was originally a Saxon pig farm. This later developed into what we now know as Swanley. There is however no clear evidence that the derivation of the placename Swanley is 'a clearing for pigs'. This fiction may have been invented by a history teacher at Swanley School sometime in the late 1960s as a backhanded insult towards the kids he or she was expected to teach. If Swanley was a Saxon name chances are it would have received mention in Domesday. It didn't. The name is just as likely to be derived from the personal name Sven, Svein or something similar.
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Test Valley
Test Valley is a local government district and borough in Hampshire, England, named after the valley of the River Test. Its council is based in Andover.
The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by a merger of the boroughs of Andover and Romsey, along with Andover Rural District and Romsey and Stockbridge Rural District.
Test Valley covers some 250 square miles (650 km2) of western Hampshire, stretching from boundaries with Southampton in the south to Newbury in the north. Test Valley is a predominantly rural area. It encompasses the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The River Test is the centrepiece of the Test Valley; the river is a world renowned chalk stream of particular beauty and famous for its fishing, salmon and trout, which Lord Crickhowell (onetime chairman of the National Rivers Authority) said 'should be treated as a great work of art or music'. Home of the Houghton Fishing Club, an exclusive fishing club founded in 1822, which meets in the Grosvenor Hotel in Stockbridge.
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Thames Valley
The Thames Valley Region is a loose term for the English counties and towns roughly following the course of the River Thames as it flows from Oxfordshire in the west to London in the east. It includes parts of Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, North Hampshire, Surrey and west London. It does not include the source of the Thames at Thames Head in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, central or east London or the outflowing of the Thames into the Thames Estuary.
The phrase Thames Valley Region should not be confused with the term M4 Corridor which denotes the route of the M4 motorway which provides East/West travel on a more southerly route extending from Hammersmith through Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Wiltshire and over the River Severn via the Second Severn Crossing Toll Bridge into South Wales.
The Thames Valley region is one of the wealthiest regions in the European Union, helped by good communications, a well educated work force, proximity to London and strong local employers. Its economy was valued at £32 billion in 2007.
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Thanet
Thanet is a local government district of Kent, England which was formed under the Local Government Act 1972, and came into being on 1 April 1974. The Isle of Thanet makes up the major part of the District.
The district, which is governed by Thanet District Council, is located on the north eastern tip of Kent, and is predominantly coastal, with north, east and southeast facing coastlines. It is bordered by the City of Canterbury district to the west, and the Dover district to the south. The main towns in the district are Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs.
The Isle of Thanet is the major part of the Thanet District. Formed over 7000 years ago and separated from the mainland by the Wantsum Channel, it has always borne the brunt of invasions from the Continent. An Isle of Thanet Rural District had existed from the Local Government Act 1894 until it was abolished in 1935 to form part of Eastry Rural District. The current District was formed in 1974, by the addition of the area over which was once the Wantsum Channel, including the settlement of Sarre.
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Thatcham
Coordinates: 51°24′18″N 1°15′52″W / 51.4050°N 1.2645°W / 51.4050; -1.2645
Thatcham is a town in Berkshire, England 3 miles (5 km) east of Newbury and 15 miles (24 km) west of Reading. It covers about 8.75 square miles (22.7 km2) and has a population of 23,000 people (2003). This number has grown rapidly over the last few decades from 5,000 in 1951 and 7,500 in 1961.
It lies on the River Kennet, the Kennet and Avon Canal, the A4 road and the course of a Roman road. It is also served by Thatcham railway station on the line between Newbury and Reading. Employment is provided by a number of light industrial units.
The area has evidence of occupation dating from prehistoric times and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the strongest claimant to being the oldest continuously inhabited place in Britain. The well-preserved remains of a Mesolithic settlement dating from 7,700 BC have been found in its vicinity. There is also evidence of Bronze and Iron Age settlements and of a Roman town.
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The Blade Reading
The Blade Reading is a skyscraper and the tallest building in Reading, Berkshire, England. Used for office space, it rises 128 metres (420 ft) above the Reading skyline. The Blade is visible from many places in the town because of its height. The first tenant to occupy the building was Kaplan Financial, who moved to the building from Thames Tower.
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The Hexagon
The Hexagon is a multi-purpose arts venue and theatre with a capacity of 1,200 in central Reading, Berkshire, England. It is named for its shape. The Hexagon is run as part of the local council, along with a number of other venues in Reading including South Street Arts Centre, The Concert Hall, Rivermead etc. As a whole, these venues are known as Reading Arts and Venues, and operate a single box office and ticketing system.
Events include classical music, comedy, dance, drama, pop and rock concerts. In past years the venue has also been used for snooker.
The Hexagon opened in 1977. Its design team was headed by the firm of Robert Matthew, Johnson-Marshall & Partners, who also designed the adjacent civic offices and police station. Taken together these buildings form Reading Civic Centre.
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Three Mile Cross
Coordinates: 51°24′27″N 0°58′26″W / 51.4074°N 0.9738°W / 51.4074; -0.9738
Three Mile Cross is a village in the civil parish of Shinfield, to the South of Reading, and immediately North of the adjoining village of Spencers Wood, in the English county of Berkshire.
In the 1960s, the M4 Motorway was built and became a natural barrier between the village and Reading. In the 1980s, the A33 Swallowfield Bypass severed roads to the village of Grazeley lying to the West.
It is best known as the home of the famous 19th century authoress, Mary Russell Mitford who wrote a five volume book of literary sketches entitled Our Village which is a series of stories and essays largely about the setting and people of Three Mile Cross.
Three Mile Cross from the viewpoint of people who live there
Media related to Three Mile Cross at Wikimedia Commons
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Thundersley
Coordinates: 51°34′N 0°35′E / 51.57°N 0.59°E / 51.57; 0.59
Thundersley is a district in the north west of the Castle Point Borough, in south east Essex, England, about 35 miles east of London.
Thundersley derives from the Old English Þunres lēah = "grove or meadow [perhaps sacred] belonging to the god Thunor". It has also historically been known as Thunresleam.
Thundersley is in a song called A13 by Billy Bragg. It also includes Hadleigh,Pitsea,Basildon,Benfleet,Southend etc.
The area is relatively hilly and high above sea level for Essex, a typical height for the central and eastern part of (old) Thundersley is c. 200 ft (c.65 metres). The environment is partly rural, with large woods and commons, including Thundersley Common, Coombe Wood, Starvelarks Wood, Wyburns Wood, Tile Wood, Pound Wood, West Wood, Shipwrights Wood, Thundersley Glen, The Chase and borders on The Downs (largely in Hadleigh and South Benfleet), and partly suburban, with large areas of housing and small industrial parks. The area has the largest proportion of owner-occupied homes in Britain. The King John School and Sixth Form are situated in Shipwrights Drive. West Wood is managed by Castle Point Wildlife Group.
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Thurrock
Thurrock is a unitary authority with borough status in the English ceremonial county of Essex. It is part of the London commuter belt and an area of regeneration within the Thames Gateway redevelopment zone. The local authority is Thurrock Council.
It lies on the River Thames just to the east of London. With over 18 miles (29 km) of riverfront it covers an area of 64 square miles (166 km²), with more than half defined as Green Belt. With Greater London to the west and the river to the south, the county of Essex abuts the Borough to the north and east, and across the river lies Kent.
The local authority is Thurrock Council. Elections are held 3 out of every 4 years. In the last election in 2012, Labour took control after a period in which no party had overall control.
Thurrock is covered by two parliamentary constituencies. Thurrock includes most of the borough while South Basildon and East Thurrock includes some wards in the east of the borough. Both seats were Conservative gains from Labour at the 2010 general election.
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Tilbury
Coordinates: 51°27′38″N 0°21′30″E / 51.4606°N 0.3582°E / 51.4606; 0.3582
Tilbury is a town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. As a settlement it is of relatively recent existence, although it has important historical connections, being the location of a 16th century fort and an ancient cross-river ferry. It is also the location of a modern deep-water port.
The name of the present town of Tilbury is derived (by way of the port) from the nearby settlements of East and West Tilbury. The name of these settlements is derived from the Saxon burgh, "fortified place", either belonging to Tila, or perhaps at a lowland place. The 8th century spelling (Bede) was "Tilaburg", and the spelling in Domesday was "Tilberia".
Tilbury’s history is closely connected with its geographical location (see below). Its counterpart on the south bank of the River Thames, Gravesend, has long been an important communications link, and it was there that a cross-river ferry (see below) was connected, mainly due to the narrowness of the river at this point. In addition, Gravesend and Northfleet (also on the south shore) both became vitally important to shipping on the Thames: the former as the first port of call for foreign shipping bound for London, and the latter as a naval dockyard.
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Tilehurst
Coordinates: 51°27′28″N 1°02′26″W / 51.4579°N 1.0406°W / 51.4579; -1.0406
Tilehurst is a suburb of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It is also, with different boundaries as described below, a civil parish in West Berkshire district.
The name Tilehurst comes from tigel or tile and hurst or wooded hill. Tile manufacturing was present in the district until recent times. In 1167 Tilehurst was first mentioned as Tigelhurst. The Church of St Michael was founded in 1189. In the 14th century Tilehurst was known as Tygelhurst then Tylehurst in the 16th century.
The manor house of Tilehurst is at Calcot Park within the ancient parish. It was, for many years, the home of the Blagrave family, whose members include the mathematician, John Blagrave, and the regicide, Daniel Blagrave. In March 1894 J.H. Blagrave sold an area of land to the church wardens and overseers of the parish of Tilehurst. This land later became known as the Blagrave Recreation Park (or the Rec). It was agreed that the land was there for the children of the area to use. Since then, it has been used by people of all ages, from various backgrounds. In March 1898 Tilehurst Parish Council were appointed as trustees being replaced by the forerunner of Reading Borough Council in February 1914.
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Tonbridge
Coordinates: 51°11′55″N 0°16′35″E / 51.1987°N 0.2764°E / 51.1987; 0.2764
Tonbridge (pronunciation and historic spelling Tunbridge) is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30,340 in 2007. It is located on the River Medway, approximately 4 miles north of Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and 29 miles south east of London. It belongs to the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling (population 107,560 in 2001).
The town was recorded in the Domesday Book 1087 as Tonebrige, which may indicate a bridge belonging to the estate or manor (from the Old English tun), or alternatively a bridge belonging to Tunna, a common Anglo-Saxon man's name. Another theory suggests that the name is a contraction of "town of bridges", due to the large number of streams the High Street originally crossed.
Until 1870, the town's name was actually spelt Tunbridge, as shown on old maps including the 1871 Ordnance Survey map and contemporary issues of the Bradshaw railway guide. In 1870, this was changed to Tonbridge by the GPO due to confusion with nearby Tunbridge Wells, despite Tonbridge being a much older settlement. Tunbridge Wells has always maintained the same spelling.
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Torbay
Torbay ( /tɔrˈbeɪ/) is an east-facing bay and natural harbour, at the westernmost end of Lyme Bay in the south-west of England, roughly equidistant from the cities of Exeter and Plymouth. Consisting of the towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham, and part of the ceremonial county of Devon, Torbay was made a unitary authority on 1 April 1998. Tourist authorities call it the "English Riviera" on account of its beaches and mild climate; it is a popular area with holiday makers.
That Torbay has been inhabited since paleolithic times is shown by human bones and tools found in Kents Cavern in Torquay. A maxilla fragment known as Kents Cavern 4 may be the oldest example of a modern human in Europe, dating back to 37,000–40,000 years ago.Roman soldiers are known to have visited Torquay during the period when Britain was a part of the Roman Empire, leaving offerings at a curious rock formation in Kent's Cavern, known as "The Face".
Both Brixham and Paignton appear in the Domesday Book of 1086 and Paignton was given the status of a borough having a market and fair in 1294. The first major building in Torquay was Torre Abbey, a Premonstratensian monastery founded in 1196.
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Tring
Coordinates: 51°47′46″N 0°39′33″W / 51.7962°N 0.6592°W / 51.7962; -0.6592
Tring is a small market town and also a civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire, England. Situated 30 miles (48 km) north-west of London and linked to London by the old Roman road of Akeman Street, by the modern A41, by the Grand Union Canal and by rail lines to Euston Station, Tring is now largely a commuter town in the London commuter belt.
Tring is positioned in west Hertfordshire, adjacent to the Buckinghamshire border, at a low point in the Chiltern Hills known as the 'Tring Gap'. This has been used as a crossing point since ancient times, being at the junction of the Icknield Way and under the Romans Akeman Street, the major Roman road linking London to Cirencester. It is transected east and west by the ancient earthwork called Grim's Dyke. It is located at the summit level of the Grand Union Canal and both the canal and railway pass through in deep cuttings. Tring railway cutting is 4 km (2.5 mi) long and an average of 12 m (39 ft) deep and is celebrated in a series of coloured lithographs by John Cooke Bourne showing its construction in the 1830s.
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Vale of White Horse
The Vale of White Horse is a local government district of Oxfordshire in England. The main town is Abingdon, other places include Faringdon and Wantage. There are 68 parishes within the district. The current Leader of the Council is Matthew Barber.
It is a geographically distinct region, lying between the Berkshire Downs and the River Thames, named after the prehistoric Uffington White Horse. The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, from the Municipal Borough of Abingdon, Wantage Urban District, Abingdon Rural District, Faringdon Rural District and part of the Wantage Rural District of Berkshire. The southern border of the district roughly approximates the Ridgeway Path. The area is often referred to as the ‘Vale of the White Horse’.
It is the valley of the Ock, a stream which joins the Thames from the West at Abingdon. The Vale is almost flat and well-wooded; its green meadows and foliage contrasting richly with the bald summits of the Berkshire Downs, which flank it on the south. The numerous elm trees, that once were a major feature of the Vale, were lost to Dutch Elm Disease. To the North, a low ridge separates it from the upper Thames Valley, holding back the soft Jurassic sedimentary deposits (Greensand, Gault and Kimmeridge Clay) behind a hard corallian limestone escarpment ridge, in what is technically a hanging valley; but local usage sometimes extends the vale to cover all the ground between the Cotswolds (on the north) and the Berkshire Downs. According to the geographical definition, however, the Vale is from two to five miles wide, and the distance by road from Abingdon to Shrivenham at its head is 18 miles.
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Waltham Cross
Coordinates: 51°41′10″N 0°01′59″W / 51.686°N 0.0331°W / 51.686; -0.0331
Waltham Cross is the most southeasterly town in Hertfordshire, England. It is 12 miles from the City of London and immediately north of the M25 motorway, forming part of the Greater London Urban Area and London commuter belt. Part of Waltham Cross is located within Greater London.
It is bordered by Greater London to the south and Essex to the east. It is located south of Cheshunt, west of Waltham Abbey and immediately north of the London Borough of Enfield, with the southern section of the town bordering the M25 motorway and Freezywater. Although located just outside Greater London, the town forms part of the Greater London Urban Area. The Waltham Cross post town includes some northern sections of Enfield, including the Holmesdale Estate.
Waltham Cross formed part of the ancient parish of Cheshunt in the Hertford hundred of Hertfordshire. It formed part of Cheshunt Urban District from 1894 to 1974. In April 1974 the town together with Cheshunt and the Hoddesdon urban district councils merged to form the Borough of Broxbourne. The town takes its name from the Eleanor Cross which stands in its centre.
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Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens. The population of the borough is 198,900. Its population has more than doubled since its designation as a New Town in 1968.
Historically a part of Lancashire, Warrington was founded by the Romans at an important crossing place on the River Mersey. A new settlement was established by the Saxons and by the Middle Ages, Warrington had emerged as a market town at a bridging point of the river. A local tradition of textile and tool production dates from this time.
The expansion and urbanisation of Warrington largely coincided with the Industrial Revolution, particularly after the Mersey was made navigable in the 18th century. The West Coast Mainline runs north to south through the town, and the Liverpool to Manchester railway (the Cheshire Lines route) west to east. The Manchester Ship Canal cuts through the south of the borough (west to east). The M6, M56 and M62 motorways form a partial box around the town.
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Watford
Watfordi/ˈwɒtfərd/ is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated 18 miles (29 km) northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.
Watford was created as an urban district under the Local Government Act 1894, and became a municipal borough by grant of a charter in 1922. The borough had 79,726 inhabitants at the time of the 2001 Census. The most recent official estimates put the population of Watford at 79,600 at mid-2006.
The nearby areas of Croxley Green, Bushey, Rickmansworth, Chorleywood, Kings Langley, Abbots Langley, Carpenders Park and South Oxhey, located in Three Rivers and Hertsmere districts, also form part of the Watford postcode area. The Watford subdivision of the Greater London Urban Area, which includes much of the neighbouring districts, had a total population of 120,960 in the 2001 census.
Watford stands on a low hill near the point at which the River Colne was forded by travellers between London and the Midlands. This route, originally a pre-Roman trackway, departed from the ancient Roman Watling Street at Stanmore, heading for the Gade valley and thence up the Bulbourne valley to a low and easily traversed section of the Chiltern Hills near Tring. The modern High Street follows the route of this road.
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Wealden
Coordinates: 50°59′56″N 0°12′43″E / 50.999°N 0.212°E / 50.999; 0.212
Wealden is a local government district in East Sussex, England: its name comes from the Weald, the area of high land which occupies the centre of its area.
Wealden District was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by the merger of the Hailsham and Uckfield Rural District Councils (RDCs), both set up under the Local Government Act 1894, which also revived the parish councils. It is one of three Districts within the county and is the central one: the other two being Lewes to the west, and Rother to the east.
Wealden District Council is elected every 4 years, with the Conservative party having had a majority on the council since the first election in 1973, apart from a couple of years after 1995 when no party had a majority. As of the last election in 2011 the council is composed of the following councillors:-
The district is second-level in local government. There are 55 members of the Council, representing 35 wards. The towns have more than one ward: Crowborough has five; Hailsham, three; Heathfield, two; Polegate, two; and Uckfield, four. The ward boundaries are regularly redrawn in an attempt to maintain a standard elector per councillor ratio throughout the district. The ward boundaries as at 2007 are:
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Welwyn Garden City
Coordinates: 51°48′22″N 0°11′36″W / 51.8062°N 0.1932°W / 51.8062; -0.1932
Welwyn Garden City ( /ˈwɛlɪn/) is a town within the Welwyn Hatfield borough of Hertfordshire, England. It is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) from Kings Cross. Welwyn Garden City was the second garden city in England (founded 1920) and one of the first new towns (designated 1948).
It is unique in being both a garden city and a new town and exemplifies the physical, social and cultural planning ideals of the periods in which it was built. Because of its historical importance it attracts visitors from around the world.
Welwyn Garden City was founded by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the 1920s following his previous experiment in Letchworth Garden City. Howard had called for the creation of planned towns that were to combine the benefits of the city and the countryside and to avoid the disadvantages of both. The Garden Cities and Town Planning Association had defined a garden city as
"a town designed for healthy living and industry of a size that makes possible a full measure of social life but not larger, surrounded by a rural belt; the whole of the land being in public ownership, or held in trust for the community"
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Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex ( /ˈwɛsɨks/) or Kingdom of the West Saxons (Old English: Westseaxna rīce) was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons in South West England, from the 6th century until the emergence of a united English state under the Wessex dynasty in the 10th century. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest of 1016, from 1020 to 1066. After the Norman Conquest there was a dissolution of the English earldoms and Wessex was split among the followers of William the Conqueror.
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West Berkshire
West Berkshire is a local government district in the ceremonial county of Berkshire, England, governed by a unitary authority (West Berkshire Council). Its administrative capital is Newbury, located almost equidistantly between Bristol and London.
Apart from Newbury, the other main centres in the district include Thatcham, Hungerford, Pangbourne and Lambourn. Larger villages include Theale, Purley-on-Thames, Burghfield, Mortimer and Hermitage. The West Berkshire district borders Hampshire to the south, Wiltshire to the west, Oxfordshire to the north and both the Reading and Wokingham unitary districts to the east.
The highest point in southeast/south-central England is located in West Berkshire at Walbury Hill with a summit height of 297 m (974 ft) 2 km to the south of the village of Inkpen. West Berkshire is also home to the UK Atomic Weapons Establishment, based near Aldermaston to the east of the district and the worldwide headquarters of Vodafone on the outskirts of Newbury. The area around Lambourn in the far west of the district is noted for its numerous horse racing stables and training grounds.
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West Oxfordshire
West Oxfordshire is a local government district in north west Oxfordshire, England including towns such as Woodstock, Burford, Chipping Norton, Charlbury, and Witney (where the council is based).
The area is mainly rural downland and forest, the main activities being farming and associated trades.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the municipal boroughs of Chipping Norton and Witney urban district, and Chipping Norton Rural District and Witney Rural District.
West Oxfordshire lies within the River Thames catchment area, with the Thames itself and its tributaries including the River Evenlode and River Windrush running through the area. Parts of the district suffered severe flooding during the 2007 floods in the UK.
Coordinates: 51°47′36″N 1°28′45″W / 51.79333°N 1.47917°W / 51.79333; -1.47917
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West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering East Sussex (with Brighton and Hove), Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming into force of the Local Government Act 1972. At the same time the Mid Sussex region (including Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill and East Grinstead) was transferred from East Sussex.
West Sussex has a wide range of scenery, including Wealden, Downland and coastal. It has a number of stately homes including Goodwood, Petworth House and Uppark and also castles such as Arundel Castle and Bramber Castle. Over half the county is protected countryside, offering walking, cycling and other recreational opportunities for visitors and residents alike.
Chichester is the county town of West Sussex, and the highest point of the county is Black Down, at 280 metres (919 ft, grid reference SU919296).
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Whiteknights Park
Whiteknights Park, or the Whiteknights Campus of the University of Reading, is the principal campus of that university. The park covers the area of the manor of Earley Whiteknights, also known as Earley St Nicholas and Earley Regis.
Whiteknights Park is some two miles south of the centre of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. The campus is 1.3 square kilometres (321 acres) in size and includes lakes, conservation meadows and woodlands as well as being home to most of the university's academic departments and several halls of residence.
The site was the home of John De Erleigh II, the famous foster-son of the Regent of England, William Marshal, but takes its name from the nickname of his great grandson, the 13th century knight, John De Erleigh IV, the 'White Knight'. The De Erleigh (or D'Earley) family were owners of this manor for some two hundred years before 1365. St. Thomas Cantilupe, Bishop of Hereford and advisor to King Edward I, was allowed to live there briefly during the 1270s. In 1606 the estate was purchased by the nephew of Sir Francis Englefield, following the confiscation of Englefield House and its estates in 1585. The Englefield family in turn sold the estate to George Spencer, the Marquis of Blandford, in 1798.
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Whitley Wood
Coordinates: 51°24′59″N 0°57′42″W / 51.41632°N 0.96171°W / 51.41632; -0.96171
Whitley Wood is a suburb to the south of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Lat and Long for this entry may be incorrect - found this location on a Wiki Map showing the Thames Approaches, a rollover link to this page appears in the Thames approaches.
Whitley Wood is bounded to the north by an ill-defined boundary with the suburb of Whitley, to the east by a ridge of high ground carrying the road to Shinfield, to the west by the valleys of the River Kennet and the Foudry Brook, and to the south by the M4 motorway.
Whitley Wood lies within the Borough of Reading and all local government responsibility lies with the borough council. Whitley is within the Reading West parliamentary constituency.
Lat and Long for this entry may be incorrect - found this location on a Wiki Map showing the Thames Approaches, a rollover link to this page appears in the Thames approaches.
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Wickford
Coordinates: 51°36′41″N 0°31′15″E / 51.6114°N 0.5207°E / 51.6114; 0.5207
Wickford is a town in the south of the English county of Essex, with a population of more than 32,500. Located approximately 30 miles (50 km) east of London, it falls within the District of Basildon along with Basildon, Billericay, Laindon and Pitsea.
It has become a commuter town, serving the City of London through its direct connection to Liverpool Street through the Southend Victoria line, where a train to London takes approximately 40 minutes. The town can also be easily reached via the road network by the A127 from London and Southend-on-Sea or the A130 from Chelmsford.
Wickford is a fairly small town with a main high street. It includes shops such as Clarks, New Look, Choice, The Cooperative, W H Smith, Adrians, 99p Stores, a bakery, a coffee lounge and others. There is also a swimming pool, a library, an open-air market and a community centre within the vicinity of the town centre.
The town has existed since before 975. There is evidence that the area itself was inhabited in prehistoric probably by a tribe of Britons called Trinobantes, Roman and Saxon times[citation needed]. The name Wickford is of Saxon origin, Wic meaning a village, habitation, castle or dairy farm and Ford being a shallow river crossing.
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Wiltshire
Wiltshire ( /ˈwɪltʃər/ or /ˈwɪltʃɪər/, formerly /ˈwɪlʃər/; or the County of Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers 3,485 km2 (1,346 square miles). The ancient county town was Wilton, but since 1930 Wiltshire County Council and its successor Wiltshire Council (from 2009) have been based at Trowbridge.
Wiltshire is characterised by its high downland and wide valleys. Salisbury Plain is famous as the location of the Stonehenge and Avebury stone circles and other ancient landmarks and as the main training area in the UK of the British Army. The city of Salisbury is notable for its mediaeval cathedral. Important country houses open to the public include Longleat, near Warminster, and the National Trust's Stourhead, near Mere.
The county, in the 9th century written as Wiltunscir, later Wiltonshire, is named after the former county town of Wilton, itself named after the river Wylye, one of eight rivers which drain the county.
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Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council is the unitary authority for most of the county of Wiltshire, in the West of England, the successor authority to Wiltshire County Council (1889–2009) and to four districts—Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, and West Wiltshire—all of which had been created in 1973 and were abolished in 2009.
The ceremonial county of Wiltshire consists of two unitary authority areas, Wiltshire and Swindon, governed respectively by Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Council. Before April 2009, Wiltshire was administered as a non-metropolitan county by Wiltshire County Council, with four districts, Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, and West Wiltshire. Swindon, in the north of the county, had been a separate unitary authority since 1997, and on 5 December 2007 the British Government announced that the rest of Wiltshire would move to unitary status. This was later put into effect by a statutory instrument as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England. To date, this has been one of the most successful Unitary initiatives in the UK, achieved on time and under budget, and gaining a glowing report from the DCLG.
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Winnersh
Coordinates: 51°25′41″N 0°52′46″W / 51.4281°N 0.8794°W / 51.4281; -0.8794
Winnersh is a village and civil parish, a part of the Borough of Wokingham, in the English county of Berkshire. The parish is roughly bounded on the north-east by the A329(M), to the north-west by the river Loddon, Old Forest Road and Simons Lane on the south east and Bearwood Road on the south west. This also encompasses the estate village of Sindlesham.
Winnersh was largely developed during the railway age. The South Eastern Railway built the North Downs Line in 1849, but the station now known as Winnersh was not opened until 1910, and was originally named "Sindlesham and Hurst Halt", so clearly Winnersh as a village did not exist in the form that it is today (the station is fairly central in the current village). The station was renamed Winnersh Halt in 1930.
Housing and then light industry followed the railway, and now Winnersh has two stations, Winnersh and Winnersh Triangle, the latter also being the name of the industrial estate that it serves. Modern Winnersh exists mostly as a sleeper town. Relentless housing development on all sides will soon see Winnersh exist as part of an urban continuum between Reading and London.[citation needed]
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Woking
Coordinates: 51°18′58″N 0°33′40″W / 51.3162°N 0.561°W / 51.3162; -0.561
Woking ( /ˈwoʊkɪŋ/) is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of approximately 24 minutes to Waterloo station. Woking is 23 miles (37 km) southwest of Charing Cross in central London. Woking town itself, excluding the surrounding district, has a population of 62,796, with the whole local government district (the borough of Woking) having a population of 92,400 (mid 2009 estimate). Currently, Woking is a Conservative constituency, with Jonathan Lord as Woking's Member of Parliament.
In literature, Woking is where the Martians first land in H. G. Wells' science fiction novel The War of the Worlds. In music, "Town Called Malice" was written about Woking by Paul Weller and recorded by his band, The Jam. The song reached No. 1 in the UK Charts.
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Wokingham
Coordinates: 51°24′36″N 0°50′24″W / 51.410°N 0.840°W / 51.410; -0.840
Wokingham is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire in South East England about 33 miles (53 km) west of central London. It is about 7 miles (11 km) east-southeast of Reading and 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Bracknell. It contains an area of 557 acres (0.9 sq mi) and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 30,403. It is the seat of the Borough of Wokingham.
Before 1844, the north of the parish of Wokingham was part of a detached portion, or exclave, of the county of Wiltshire, the border of which is some 30 miles (48 km) to the west. The Counties (Detached Parts) Act of that year resulted in its transfer to the county of Berkshire.
Wokingham was a borough before the 1974 reorganisation of local government, when it merged with Wokingham Rural District to form the new Wokingham District. What had been Wokingham Borough became Wokingham Town, but retained its mayor. The District Council applied for borough status, which was granted and came into force on 9 March 2007. As of this date, the District (which stretches from the Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire borders in the north to the Hampshire border in the southwest) has also been able to elect a mayor.
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Wolverhampton
Wolverhamptoni/ˌwʊlvərˈhæmptən/ is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region (code UKG35) and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region. In 2004, the local government district had an estimated population of 239,100. Wolverhampton is part of the West Midlands Urban Area which had a population of 2.3 million in the 2001 census which makes it part of the second largest urban area in the United Kingdom.
Historically a part of Staffordshire, and forming part of the metropolitan county of the West Midlands from 1974, the city is commonly recognised as being named after King Wulfhere, who established an abbey in 659. The original name being from Wulfereēantūn = "Wulfhere's high or principal enclosure or farm" after the Mercian King. The name Wulfrun is used to denote a later nun who established a church in the city – for example, for the Wulfrun Centre or for Wulfrun Hall.
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Worthing
Worthing ( /ˈwɜrðɪŋ/ WURDH-ing) is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, 10 miles (16 km) west of Brighton, and 18 miles (29 km) east of the county town of Chichester. The borough covers an area of 12.5 square miles (32.37 km2) and has an estimated population of 103,200.
The area around Worthing has been populated for at least 6,000 years and contains Britain's greatest concentration of Stone Age flint mines, which are some of the earliest mines in Europe. Lying within the borough, the Iron Age hill fort of Cissbury Ring is one of Britain's largest. Worthing means "(place of) Worth/Worō's people", from the Old English personal name Worth/Worō (the name means "valiant one, one who is noble"), and -ingas "people of" (reduced to -ing in the modern name). For many centuries Worthing was a small mackerel fishing hamlet until in the late 18th century it developed into an elegant Georgian seaside resort and attracted the well-known and wealthy of the day. In the 19th and 20th centuries the area was one of Britain's chief market gardening centres.
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York
York (locali/ˈjɔːk/) is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence. The city offers a wealth of historic attractions, of which York Minster is the most prominent, and a variety of cultural and sporting activities.
The city was founded by the Romans in 71 AD, under the name of Eboracum. It became in turn the capital of the Roman province of Britannia Inferior, and of the kingdoms of Northumbria and Jorvik. In the Middle Ages, York grew as a major wool trading centre and became the capital of the northern ecclesiastical province of the Church of England, a role it has retained.
In the 19th century York became a hub of the railway network and a confectionery manufacturing centre. In recent decades, the economy of York has moved from being dominated by its confectionery and railway-related industries to one that provides services. The University of York and health services have become major employers, whilst tourism has become an important element of the local economy.
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Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great (Old English: Ælfrēd, Ælfrǣd, "elf counsel"; 849 – 26 October 899) was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.
Alfred successfully defended his kingdom against the Viking attempt at conquest, and by his death had become the dominant ruler in England. He is the only English monarch to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself "King of the Anglo-Saxons". Details of his life are described in a work by the 10th century Welsh scholar and bishop Asser. Alfred was a learned and merciful man who encouraged education and improved his kingdom's legal system and military structure.
Alfred was born in the village of Wanating, now Wantage, Oxfordshire. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf of Wessex, by his first wife, Osburh.
In 853, at the age of four, Alfred is said to have been sent to Rome where, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, he was confirmed by Pope Leo IV who "anointed him as king". Victorian writers interpreted this as an anticipatory coronation in preparation for his ultimate succession to the throne of Wessex. However, his succession could not have been foreseen at the time, as Alfred had three living elder brothers. A letter of Leo IV shows that Alfred was made a "consul"; a misinterpretation of this investiture, deliberate or accidental, could explain later confusion. It may also be based on Alfred's later having accompanied his father on a pilgrimage to Rome where he spent some time at the court of Charles the Bald, King of the Franks, around 854–855.
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Archibald Constable
Archibald David Constable FRSE (24 February 1774 – 21 July 1827) was a Scottish publisher, bookseller and stationer.
He was born at Carnbee, Fife, as the son of the land steward to the Earl of Kellie, and educated at Edinburgh Academy (1853-60), and the universities of St Andrews, Berlin and Paris.
In 1788 Archibald was apprenticed to Peter Hill, an Edinburgh bookseller, but in 1795 he started in business for himself as a dealer in rare books. He bought the Scots Magazine in 1801, and John Leyden, the orientalist, became its editor. In 1800 Constable began the Farmer's Magazine, and in November 1802 he issued the first number of the Edinburgh Review, under the nominal editorship of Sydney Smith; Lord Jeffrey, was, however, the guiding spirit of the review, having as his associates Lord Brougham, Sir Walter Scott, Henry Hallam, John Playfair and afterwards Lord Macaulay.
Constable made a new departure in publishing by the generosity of his terms to authors. Writers for the Edinburgh Review were paid at an unprecedented rate, and Constable offered Scott 1000 guineas in advance for Marmion. In 1804 A. G. Hunter joined Constable as partner, bringing considerable capital into the firm, styled from that time Archibald Constable & Co. In 1805, jointly with Longman & Co., Constable published Scott's Lay of the Last Minstrel, and in 1807 Marmion.
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Bishop of Reading
The Bishop of Reading is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford, which is within the Province of Canterbury, England. The current Bishop is the Rt Revd Andrew Proud.
The title takes its name after the town of Reading in Berkshire. The Bishop of Reading is responsible for the archdeaconry of Berkshire. In 2003, the Reverend Dr Jeffrey John was originally appointed to succeeded the previous incumbent, but withdrew after controversy about his homosexuality.
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Black British
Black British is a term used to describe British people of black African descent, especially those of Afro-Caribbean background. The term has been used from the 1950s to refer to Black people from former British colonies in the West Indies (i.e. the New Commonwealth) and Africa, who are residents of the United Kingdom and consider themselves British. Others are also from former French-speaking colonies in Africa such as Senegal and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (which was Belgian), and many of the Black Africans in Britain still speak French as well as their own native languages.
The term 'black' has historically had a number of applications as a racial and political label, and may be used in a wider socio-political context, to encompass a broader range of non-European ethnic minority populations in Britain, though this is a controversial and non-standard definition.
Black British is primarily used as an official category in UK national statistics ethnicity classifications, where it is sub-divided into 'Caribbean', 'African' and 'Other Black' groups.
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British Asian
British Asian is a term used to describe British citizens who descended from mainly South Asia, also known as South Asians in the United Kingdom. In British English, the term 'Asian' usually excludes East Asians (see East Asians in the United Kingdom).
Prior to the formation of the United Kingdom, immigration of South Asian people to England began with the arrival of the East India Company to the Indian subcontinent. This continued during the British Raj and increased in volume after the independence of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka from British rule, chiefly for education and economic pursuits. A major influx of South Asian immigrants, mostly of Indian and Pakistani origin, also took place following the expulsion of Indian communities (then holders of British passports) from Uganda and other East African nations (see African migration to the United Kingdom).
In British English, the word "Asian" is often used to refer to those of South Asian origin, particularly Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. Clarifying the Definition of Asian. 2005. 1 October 2006. The term generally excludes people of East Asian (such as Chinese, Korean or Japanese) or Southeast Asian origin; they are more likely to be defined by their country of origin, or may instead be grouped under the umbrella term "oriental". This is reflected in the "ethnic group" section of UK census forms and other government paperwork, which treat "Asian" and "Chinese" as separate. This usage contrasts with olga American English, Canadian English, New Zealand English and Australian English, in which "Asian" refers mainly to people with East Asian ancestry.
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British Chinese
British Chinese (Chinese: trad. 英國華僑, simp. 英国华侨, Yīngguó Huáqiáo) are people of Chinese – particularly Han Chinese – ancestry who reside in the United Kingdom, constituting the second or third largest group of overseas Chinese in Europe apart from the Chinese diaspora in France and the overseas Chinese community in Russia. Those born in the UK are known as British-born Chinese or BBCs. The British Chinese community is thought to be the oldest Chinese community in Western Europe, with the first Chinese having come from the ports of Tianjin and Shanghai in the early 19th century to settle in port cities such as Liverpool.
Most British Chinese are, or are descended from, people who were themselves overseas Chinese when they came to Britain. Most are from former British colonies, such as Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. People from mainland China and Taiwan and their descendants constitute a relatively minor proportion of the British Chinese community. Chinese communities are found in many major cities including London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Cardiff, Sheffield, Belfast, and Aberdeen. The Chinese community is the fastest growing ethnic group in the UK, with 9.9 percent annual growth between 2001 and 2007. More than 90 percent of this growth was due to net migration.
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Constance of York
Constance of York, Countess of Gloucester (c. 1374 – 29 November 1416) was the only daughter of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York and his wife Isabella of Castile, daughter of Pedro of Castile and Maria de Padilla. On about 7 November 1379, Constance married Thomas le Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester (22 September 1373 – 16 January 1400), who was eventually beheaded at Bristol. She was involved in an affair with Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent and had a daughter by him, Eleanor de Holland. Eleanor was later married to James Tuchet, 5th Baron Audley.
In 1405, during the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr, Constance, who held Caerphilly Castle, arranged the escape of Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March, from Windsor Castle, apparently intending to deliver the young earl, who had the best claim to the throne of any of Henry IV's rivals, to his uncle Edmund who was married to Glyndwr's daughter. The earl was recaptured before entering Wales.
When Constance died in 1416, she was buried at the High altar in Reading Abbey.
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Dominic Barberi
Blessed Dominic of the Mother of God, born Dominic Barberi (22 June 1792 - 27 August 1849) was an Italian theologian and a member of the Passionist Congregation. He was beatified by Pope Paul VI in 1963.
Barberi was born near Viterbo.
His parents were peasant farmers and died while Dominic was still a small boy, and he was adopted by his maternal uncle, Bartolomeo Pacelli. As a boy he was employed to take care of sheep, and when he grew older he did farm work. He was taught his letters by a Capuchin priest, and learned to read from a country lad of his own age; although he read all the books he could obtain, he had no regular education until he entered the Passionists. He was deeply religious from childhood, though experienced a period, caused by reading sensual and anti-religious texts, whereby he lost all the fervour of his childhood. During this period however he still kept up his usual devotions and his former fervour returned upon the arrival of four Passionists into the area. These Passionists had been displaced from their community in accordance with Napoleon's suppression of religious communities in the Papal States. Dominic befriend these Passionists and served daily Mass with them.
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Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda (c. 7 February 1102 – 10 September 1167), also known as Matilda of England or Maude, was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to survive to adulthood. However, her brother's death in the White Ship disaster in 1120 resulted in Matilda being her father's sole heir.
As a child, Matilda was betrothed to and later married Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor, acquiring the title Empress. The couple had no known children and after eleven years of marriage Henry died, leaving Matilda widowed. However, she was then married to Geoffrey, Count of Anjou in a union which her father hoped would produce a male heir and continue the dynasty. She had three sons by Geoffrey of Anjou, the eldest of whom eventually became King Henry II of England. Upon the death of her father in 1135, Matilda was usurped to the throne by her rival and cousin Stephen of Blois, who moved quickly and became crowned King of England whilst Matilda was in Normandy, pregnant with her third child.
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Farnham
Coordinates: 51°12′50″N 0°47′56″W / 51.214°N 0.799°W / 51.214; -0.799
Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles (67 km) southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire. By road Guildford is 11 miles (17 km) to the east and Winchester 28 miles (45 km) to the southwest. Farnham is the largest town in Waverley, with a total resident population of 38,000 people. It is of historic interest, with many old buildings, including a number of Georgian houses. Farnham Castle overlooks the town. A short distance southeast of the town centre are the ruins of Waverley Abbey, Moor Park House and Mother Ludlam's Cave. Farnham is twinned with Andernach in Germany.
Farnham's history and present status are mainly the result of its geography; a combination of river, streams, fresh water springs and varied soils, together with a temperate climate, attracted early man to the area and, even today, the geology of the area greatly influences the town, both in terms of communications, scenic and botanic variety and the main local industries of agriculture and minerals extraction. Farnham Geological Society is an active organisation in the town, and the Museum of Farnham has a collection of geological samples and fossils.
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Frank Matcham
Frank Matcham (22 November 1854, Newton Abbot, Devon – 17 May 1920, Southend-on-Sea, Essex) was a famous English theatrical architect. He is buried in Highgate Cemetery.
Frank Matcham's father was a brewery clerk, and he was raised in Torquay, where he attended Babbacombe school. In 1868, he was apprenticed to a local surveyor and architect, George Sondon Bridgeman. He moved to London and joined the architectural practice of Jethro Robinson, consulting theatre architect to the Lord Chamberlain's office. In 1877 Matcham married Robinson's youngest daughter, Effie, and only a year later his father-in-law died and he found himself in charge of the practice, at the age of 24. Frank Matcham received no formal training as an architect, but learnt the practicalities on the job.
His first solo commission was to complete Robinson's designs of the Elephant and Castle theatre (opened June 1879).
Matcham and two architects he helped to train, Bertie Crewe and W.G.R. Sprague, were together responsible for the majority - certainly more than 200 - of the theatres and variety palaces of the great building boom which took place in Britain between about 1890 and 1915, peaking at the turn of the century.
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Henry I of England
Henry I (c. 1068/1069 – 1 December 1135) was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106. A later tradition called him Beauclerc for his scholarly interests— he could read Latin and put his learning to effective use— and Lion of Justice for refinements which he brought about in the royal administration, which he rendered the most effective in Europe, rationalizing the itinerant court, and his public espousal of the Anglo-Saxon legal tradition.
Henry's reign established deep roots for the Anglo-Norman realm, in part through his dynastic (and personal) choice of a Scottish princess who represented the lineage of Edmund Ironside for queen. His succession was hurriedly confirmed while his brother Robert was away on the First Crusade, and the beginning of his reign was occupied by wars with Robert for control of England and Normandy. He successfully reunited the two realms again after their separation on his father's death in 1087. Upon his succession he granted the baronage a Charter of Liberties, which linked his rule of law to the Anglo-Saxon tradition, forming a basis for subsequent limitations to the rights of English kings and presaged Magna Carta, which subjected the king to law.
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Henry of Appleford
Henry of Appleford, O.S.B., was a monk who ruled as Abbot of Reading Abbey in the English county of Berkshire from 1342 to 1361.
Originating from the village of Appleford-on-Thames, twenty miles to the north-west and also in Berkshire (now in Oxfordshire), all that is otherwise known about him is that his death in 1361 was due to the Black Death.
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Henry Taunt
Henry William Taunt (1842–1922) was a professional photographer based in Oxford, England. His studio was in Broad Street, Oxford.
Henry Taunt was born in Penson's Gardens in St Ebbe's, Oxford. He was the son of a plumber and glazier, also Henry, and his wife Martha, who came from West Ilsley in Berkshire. At the age of 14, Taunt joined Edward Bracher as a member of staff in 1856 at his photographic premises based at 26 High Street, Oxford. In 1868, he set up his own photographic business in Oxford.
Henry Taunt's black-and-white photographs are mainly views of Oxford, Oxfordshire (together with surrounding counties) and the River Thames. He produced the first pocket guide to the River Thames to be illustrated with photographs. In the 1860s, it covered the upper Thames, but it expanded its range over several editions. The wet collodion process, invented by Frederick Scott Archer, was the best means to capture negative images on glass until the end of the 1870s, by which time many of Taunt’s pictures for his ‘Illustrated Map of the Thames’ had been taken. He would row his skiff to a location, set up his dark tent, set up his camera and tripod, sensitise and coat the glass plate, immediately make the two- or three-second exposures, develop and fix the images, wash them in river water, perhaps dry them in the sun and row back to his lodgings or set up camp with his assistants. At the beginning of the 1860s this was an incredible feat of skill. Henry Taunt was at the cutting edge of Victorian location photographic technology.
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Hugh Cook Faringdon
Blessed Hugh Cook Faringdon, O.S.B., (died 1539), also known as Hugh Faringdon or Hugh Cook, was a Benedictine monk who ruled as the last Abbot of Reading Abbey in the English town of Reading. At the dissolution of the monasteries under King Henry VIII of England, he was accused of high treason and executed. He was declared a martyr and beatified by the Catholic Church in 1895.
Born Hugh Cook, he adopted the surname Faringdon when he became a monk, sometime prior to 1500. The use of this surname suggests that he came from Faringdon, a town some 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Reading. However it is also significant that he subsequently adopted the arms of the Cook family of Kent, suggesting he might have had connections there. He is believed to have been educated within the abbey, and later served as the sub-chamberlain of the community.
Hugh Cook Faringdon was elected Abbot of Reading Abbey in 1520, upon the death of Abbot Thomas Worcester. As well as his spiritual duties, he also took up the civil duties expected at that time of a mitred abbot, being appointed as Justice of the Peace and to various governmental Commissions for Berkshire from 1526 to 1538.
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Jane Austen
Jane Austen (16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature. Her realism and biting social commentary has gained her historical importance among scholars and critics.
Austen lived her entire life as part of a close-knit family located on the lower fringes of the English landed gentry. She was educated primarily by her father and older brothers as well as through her own reading. The steadfast support of her family was critical to her development as a professional writer. Her artistic apprenticeship lasted from her teenage years into her thirties. During this period, she experimented with various literary forms, including the epistolary novel which she tried then abandoned, and wrote and extensively revised three major novels and began a fourth. From 1811 until 1816, with the release of Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1816), she achieved success as a published writer. She wrote two additional novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, both published posthumously in 1818, and began a third, which was eventually titled Sanditon, but died before completing it.
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John Henry Newman
John Henry Newman, D.D., C.O. (21 February 1801 – 11 August 1890), also referred to as Cardinal Newman and Blessed John Henry Newman, was an important figure in the religious history of England in the 19th century. He was known nationally by the mid-1830s.
Originally an evangelical Oxford academic and priest in the Church of England, Newman was a leader in the Oxford Movement. This influential grouping of Anglicans wished to return the Church of England to many Catholic beliefs and forms of worship traditional in the medieval times to restore ritual expression. In 1845 Newman left the Church of England and was received into the Roman Catholic Church where he was eventually granted the rank of cardinal by Pope Leo XIII. He was instrumental in the founding of the Catholic University of Ireland, which evolved into University College, Dublin, today, the largest university in Ireland.
Newman's beatification was officially proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI on 19 September 2010 during his visit to the United Kingdom. His canonisation is dependent on the documentation of additional miracles.
wn.com/John_Henry_Newman -
John Madejski
Sir John Robert Madejski OBE DL (born Robert John Hurst on 28 April 1941 in Stoke-on-Trent; pronounced /məˈdeɪski/) is an English businessman, with commercial interests, spanning property, broadcast media, hotels, restaurants, publishing and football. He changed his name when his stepfather, a Polish airman during World War II, returned to Britain to marry his mother.
Madejski is the founder of the magazine which became Auto Trader and chairman of Reading F.C., as well as Chancellor of the University of Reading and Deputy Lieutenant of Berkshire. He is a benefactor to many institutions, especially in academia, education and the arts.
In the Sunday Times Rich List 2009 ranking of the wealthiest people in the UK he was placed 222nd with an estimated fortune of £250million.
Madejski was born Robert John Hurst on 28 April 1941, in Stoke-on-Trent, as a result of a wartime fling, being initially placed with a foster family. While still a baby, Hurst was moved back to his mother's home town of Reading and placed in a children's home. His mother later married a Polish Second World War airman, with Hurst eventually coming to live with them and adopting his stepfather's surname of Madejski (Hurst's biological father had started another family).
wn.com/John_Madejski -
John Speed
John Speed (1542–1629) was an English historian and cartographer.
Speed was born at Farndon, Cheshire, and went into his father's tailoring business where he worked until he was about 50. While working in London, his knowledge of history led him into learned circles and he joined the Society of Antiquaries where his interests came to the attention of Sir Fulke Greville, who subsequently made him an allowance to enable him to devote his whole attention to research. As a reward for his earlier efforts, Queen Elizabeth granted Speed the use of a room in the Custom House.
He is buried with his wife in St Giles-without-Cripplegate church within the Barbican Estate in the City of London. A memorial to John Speed was also erected behind the altar of the church. According to the church's website, "[His was] one of the few memorials [in the church] that survived the bombing" of London during The Blitz of 1940-1941.... The website also notes that "[t]he cast for the niche in which the bust is placed was provided by the Merchant Taylors’ Company, of which John Speed was a member."
wn.com/John_Speed -
Joseph Farington
Joseph Farington (21 November 1747 – 30 December 1821) was an 18th-century English landscape painter and diarist.
Born in Leigh, Lancashire, Farington was the second of seven sons of William Farington and Esther Gilbody. His father was the rector of Warrington and vicar of Leigh. Three of his brothers—William, Henry, and Richard—were "employed in the naval service of the East India Company". Edward died of yellow fever when he was 32. Robert attended Brasenose College and became vicar of St George in the East, London (whose advowson was held by Brasenose).George Farrington became a painter, like Joseph himself.
After his early education in Manchester, Farington went to study with Richard Wilson in London in 1763. In 1764, 1765, and 1766 he won "premiums" from the Society of Artists for his landscape drawing; he became a member in 1765. He joined the Royal Academy when it was founded in 1769 and was elected an ARA in 1783 and an RA in 1785. Farington contributed works to the Academy's exhibitions every year until 1801, but only occasionally between 1801 and 1813. He was an active member of the Academy and sat on several important committees, including the one which determined where artworks would be hung during the exhibitions. He also acted as executor for the estate of fellow Academician, John Webber. In 1793 he became a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and helped establish the British Institution. He assisted in the Thomas Gainsborough, William Hogarth, and Richard Wilson exhibitions in 1806.
wn.com/Joseph_Farington -
Mary Russell Mitford
Mary Russell Mitford (16 December 1787 – 10 January 1855), was an English author and dramatist. She was born at Alresford, Hampshire. Her place in English literature is as the author of Our Village. This series of sketches of village scenes and vividly drawn characters was based upon life in Three Mile Cross, a hamlet in the parish of Shinfield, near Reading in Berkshire, where she lived.
She was the only daughter of Dr George Mitford, or Midford, who spent her mother's fortune in a few years. Then he spent the greater part of £20,000, which in 1797 Mary, then aged ten, drew as a prize in a lottery. The family lived in large properties in Reading and then Grazeley (in Sulhamstead Abbots parish), but, when the money was all gone, they lived on a small remnant of the doctor's lost fortune and the proceeds of his daughter's literary career. He is thought to have inspired Mary with the keen delight in incongruities, the lively sympathy, self-willed vigorous individuality, and the womanly tolerance which inspire so many of her sketches of character. She was devoted to him, refused all holiday invitations because he could not live without her, and worked incessantly for him except when she broke off to read him the sporting newspapers.
wn.com/Mary_Russell_Mitford -
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. Today he is remembered for his epigrams, plays and the circumstances of his imprisonment, followed by his early death.
Wilde's parents were successful Dublin intellectuals. Their son became fluent in French and German early in life. At university Wilde read Greats; he proved himself to be an outstanding classicist, first at Dublin, then at Oxford. He became known for his involvement in the rising philosophy of aestheticism, led by two of his tutors, Walter Pater and John Ruskin. After university, Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles. As a spokesman for aestheticism, he tried his hand at various literary activities: he published a book of poems, lectured in the United States of America and Canada on the new "English Renaissance in Art", and then returned to London where he worked prolifically as a journalist. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress, and glittering conversation, Wilde had become one of the most well-known personalities of his day.
wn.com/Oscar_Wilde -
Peter Ditchfield
Rev. Peter Hempson Ditchfield, FSA (1854–1930) was a Church of England priest, an historian and a prolific author. He is notable for having co-edited three Berkshire volumes of the Victoria County History which were published between 1907 and 1924.
Ditchfield was born in Westhoughton, Lancashire in 1854. He was schooled at the Royal Grammar School, Clitheroe and studied at Oriel College, Oxford. He was ordained deacon in 1878 and priest in 1879. Ditchfield served his title as curate of St. Michael's parish church, Sandhurst until 1880, followed by a second curacy at Christ Church, Reading.
Ditchfield was appointed Rector of Barkham in 1886: a post that he held until his death. From 1886 until 1903 Ditchfield was Inspector of Schools for the Diocese of Oxford.
In 1898 Ditchfield married the daughter of Charles Smith of Ravenswood, Berkshire.
Ditchfield was an historian and a prolific author. He also co-edited with W.H. Page three Berkshire volumes of the Victoria County History, which were published in 1907, 1923 and 1924.
wn.com/Peter_Ditchfield -
Reading School
Reading School is a state-funded, selective academy school for boys in the English town of Reading. It is notable for tracing its history back to the school of Reading Abbey, making it one of the oldest schools in England. There are no tuition fees for day pupils, and boarders only pay for food and lodgings.
Reading School was founded as part of Reading Abbey. The date of the Abbey's charter, March 29, 1125, is taken as the foundation date, making it the 10th oldest school in England, although there are hints that there may have been a school running in Reading before this.
In 1486, the school was refounded as a "Free Grammar School" ("free" here meaning teaching the free, or liberal, arts, not that no fees were paid) by Henry VII on the urging of the then Abbot, John Thorne. From at least this time, the School was housed in the former Hospitium of St John. The main building of the hospitium still exists, but the refectory, which once housed the schoolroom, was demolished in 1785 and Reading Town Hall now stands on the site.
wn.com/Reading_School -
Readingas
The Readingas (Old English Rēadingas) were a tribe or clan of early Anglo-Saxon England, whose territory adjoined that of the Sunningas to the east and that of the Basingas to the south. The name literally means means "Rēada's people" and later gave its name to the town of Reading.
wn.com/Readingas -
Richard Burns
Richard Alexander Burns (17 January 1971 – 25 November 2005) was an English rally driver. He was born in Reading, Berkshire. He was the 2001 World Rally Champion, having previously finished runner-up in the series in 1999 and 2000. He also helped Mitsubishi to the world manufacturers' title in 1998, and Peugeot in 2002. His co-driver from the 1991 to 2003 seasons was Robert Reid.
He started driving in a field near his house at the age of eight, in his father's old Triumph 2000. At eleven Burns joined the Under 17 Car Club, where he became driver of the year in 1984. Just two years later his father arranged a trip to Jan Churchill's Welsh Forest Rally School near Newtown, Powys where Burns drove a Ford Escort for the day, and from that moment on he knew what he wanted to do. He badgered his father into letting him join the Craven Motor Club in his home town Reading where his talent was spotted by rally enthusiast David Williams. In 1988 he entered his first rallies in his own Talbot Sunbeam. The car was too basic to make much impression and in 1989 he had to borrow other competitors cars in order to progress. To this end he rallied the stages of Panaround, Bagshot, Mid-Wales, Millbrook, Severn Valley, Kayel Graphics and the Cambrian Rally as these were all rallies which included stages used on more prestigious events.
wn.com/Richard_Burns -
Ricky Gervais
Ricky Dene Gervais (/dʒərˈveɪz/; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, director, producer, musician, writer, and former radio presenter.
Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with frequent collaborator Stephen Merchant. In addition to writing and directing the shows, Gervais played the lead roles of David Brent in The Office and Andy Millman in Extras. Gervais has also starred in a number of Hollywood films, assuming leading roles in Ghost Town and The Invention of Lying. He has performed on four sell-out stand-up comedy tours, written the best-selling Flanimals book series and starred with Merchant and Karl Pilkington in the most downloaded podcast in the world as of March 2009,The Ricky Gervais Show.
He has won multiple awards and honours, including seven BAFTA Awards, five British Comedy Awards, two Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and the 2006 Rose d'Or, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. In 2007 he was voted the 11th greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups and again in the updated 2010 list as the 3rd greatest stand-up comic. In 2010 he was named on the TIME 100 list of the world's most influential people.
wn.com/Ricky_Gervais -
Rob Wilson
Robert Owen Biggs Wilson (born 4 January 1965) is a United Kingdom politician and entrepreneur. He was elected Conservative Member of Parliament for the Reading East parliamentary constituency in the 2005 general election.
Wilson was born and brought up in south Oxfordshire and moved to Reading in 1984. Between 1984 and 1988 he attended the University of Reading, the final year of which he spent as the President of the Reading University Students' Union. Wilson was a member of the Social Democratic Party.
Wilson joined the Conservatives, and was elected for Thames Ward of Reading Borough Council in 1992, serving until 1996. In 2003 he was elected to serve in Caversham Ward, and in June 2004 was again elected for Thames. Following his election as Member of Parliament for Reading East, he stood down from Reading Borough Council in May 2006.
Wilson had previously unsuccessfully contested Bolton North East (UK Parliament constituency) at the 1997 general election. He was selected as the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Reading East using a pioneering primary system, which opened the selection to non-party members for the first time.
wn.com/Rob_Wilson -
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land. However, Canadian First Nations people often refer to all non-natives as "settler peoples", or "settler populations".[citation needed]
In almost every real historical case, settlers live on land which previously belonged to long-established peoples, known as indigenous people (often called "natives", "Aborigines" or, in the Americas, "Indians"). This land is usually settled against the wishes of the indigenes, and then controlled, defended and expanded by force, or it is bought or leased from indigenous people on terms highly favourable to the settlers, sometimes under a treaty (e.g. the Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand). In some cases (such as Australia), the legal ownership of some lands is contested much later by indigenous people, who seek or claim traditional usage, land rights, native title and related forms of ownership or partial control.
wn.com/Settler -
Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex ( /ˈwɛsɨks/) or Kingdom of the West Saxons (Old English: Westseaxna rīce) was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons in South West England, from the 6th century until the emergence of a united English state under the Wessex dynasty in the 10th century. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest of 1016, from 1020 to 1066. After the Norman Conquest there was a dissolution of the English earldoms and Wessex was split among the followers of William the Conqueror.
wn.com/Wessex -
William Henry Page
William Henry Page (1861–1934) was a prolific and pioneering historian and editor. For the last three decades of his life was general editor of the Victoria County History.
William Page was born in Paddington, London on 4 September 1861, the fifth of six children of Henry and Georgina Page. He was schooled locally at Dr Westmacott's School and then entered Westminster School, where his education was cut short by the death of his father in 1875.
Georgina then moved the family to Lewisham and Page was articled to a civil engineer. Page had two older brothers, one of whom moved to Australia. Page completed his articles and in about 1881 followed him to take up an engineering post with the Government of Queensland. Page returned to London in 1884.
Page's eldest sister married the record agent and antiquarian William John Hardy, who employed Page from 1885. The business later became the partnership of Page and Hardy, with an office in Lincoln's Inn.
In 1886 Page married Kate Marion Rowe. They settled in Forest Hill and had a daughter (Dorothy) and a son.
wn.com/William_Henry_Page
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Around Broad Street - Reading Berkshire, UK
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 12:34
- Updated: 22 Feb 2013
A collection of images (and some real Broad Street sounds - listen with headphones) from around the area of Broad Street, Reading, Berkshire in the UK.
http://wn.com/Around_Broad_Street_Reading_Berkshire,_UK
A collection of images (and some real Broad Street sounds - listen with headphones) from around the area of Broad Street, Reading, Berkshire in the UK.
Fitness Classes Reading Berkshire
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:04
- Updated: 05 Mar 2013
Fitness Classes Reading Berkshire www.peakxvfitness.com Peak XV Fitness run outdoor fitness classes in Reading. They are based at Christchurch Meadows in Caversham. The boot camp style workouts are high intensity and are designed to burn body fat and get you fit in no time at all. All new members are invited in for a free guest week to try out the sessions. Whether you seek to drop a few pounds, or just want to get toned up and in shape, these boot camp sessions are perfect, depending on your goals, and depending on what you are trying to achieve. For our fitness classes reading Berkshire clients the right nutrition is vital, along with the right exercise routine, ensuring that you will achieve the goals you have set for yourselves. www.youtube.com Peak XV Fitness 22 Ardler Road Caversham Reading Berkshire RG4 5AE 07879 646969 www.youtube.com Fitness Classes in Reading Fitness Classes Reading Uk Outdoor Fitness Classes Reading Fitness Classes Reading Berkshire
http://wn.com/Fitness_Classes_Reading_Berkshire
Fitness Classes Reading Berkshire www.peakxvfitness.com Peak XV Fitness run outdoor fitness classes in Reading. They are based at Christchurch Meadows in Caversham. The boot camp style workouts are high intensity and are designed to burn body fat and get you fit in no time at all. All new members are invited in for a free guest week to try out the sessions. Whether you seek to drop a few pounds, or just want to get toned up and in shape, these boot camp sessions are perfect, depending on your goals, and depending on what you are trying to achieve. For our fitness classes reading Berkshire clients the right nutrition is vital, along with the right exercise routine, ensuring that you will achieve the goals you have set for yourselves. www.youtube.com Peak XV Fitness 22 Ardler Road Caversham Reading Berkshire RG4 5AE 07879 646969 www.youtube.com Fitness Classes in Reading Fitness Classes Reading Uk Outdoor Fitness Classes Reading Fitness Classes Reading Berkshire
- published: 28 Dec 2012
- views: 755
- author: peakxvfitness
Affordable Wall Signage Solutions based in Reading,Berkshire,UK
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:10
- Updated: 04 Mar 2013
www.youtube.com Affordable Wall Signage Solutions based in Reading,Berkshire,UK
http://wn.com/Affordable_Wall_Signage_Solutions_based_in_Reading,Berkshire,UK
www.youtube.com Affordable Wall Signage Solutions based in Reading,Berkshire,UK
- published: 04 Mar 2013
- author: Matt Feast
Affordable Vehicle Signage Solutions based in Reading,Berkshire,UK
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:02
- Updated: 04 Mar 2013
www.youtube.com Affordable Vehicle Signage Solutions based in Reading,Berkshire,UK
http://wn.com/Affordable_Vehicle_Signage_Solutions_based_in_Reading,Berkshire,UK
www.youtube.com Affordable Vehicle Signage Solutions based in Reading,Berkshire,UK
- published: 04 Mar 2013
- author: Matt Feast
Exercise Classes in Reading Berkshire
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:55
- Updated: 05 Mar 2013
Exercise Classes in Reading Berkshire www.peakxvfitness.com For the leading exercises classes in Reading Berkshire you need to join Peak XV Fitness Boot Camps who are based at Christchurch Meadows in Caversham. The classes are geared towards ladies who are looking to get fit and lose weight in a fun and social setting. The sessions are sixty minutes long and are attended by women in search of fitness from all over the Reading and Berkshire area. The exercise classes are split into two or three portionss each focusing on different aspects of women's fitness. Reading is not well served by outdoor fitness providers and Peak XV Fitness have only been operating their outdoor fitness boot camps for 2 years. www.youtube.com Peak XV Fitness 22 Ardler Road Caversham Reading Berkshire RG4 5AE 07879 646969 www.youtube.com Exercise Classes in Reading Exercise Classes Caversham Exercise Classes in Caversham Outdoor Fitness Classes Reading Exercise Classes in Reading Berkshire
http://wn.com/Exercise_Classes_in_Reading_Berkshire
Exercise Classes in Reading Berkshire www.peakxvfitness.com For the leading exercises classes in Reading Berkshire you need to join Peak XV Fitness Boot Camps who are based at Christchurch Meadows in Caversham. The classes are geared towards ladies who are looking to get fit and lose weight in a fun and social setting. The sessions are sixty minutes long and are attended by women in search of fitness from all over the Reading and Berkshire area. The exercise classes are split into two or three portionss each focusing on different aspects of women's fitness. Reading is not well served by outdoor fitness providers and Peak XV Fitness have only been operating their outdoor fitness boot camps for 2 years. www.youtube.com Peak XV Fitness 22 Ardler Road Caversham Reading Berkshire RG4 5AE 07879 646969 www.youtube.com Exercise Classes in Reading Exercise Classes Caversham Exercise Classes in Caversham Outdoor Fitness Classes Reading Exercise Classes in Reading Berkshire
- published: 27 Dec 2012
- views: 1240
- author: peakxvfitness
Con-Men at work in Reading Berkshire selling Counterfeit Electricals
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:06
- Updated: 23 Dec 2012
I managed to catch 5 mins of footage from within the Irish Centre in Reading, Berkshire after attending a Cheap Electrical Sale that was advertised by Flyer put through my front door. This footage isn't great, it was difficult being discrete as an orange light comes on next to the camera on my phone to indicate it's filming and those involved with this con / fraud were in amongst the crowd so I was making sure I wasn't seen filming. I attended knowing it was suspicious and saw approx 50 people handing over £10's and £20's to the sellers who were taking their money with the promise of getting Nintento Wii's, Nintendo DS's, Sony PSP's, iPhones and other high end electricals and all they got were packages heavily sealed in black tape that actually contained watches, a microphone, a cheap razor etc. This was a con, a fraud, sale of counterfeit goods and Reading Newpapers, Radio and Trading Standards have been contacted and are reporting on this. Also read the full blog here: 50percent.co.uk
http://wn.com/Con-Men_at_work_in_Reading_Berkshire_selling_Counterfeit_Electricals
I managed to catch 5 mins of footage from within the Irish Centre in Reading, Berkshire after attending a Cheap Electrical Sale that was advertised by Flyer put through my front door. This footage isn't great, it was difficult being discrete as an orange light comes on next to the camera on my phone to indicate it's filming and those involved with this con / fraud were in amongst the crowd so I was making sure I wasn't seen filming. I attended knowing it was suspicious and saw approx 50 people handing over £10's and £20's to the sellers who were taking their money with the promise of getting Nintento Wii's, Nintendo DS's, Sony PSP's, iPhones and other high end electricals and all they got were packages heavily sealed in black tape that actually contained watches, a microphone, a cheap razor etc. This was a con, a fraud, sale of counterfeit goods and Reading Newpapers, Radio and Trading Standards have been contacted and are reporting on this. Also read the full blog here: 50percent.co.uk
- published: 30 Jan 2012
- views: 1793
- author: GFifty Wright
Idiot police raid wrong house then laugh
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:17
- Updated: 26 Feb 2013
A drug bust gone wrong. Idiot police raid the wrong house in Reading, UK. Barbaric. "I'm from Berkshire // The sort of place where there's, always a drama"
http://wn.com/Idiot_police_raid_wrong_house_then_laugh
A drug bust gone wrong. Idiot police raid the wrong house in Reading, UK. Barbaric. "I'm from Berkshire // The sort of place where there's, always a drama"
- published: 25 Jan 2012
- views: 11278
- author: yeoldbasser
Vintage Tim Dellor - Reading FC vs West Bromwich Albion (BBC Berkshire)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:51
- Updated: 24 Feb 2013
The vintage Tim Dellor returns for the Reading FC (3) vs WBA (2) game on BBC Berkshire. Safe to say he doesn't disappoint. ;) All copyright to BBC Berkshire. Disclaimer: -- Video is under Fair Use: Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act in 1976; Allowance is made for "Fair Use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
http://wn.com/Vintage_Tim_Dellor_Reading_FC_vs_West_Bromwich_Albion_BBC_Berkshire
The vintage Tim Dellor returns for the Reading FC (3) vs WBA (2) game on BBC Berkshire. Safe to say he doesn't disappoint. ;) All copyright to BBC Berkshire. Disclaimer: -- Video is under Fair Use: Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act in 1976; Allowance is made for "Fair Use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
- published: 12 Jan 2013
- views: 6596
- author: xReadingFCx
Night flying over Reading, Berkshire
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 12:19
- Updated: 22 Apr 2012
JAR PPL Night rating 101 - GoPro HD Hero2 attached to the tail skid of the Piper Cherokee for night flight over Reading. Clipped to remove dark bits over fields etc.
http://wn.com/Night_flying_over_Reading,_Berkshire
JAR PPL Night rating 101 - GoPro HD Hero2 attached to the tail skid of the Piper Cherokee for night flight over Reading. Clipped to remove dark bits over fields etc.
- published: 17 Nov 2011
- views: 863
- author: cryptiksouls
Party DJ hire Reading Berkshire
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:41
- Updated: 06 Mar 2013
Teenage discos Reading DJ hire mobile discos Berkshire. Thames Valley Discos professional DJ hire in Reading.
http://wn.com/Party_DJ_hire_Reading_Berkshire
Teenage discos Reading DJ hire mobile discos Berkshire. Thames Valley Discos professional DJ hire in Reading.
- published: 21 Jan 2013
- views: 14
- author: Paul Palmer
Oxjam Reading Takeover Flashmob
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:53
- Updated: 21 Jan 2013
bit.ly - Take a look what happened when our fantastic Oxjam flashmob took over Broad Street in Reading! Oxjam is a national music festival who's aim is to raise money for some of the world's poorest people. This year, for the first time, Oxjam Reading Takeover is coming to Reading on Saturday 20th October 2012. Buy tickets here: www.wegottickets.com
http://wn.com/Oxjam_Reading_Takeover_Flashmob
bit.ly - Take a look what happened when our fantastic Oxjam flashmob took over Broad Street in Reading! Oxjam is a national music festival who's aim is to raise money for some of the world's poorest people. This year, for the first time, Oxjam Reading Takeover is coming to Reading on Saturday 20th October 2012. Buy tickets here: www.wegottickets.com
- published: 22 Aug 2012
- views: 631
- author: Oxjam Reading
Reading Charity Pancake Race 2013
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:09
- Updated: 13 Feb 2013
Specsavers win Reading's Charity Pancake Race for the second year running. Catch up with the action here. www.getreading.co.uk
http://wn.com/Reading_Charity_Pancake_Race_2013
Specsavers win Reading's Charity Pancake Race for the second year running. Catch up with the action here. www.getreading.co.uk
- published: 12 Feb 2013
- views: 750
- author: manchesternews
Bruno Mars - Grenade (Acoustic Cover - Alana Miles)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:10
- Updated: 25 Jan 2013
Performing @ Sub89 In Reading,Berkshire Thankyou for watching PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOU TUBE CHANNEL Follow me on twitter: @alanamilesmusic Facebook: alanamilesmusic soundcloud: alana victoria miles Please feel free to comment,like and share my videos.. and requests are also welcome!:D xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://wn.com/Bruno_Mars_Grenade_Acoustic_Cover_Alana_Miles
Performing @ Sub89 In Reading,Berkshire Thankyou for watching PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOU TUBE CHANNEL Follow me on twitter: @alanamilesmusic Facebook: alanamilesmusic soundcloud: alana victoria miles Please feel free to comment,like and share my videos.. and requests are also welcome!:D xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- published: 30 Nov 2012
- views: 6505
- author: alana miles
Reading Style
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 13:32
- Updated: 07 Feb 2013
New version of the famous video Gangnam Style made by the Food bioscience Group in the University of Reading
http://wn.com/Reading_Style
New version of the famous video Gangnam Style made by the Food bioscience Group in the University of Reading
- published: 01 Feb 2013
- views: 652
- author: Agustín Martín
Video 2, Tattoo Removal, E-raze, Rejuvi, Non lazer, Reading Berkshire
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:12
- Updated: 06 Feb 2013
28-1-2012 It's a week after the treatment. I can't see any results yet as the scab is still covering, some bits of the scab have got caught on clothes and fallen off but only little bits. I do find it quite itchy, last night I had to give it a slap to resolve the irratation. I find that you have to wear a sleeveless top around the house or a vest (you look council) but it reduces the risk of pulling off thoes scabs because if you pull the scab off then you pull off the new skin that is being formed under the scab (i think) and you stand a good chance of being left with a scar, and as this is the first treatment a scar would make it awkard for the second or third treatment. 3 hours after making the video update: I have to say more of the scabs are lifting off, does that make sence? they are becoming loose, I haven't mentioned that I am a picker and MAN I just want to get in there and give them a good old scratch, it would be like heaven! I am only get part removed as I want to see the resluts first before continuing with rest.
http://wn.com/Video_2,_Tattoo_Removal,_E-raze,_Rejuvi,_Non_lazer,_Reading_Berkshire
28-1-2012 It's a week after the treatment. I can't see any results yet as the scab is still covering, some bits of the scab have got caught on clothes and fallen off but only little bits. I do find it quite itchy, last night I had to give it a slap to resolve the irratation. I find that you have to wear a sleeveless top around the house or a vest (you look council) but it reduces the risk of pulling off thoes scabs because if you pull the scab off then you pull off the new skin that is being formed under the scab (i think) and you stand a good chance of being left with a scar, and as this is the first treatment a scar would make it awkard for the second or third treatment. 3 hours after making the video update: I have to say more of the scabs are lifting off, does that make sence? they are becoming loose, I haven't mentioned that I am a picker and MAN I just want to get in there and give them a good old scratch, it would be like heaven! I am only get part removed as I want to see the resluts first before continuing with rest.
- published: 28 Jan 2012
- views: 4196
- author: j3cpg
Away Day - Spurs at Reading
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:37
- Updated: 02 Mar 2013
Dan and Tim head out to Royal Berkshire hoping that Spurs have recovered from their recent bout of being terrible. Dan experiences Paddington station's world famous tramp shower, Tim canes M&S; lager quicker than he should and they discover that good things come to those who wait...
http://wn.com/Away_Day_Spurs_at_Reading
Dan and Tim head out to Royal Berkshire hoping that Spurs have recovered from their recent bout of being terrible. Dan experiences Paddington station's world famous tramp shower, Tim canes M&S; lager quicker than he should and they discover that good things come to those who wait...
- published: 04 Oct 2012
- views: 17133
- author: DanTripNip
Snow gets worse in Reading
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:15
- Updated: 18 Jan 2013
Traffic crawls along Richfield Avenue after heavy falls of snow across Reading. www.getreading.co.uk
http://wn.com/Snow_gets_worse_in_Reading
Traffic crawls along Richfield Avenue after heavy falls of snow across Reading. www.getreading.co.uk
- published: 18 Jan 2013
- views: 1344
- author: manchesternews
Wedding DJ hire Berkshire
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:34
- Updated: 06 Mar 2013
Wedding DJ hire Reading Berkshire. Thames Valley Discos professional mobile discos covering the Thames Valley.
http://wn.com/Wedding_DJ_hire_Berkshire
Wedding DJ hire Reading Berkshire. Thames Valley Discos professional mobile discos covering the Thames Valley.
- published: 21 Jan 2013
- views: 28
- author: Paul Palmer
Reading depot construction time lapse
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:01
- Updated: 25 Jan 2013
Reading train care depot -- building of a new train care depot at Reading by Network Rail during 2012
http://wn.com/Reading_depot_construction_time_lapse
Reading train care depot -- building of a new train care depot at Reading by Network Rail during 2012
- published: 08 Jan 2013
- views: 890
- author: networkrail
Miles Kane - Dont forget who you are.. Reading Sub89 05.02.13
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:12
- Updated: 17 Feb 2013
Miles Kane - Dont forget who you are... Reading
http://wn.com/Miles_Kane_Dont_forget_who_you_are_Reading_Sub89_050213
Miles Kane - Dont forget who you are... Reading
- published: 06 Feb 2013
- views: 627
- author: Upstart2050
Daily intuitive reading 12/5/12
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 13:52
- Updated: 03 Feb 2013
Contact me linusgendelman@gmail.com
http://wn.com/Daily_intuitive_reading_12_5_12
Daily intuitive reading 12/4/12
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:12
- Updated: 03 Feb 2013
Contact me at linusgendelman@gmail.com
http://wn.com/Daily_intuitive_reading_12_4_12
Nirvana - Richfield Avenue (Reading Festival), Reading, United Kingdom 1992 (Incomplete)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 63:03
- Updated: 01 Mar 2013
08/30/92 - Richfield Avenue (Reading Festival), Reading, United Kingdom video - AMT #4 audio - PRO #1e 0:00 backstage 4:10 The Rose 5:02 Breed 8:11 Drain You 11:57 Aneurysm 16:31 School 19:45 Sliver 21:58 In Bloom 26:18 Come As You Are 29:46 Lithium 34:45 About A Girl 37:44 tourette's 39:40 Polly 42:21 Lounge Act 45:05 More Than A Feeling jam 45:41 Smells Like Teen Spirit 50:49 On A Plain 53:50 Negative Creep 56:45 Been A Son 59:00 All Apologies AMT #1 - amateur video www.youtube.com AMT #2 - amateur video www.youtube.com Curmodgeon's Channel on Facebook www.facebook.com
http://wn.com/Nirvana_Richfield_Avenue_Reading_Festival,_Reading,_United_Kingdom_1992_Incomplete
08/30/92 - Richfield Avenue (Reading Festival), Reading, United Kingdom video - AMT #4 audio - PRO #1e 0:00 backstage 4:10 The Rose 5:02 Breed 8:11 Drain You 11:57 Aneurysm 16:31 School 19:45 Sliver 21:58 In Bloom 26:18 Come As You Are 29:46 Lithium 34:45 About A Girl 37:44 tourette's 39:40 Polly 42:21 Lounge Act 45:05 More Than A Feeling jam 45:41 Smells Like Teen Spirit 50:49 On A Plain 53:50 Negative Creep 56:45 Been A Son 59:00 All Apologies AMT #1 - amateur video www.youtube.com AMT #2 - amateur video www.youtube.com Curmodgeon's Channel on Facebook www.facebook.com
- published: 14 Oct 2012
- views: 3710
- author: Curmodgeon
photo: AP / Aaron Favila
05 Mar 2013
Manila. Members of a major Philippine Muslim rebel force who were meant to have disarmed in the 1990s as part of a peace pact are involved in deadly battles in Malaysia, the group’s leader said on Tuesday. Nur Misuari, who founded the Moro National Liberation Front in the late 1960s, confirmed “freedom fighters” from his group were part of the militia sent by a self-proclaimed sultan to claim the Malaysian state of Sabah....(size: 2.6Kb)
photo: AP / Lai Seng Sin
05 Mar 2013
KUALA LUMPUR. Malaysian security forces attacked a group of armed Filipinos early Tuesday to end the group's three-week occupation of a Borneo village, the prime minister said after the siege turned violent and became Malaysia's biggest security crisis in years ... The Philippine government asked Malaysia on Monday to exercise maximum tolerance to avoid further bloodshed ... 9 ... ....(size: 4.7Kb)
photo: AP / Gali Tibbon, Pool
05 Mar 2013
WASHINGTON - US Vice-President Joe Biden insisted on Monday that President Barack Obama was not bluffing about using force to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions if all else fails, even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for a "credible military threat" against Tehran ... "Words alone will not stop Iran. Sanctions alone will not stop Iran ... Tehran denies it is seeking one ... "We are not looking for war ... Previous Page 1 2 Next Page....(size: 3.5Kb)
photo: US Navy / MCS1 Daniel N. Woods
05 Mar 2013
FOSTER KLUG , The Associated Press. Posted. Tuesday, March 5, 2013, 4.12 AM. SEOUL, South Korea - The Cold War still rages in North Korea, and enemy No. 1 is the United States, which Pyongyang blames for making its much-condemned drive to develop nuclear weapons necessary ... North Korea's latest nuclear test in February , its third , has led even China, its only major ally, to support another round of punishing U.N ... invasion plans. U.S ... Cops ... ....(size: 9.2Kb)
photo: AP / Manu Fernandez
05 Mar 2013
MANCHESTER. Cristiano Ronaldo scored the decisive goal as Real Madrid controversially came from behind to win 2-1 at Manchester United on Tuesday and reach the Champions League quarter-finals. In a breathless game, Nani forced Sergio Ramos to put through his own goal in the 48th minute to give United a 2-1 aggregate lead in the last 16 tie, only for the Portuguese winger to then be sent off for a foul on Alvaro Arbeloa ... ....(size: 4.0Kb)
New York Post Online
06 Mar 2013
But Berkshire released its annual report last Friday, and the miracle man proved mortal. One of the most closely read documents in the financial world, the Berkshire report is usually sprinkled with Buffett’s trademark homespun wisdom on the markets, plus some lecturing on how his fellow businessmen can follow his lead and be better corporate citizens....(size: 5.1Kb)
CNBC
06 Mar 2013
Top U.S ... BNSF Railway, owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, was not immediately available for comment on Tuesday evening ... (Read More. China's Natural Gas Drive May Cut Oil Demand by a Tenth) ... ....(size: 1.0Kb)
Tulsa World
06 Mar 2013
I read with great interest of the sale of the Tulsa World to interests of Warren Buffet and his company, Berkshire Hathaway. I think this will be a great marriage ... Congratulations on a great merger of two fine companies ... All rights reserved ... ....(size: 1.3Kb)
Star Telegram
06 Mar 2013
Burlington Northern raises $1.5B with bonds. Burlington Northern Santa Fe sold $1.5 billion of bonds in its first offering in more than six months. The Fort Worth-based railroad, which Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway bought in 2010, issued $700 million of 3 percent, 10-year notes and $800 million of 4.45 percent, 30-year bonds, according to data compiled by Bloomberg ... -- Bloomberg News ... U.S ... Any reading above 50 indicates expansion....(size: 2.3Kb)
PR Newswire
06 Mar 2013
General 228Industry Composition 229Marketing 233Manufacturing 237Distribution 239Cooperative Agreements 241Mergers & Acquisitions 246Company Profiles 249AEP Span, see BlueScope SteelAggregate Industries Management, see HolcimAlgoma Hardwoods, see Masonite InternationalAljoma Lumber, see Universal Forest ProductsAlsons, see MascoAmerican ......(size: 13.9Kb)
Philadelphia Daily News
06 Mar 2013
Posted. Wednesday, March 6, 2013, 3.01 AM. In the Region. UGI's Greenberg retires as CEO. It's official. Lon R. Greenberg, 62, who has led UGI Corp. since 1995, will retire as chief executive officer of the Valley Forge energy company on April 1 ... and UGI Utilities Inc ... Pa ... Billionaire Warren Buffett said his Berkshire Hathaway Inc ... "As a Berkshire shareholder, you own the cars with that insignia," Buffett wrote ... Please read our policy....(size: 11.2Kb)
Reuters
06 Mar 2013
March 5 (Reuters) - Top U.S ... BNSF Railway, owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway , was not immediately available for comment on Tuesday evening ... Navy, the paper said citing the company's estimates. ....(size: 1.0Kb)
BBC News
06 Mar 2013
The Examiner
06 Mar 2013
On Monday Forbes revealed the billionaire list with the names of some well-known Minnesotans. Among them are a total of five people representing the land of 10,000 Lakes from different industries and making them part of the 1426 richest individuals in the world. So the five individuals to make the list from Minnesota include the following ... Warren Buffett Berkshire Hathaway $53.5 Billion ... Tweet ... Read more about usWrite for Examiner ... ....(size: 5.8Kb)
The Independent
06 Mar 2013
Catch-Up Service. Lovely line in Rachel Sylvester’s Times column yesterday (pay wall).. The manoeuvrings in the tea room have again exposed the shallowness of the cultural change brought about by the Tory leader ... It could be a metaphor for the Conservative Party ... Tagged in ... Most viewed. Read Commented Read ... Berkshire Buckinghamshire East Sussex Essex Hampshire Hertfordshire Isle of Wight Kent Middlesex Oxfordshire Surrey West Sussex ... ....(size: 6.2Kb)
Bloomberg
06 Mar 2013
The six largest U.S ... Lenders including Citigroup Inc. (C) and Bank of America Corp ... The payouts are contingent on approval by the Federal Reserve ... lenders ... 25 note ... data ... Managers including Dimon and Berkshire Hathaway Inc ... Berkshire is Wells Fargo’s largest stockholder and also owns shares of Minneapolis-based U.S ... A 1-cent increase in Wells Fargo’s quarterly dividend could mean about $17.6 million a year for Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire....(size: 13.0Kb)
Ohio
06 Mar 2013
CANAL FULTON. There is something about old steam railroad engines that has always gotten to Daniel Lukac. Maybe it was growing up in suburban Cleveland in the 1920s and 1930s when he saw them regularly ... He was awarded a Purple Heart after being wounded by shrapnel in France ... One of the engines that is complete is The Berkshire, an engine owned by the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society out of Fort Wayne, Ind ... the Union Pacific Big Boy....(size: 2.6Kb)
Reuters
06 Mar 2013
March 6 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in the Wall Street Journal. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. * The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped to a record Tuesday when it finished at 14253.77, topping the previous record set in October 2007 ... * The Obama administration has asked U.S ... * Members of J.C ... * Berkshire Hathaway Inc subsidiary BNSF Railway Co , one of the biggest U.S ... ....(size: 2.6Kb)
| Reading | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Town & Borough — | |||
 |
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| Motto: A Deo et Regina With God and Queen |
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 |
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| Coordinates: 51°27′15″N 0°58′23″W / 51.45417°N 0.97306°W / 51.45417; -0.97306Coordinates: 51°27′15″N 0°58′23″W / 51.45417°N 0.97306°W / 51.45417; -0.97306 | |||
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom | ||
| Constituent country | England | ||
| Region | South East England | ||
| Ceremonial county | Berkshire | ||
| Admin HQ | Reading | ||
| Settled | 871 or earlier | ||
| Town Status | 1086 or earlier | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Unitary authorities | ||
| • Governing bodies | Reading Borough Council, but also including parts of Wokingham Borough and West Berkshire | ||
| Elevation | 200 ft (61 m) | ||
| Population (2010 est.[1]) | |||
| • Town & Borough | 154,200 (Ranked 118th) | ||
| • Density | 9,890/sq mi (3,817/km2) | ||
| • Urban | 369,804 (Ranked 17th in UK) | ||
| • Ethnicity[2] | 82.0% White (74.2% White British) 8.4% South Asian 4.3 % Black 2.7% Mixed Race 1.1% Chinese 1.5% Other |
||
| Demonym | Readingensian[3] Readingite[4] |
||
| Time zone | GMT (UTC+0) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | BST (UTC+1) | ||
| Postal Code | RG | ||
| Area code(s) | 0118 | ||
| Twin cities | |||
| • Düsseldorf | Germany (since 1988) | ||
| • Clonmel | Ireland (since 1994) | ||
| • S.Francisco Libre | Nicaragua (since 1994) | ||
| • Speightstown | Barbados (since 2003) | ||
| Grid Ref. | SU713733 | ||
| ONS code | 00MC | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | GB-RDG | ||
| NUTS 3 | UKJ11 | ||
| Website | reading.gov.uk | ||
Reading (i/ˈrɛdɪŋ/ RED-ing) is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some 40 miles (64 km) west of London.
The Borough of Reading has a population of 145,700 (2008 estimate) and the town formed the largest part of the Reading/Wokingham Urban Area which had a population of 369,804 (2001 census). The town is currently represented in the UK parliament by two members, and has been continuously represented there since 1295. For ceremonial purposes the town is in the county of Berkshire and has served as its county town since 1867, previously sharing this status with Abingdon.[5]
The first evidence for Reading as a settlement dates from the 8th century. Reading was an important centre in the medieval period, as the site of Reading Abbey, a monastery with strong royal connections. The town was seriously impacted by the Civil War, with a major siege and loss of trade, and played a pivotal role in the Revolution of 1688, with that revolution's only significant military action fought on the streets of the town. The 19th century saw the coming of the Great Western Railway and the development of the town's brewing, baking and seed growing businesses.
Today Reading is a commercial centre, with involvement in information technology and insurance, and, despite its proximity to London, has a net inward commuter flow. The town is also a retail centre serving a large area of the Thames Valley, and is home to the University of Reading. Every year it hosts the Reading Festival, one of England's biggest music festivals. Sporting teams based in Reading include Reading Football Club and the London Irish rugby union team, and over 15,000 runners annually compete in the Reading Half Marathon.
Contents |
History[link]
Main article: History of Reading, Berkshire
Reading may have existed as early as the Roman occupation of Britain, possibly as a trading port for Calleva Atrebatum.[6] However the first clear evidence for Reading as a settlement dates from the 8th century, when the town came to be known as Readingum. The name probably comes from the Readingas, an Anglo-Saxon tribe whose name means Reada's People in Old English,[7] or less probably the Celtic Rhydd-Inge, meaning Ford over the River.[8]
In late 870, an army of Danes invaded the kingdom of Wessex and set up camp at Reading. On 4 January 871, in the first Battle of Reading, King Ethelred and his brother Alfred the Great attempted unsuccessfully to breach the Danes' defences. The battle is described in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and that account provides the earliest known written record of the existence of Reading. The Danes remained in Reading until late in 871, when they retreated to winter quarters in London.[9][10]
After the Battle of Hastings and the Norman conquest of England, William the Conqueror gave land in and around Reading to his foundation of Battle Abbey. In its 1086 Domesday Book listing, the town was explicitly described as a borough. The presence of six mills is recorded: four on land belonging to the king and two on the land given to Battle Abbey.[10]
Reading Abbey was founded in 1121 by Henry I, who is buried within the Abbey grounds. As part of his endowments, he gave the abbey his lands in Reading, along with land at Cholsey.[10][11] It is not known how badly Reading was affected by the Black Death that swept through England in the 14th century, but it is known that the abbot of Reading Abbey, Henry of Appleford, was one of its victims in 1361, and that nearby Henley lost 60% of its population.[12]
The Abbey was largely destroyed in 1538 during Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries. The last abbot, Hugh Cook Faringdon, was subsequently tried and convicted of high treason and hanged, drawn and quartered in front of the Abbey Church.[13][14]
By 1525, Reading was the largest town in Berkshire, and tax returns show that Reading was the 10th largest town in England when measured by taxable wealth. By 1611, it had a population of over 5000 and had grown rich on its trade in cloth, as instanced by the fortune made by local merchant John Kendrick.[12] [15]
Reading played an important role during the English Civil War. Despite its fortifications, it had a Royalist garrison imposed on it in 1642. The subsequent Siege of Reading by Parliamentary forces succeeded in April 1643. The town's cloth trade was especially badly damaged, and the town's economy did not fully recover until the 20th century.[10][16] Reading played a significant role during the Revolution of 1688: the second Battle of Reading was the only substantial military action of the campaign.[10][17]
The 18th century saw the beginning of a major iron works in the town and the growth of the brewing trade for which Reading was to become famous.[18] Reading's trade benefited from better designed turnpike roads which helped it establish its location on the major coaching routes from London to Oxford and the West Country. In 1723, despite considerable local opposition, the Kennet Navigation opened the River Kennet to boats as far as Newbury. Opposition stopped when it became apparent that the new route benefited the town. After the opening of the Kennet and Avon Canal in 1810, one could go by barge from Reading to the Bristol Channel.[19] From 1714, and probably earlier, the role of county town of Berkshire was shared between Reading and Abingdon.[20]
During the 19th century, the town grew rapidly as a manufacturing centre. The Great Western Railway arrived in 1841,[21] followed by the South Eastern Railway in 1849 and the London and South Western Railway in 1856.[22][23]
The Summer Assizes were moved from Abingdon to Reading in 1867, effectively making Reading the sole county town of Berkshire, a decision that was officially approved by the Privy Council in 1869.[24] The town became a county borough under the Local Government Act 1888.[25][26] The town has been famous for the Three Bs of beer (1785–2010, Simonds' Brewery),[27][28] bulbs (1837–1974, Suttons Seeds),[27][29] and biscuits (1822–1976, Huntley and Palmers).[27][30][31]
The town continued to expand in the 20th century, annexing Caversham across the River Thames in Oxfordshire in 1911. Compared to many other English towns and cities, Reading suffered little physical damage during either of the two World Wars that afflicted the 20th century, although many citizens were killed or injured in the conflicts. One significant air raid occurred on 10 February 1943, when a single Luftwaffe plane machine-gunned and bombed the town centre, resulting in 41 deaths and over 100 injuries.[32]
The Lower Earley development, built in 1977, was one of the largest private housing developments in Europe.[33][34] It extended the urban area of Reading as far as the M4 motorway, which acts as the southern boundary of the town. Further housing developments have increased the number of modern houses and hypermarkets in the outskirts of Reading. A major town-centre shopping centre, The Oracle, opened in 1999, is named after the 17th century Oracle workhouse, which once occupied a small part of the site. It provides three storeys of shopping space and boosted the local economy by providing 4,000 jobs.[35][36]
As one of the largest urban areas in the United Kingdom to be without city status, Reading has bid for city status on three recent occasions — in 2000 to celebrate the new millennium; in 2002 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II; and 2012 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee. All three bids were unsuccessful.[37][38][39][40][41]
Government[link]
Local government for the town of Reading is principally provided by the Borough of Reading, a single level unitary authority without civil parishes. However some of the town's outer suburbs are in West Berkshire and Wokingham unitary authorities. These outer suburbs belong to civil parishes, in some cases with their own town status.
Reading has elected at least one Member of Parliament to every Parliament since 1295.[42] Historically, Reading was represented by the members for the Parliamentary Borough of Reading, and the parliamentary constituencies of Reading, Reading North, and Reading South. Since the 2010 general election, Reading and its surrounding area has been divided between the parliamentary constituencies of Reading East and Reading West.[43] The whole of the town is within the multi-member South East England European constituency.[44]
Reading is the site of both a Crown Court,[45] administering criminal justice, and a County Court,[46] responsible for civil cases. Lesser matters are dealt with in a local Magistrates' Court.[47]
Borough of Reading[link]
File:Reading Borough Council logo.svg
Reading Borough Council logo
Reading has had some degree of local government autonomy since 1253, when the local merchant guild was granted a royal charter. Since then, the town has been run by a borough corporation, as a county borough, and as a district of Berkshire. The Borough of Reading became a unitary authority area in 1998, when Berkshire County Council was abolished under the Banham Review, and is now responsible for all aspects of local government within the borough.[48]
Prior to the 16th century, civic administration for the town of Reading was situated in the Yield Hall, a guild hall situated by the River Kennet near today's Yield Hall Lane.[49] After a brief stay in what later became Greyfriars Church, the town council created a new town hall by inserting an upper floor into the refectory of the Hospitium of St John, the former hospitium of Reading Abbey.[49] For some 400 years up to the 1970s, this was to remain the site of Reading's civic administration through the successive rebuilds that eventually created today's Town Hall.[50] In 1976, Reading Borough Council moved to the new Civic Centre.[51]
The government of the Borough of Reading follows the leader and cabinet model. Following the 2011 local elections, a Labour minority administration replaced the previous Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition on the casting vote of the mayor.[52] The borough also has a (largely ceremonial) mayor. In 2011–12 this position is held by Councillor Deborah Edwards.[52]
Boundaries[link]
Since 1887, the borough has included the former villages of Southcote and Whitley and small parts of Earley and Tilehurst.[53] By 1911, it also encompassed the Oxfordshire village of Caversham and still more of Tilehurst.[54] A small area of Mapledurham parish was added in 1977. An attempt to take over a small area of Eye and Dunsden parish in Oxfordshire was rejected because of strong local opposition in 1997.[54] Today the borough itself is unparished, and the wards used to elect the borough councillors generally ignore the accepted suburbs and use invented ward names.[55]
Reading's municipal boundaries do not include all of the surrounding suburbs. However, the constricted boundaries also create more serious difficulties for the town, as it attempts to develop and grow. The diminishing amount of suitable land within the borough's boundary can bring the council into conflict its neighbours. An example of this is the planned third crossing of the Thames, which South Oxfordshire's politicians and residents oppose.[56][57] On this subject, Rob Wilson, MP for (Reading East), said in a House of Commons debate in January 2006:[58]
However, the process has been painfully slow and it appears that, for every two steps forwards, there are three steps backwards—mainly because of the view of South Oxfordshire district council, which is being incredibly parochial about this matter. Meanwhile, Reading borough council is adopting strategies that prioritise local traffic in Reading, obviously to the detriment of through traffic. We have now reached the point at which we desperately need direct Government intervention to break the logjam between those local authorities.
Geography[link]
.jpg)
Reading is 41 miles (66 km) due west of central London, 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Oxford, 70 miles (110 km) east of Bristol, and 50 miles (80 km) north of the English south coast. The centre of Reading is on a low ridge between the River Thames and River Kennet, close to their confluence, reflecting the town's history as a river port. Just above the confluence, the Kennet cuts through a narrow steep-sided gap in the hills forming the southern flank of the Thames floodplain. The absence of a floodplain on the Kennet in this defile enabled the development of wharves.
As Reading has grown, its suburbs have spread: to the west between the two rivers into the foothills of the Berkshire Downs (part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty); to the south and south-east on the south side of the Kennet; and to the north of the Thames into the Chiltern Hills. Outside the central area, the floors of the valleys containing the two rivers remain largely unimproved floodplain. Apart from the M4 curving to the south there is only one road across the Kennet floodplain. All other routes between the three built-up areas are in the central area, which is a cause of road congestion there.
The floodplains adjoining Reading's two rivers are subject to occasional flooding. However, in the 2007 floods that affected much of the UK, no properties were affected by flooding from the Thames and only four properties were affected by flooding from the Kennet.[59][60]
Definition[link]
Location of suburbs of Reading
Depending on the definition adopted, neither the town nor the urban area are necessarily coterminous with the borough. Historically, the town of Reading was smaller than the borough. Definitions include the old ecclesiastical parishes of the churches of St Mary, St Laurence and St Giles, or the even smaller pre-19th century borough.[54]
Today, as well as the town centre Reading comprises a number of suburbs and other districts, both within the borough itself and within the surrounding urban area. The names and location of these suburbs are in general usage but, except where some of the outer suburbs correspond to civil parishes, there are no formally defined boundaries. The Reading urban area, sometimes referred to as Greater Reading, incorporates the town's eastern and western suburbs outside the borough, in the civil parishes of Earley, Woodley, Purley-on-Thames and Tilehurst. Reading has its own subregional catchment area, incorporating the suburban districts of Earley and Woodley, the nearby towns of Wokingham, Bracknell, Henley-on-Thames and Twyford and several large villages such as Pangbourne, Theale, Winnersh, Burghfield and Shiplake.
Climate[link]
Like the rest of the United Kingdom, Reading has a maritime climate, with limited seasonal temperature ranges and generally moderate rainfall throughout the year. The nearest official Met Office weather station is located at the Reading University Atmospheric Observatory on the Whiteknights Campus, which has recorded atmospheric measurements and meteorological observations since 1970.[61] The local absolute maximum temperature of 36.4 °C (97.5 °F) was recorded in August 1990 and the local absolute minimum temperature of −14.5 °C (5.9 °F) was recorded in January 1982.
| Climate data for Reading, Whiteknights, elevation 65m, 1971–2000, extremes 1981–2010 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 14.7 (58.5) |
17.0 (62.6) |
20.4 (68.7) |
25.7 (78.3) |
28.5 (83.3) |
31.4 (88.5) |
35.3 (95.5) |
36.4 (97.5) |
29.6 (85.3) |
25.5 (77.9) |
18.1 (64.6) |
15.8 (60.4) |
36.4 (97.5) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 7.3 (45.1) |
7.7 (45.9) |
10.3 (50.5) |
12.7 (54.9) |
16.5 (61.7) |
19.3 (66.7) |
22.0 (71.6) |
21.8 (71.2) |
18.5 (65.3) |
14.5 (58.1) |
10.3 (50.5) |
8.1 (46.6) |
14.1 (57.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 1.6 (34.9) |
1.5 (34.7) |
3.1 (37.6) |
4.4 (39.9) |
7.3 (45.1) |
10.1 (50.2) |
12.4 (54.3) |
12.1 (53.8) |
10.0 (50.0) |
7.1 (44.8) |
4.0 (39.2) |
1.8 (35.2) |
6.3 (43.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −14.5 (5.9) |
−11.6 (11.1) |
−6.4 (20.5) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−1 (30.2) |
1.5 (34.7) |
5.2 (41.4) |
5.1 (41.2) |
1.2 (34.2) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
−13.4 (7.9) |
−14.5 (5.9) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 59.6 (2.346) |
40.5 (1.594) |
42.1 (1.657) |
47.3 (1.862) |
46.6 (1.835) |
50.1 (1.972) |
37.8 (1.488) |
52.5 (2.067) |
57.5 (2.264) |
64.5 (2.539) |
58.9 (2.319) |
64.4 (2.535) |
629.6 (24.787) |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 54.2 | 70.5 | 106.8 | 151.7 | 191.9 | 186.9 | 202.2 | 195.1 | 139.5 | 107.7 | 67.9 | 47.4 | 1,521.6 |
| Source: R.Brugge, University of Reading[62] | |||||||||||||
Demography[link]
| Population growth of the Borough of Reading | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Population | Year | Population | Year | Population |
| 1801 | 10,792 | 1871 | 39,497 | 1941 | 103,518 |
| 1811 | 12,191 | 1881 | 47,336 | 1951 | 112,364 |
| 1821 | 14,547 | 1891 | 63,085 | 1961 | 125,177 |
| 1831 | 14,547 | 1901 | 72,946 | 1971 | 139,495 |
| 1841 | 21,103 | 1911 | 84,354 | 1981 | 130,888 |
| 1851 | 23,819 | 1921 | 89,690 | 1991 | 136,062 |
| 1861 | 31,658 | 1931 | 95,369 | 2001 | 143,124 |
| Source: A Vision of Britain through Time.[63] | |||||
The borough has a population of 154,200 and a population density of 3,817 per square kilometre (9,886 /sq mi) (2010 est.),[1] while the Office for National Statistics' definition of the urban sub-division of Reading is significantly larger at 232,662 people in an area of 55.35 km². This urban subdivision is itself a component of the Reading/Wokingham Urban Area with a population of 369,804 (2001 census), and is the most populous town in the United Kingdom not to have city status.[39][64]
According to 2009 estimates, 82.0% of the population were described as White (74.2% White British), 8.4% as South Asian, 4.3 % as Black, 2.7% Mixed Race, 1.1% as Chinese and 1.5% as other ethnic group.[2] In 2010 it was reported that Reading has 150 different spoken languages within its population.[65][66][67] Reading has a large Polish community, which dates back over 30 years,[68] and in October 2006 the Reading Chronicle printed 5,000 copies of a Polish edition called the Kronika Reading.[69][70][71]
Economy[link]
Main article: Economy of Reading, Berkshire
Reading is an important commercial centre in the Thames Valley and Southern England. The town hosts the headquarters of several British companies and the UK offices of foreign multinationals, as well as being a major retail centre.[72]
Whilst located close enough to London to be sometimes regarded as part of the London commuter belt, Reading is a net inward destination for commuters. During the morning peak period, there are some 30,000 inward arrivals in the town, compared to 24,000 departures.[73]
Industry and commerce[link]
Major companies BG Group, ING Direct, Microsoft, Oracle[74] Yell Group,[75] have their headquarters in Reading. The insurance company Prudential has an administration centre in the town.[76] PepsiCo[77] and Wrigley[77] have offices. Reading has a significant historical involvement in the information technology industry, largely as a result of the early presence in the town of sites of International Computers Limited[78] and Digital.[79] Other technology companies with a significant presence in the town include Agilent Technologies,[80] Cisco,[81] Ericsson,[82] Nvidia,[77] Regus,[74][81] SGI,[74] Symantec,[81] Verizon Business,[83] and Websense.[74] These companies are distributed around Reading or just outside the borough boundary, some in business parks including Thames Valley Park in nearby Earley, Green Park Business Park and Arlington Business Park.
Retail[link]
Reading town centre is a major shopping centre. In 2007, an independent poll placed Reading 16th in a league table of best performing retail centres in the UK.[84][85] The main shopping street is Broad Street, which runs between the Oracle in the east and Broad Street Mall in the west and was pedestrianised in 1995.[86] The smaller Friars Walk in Friar Street is derelict and will be demolished if the proposed Station Hill redevelopment project goes ahead.[87]
There are three major department stores in Reading: John Lewis Reading (formerly known as Heelas),[88] Debenhams and House of Fraser.[89] The bookseller Waterstone's has two branches in Reading. Their Broad Street branch is a conversion of a nonconformist chapel dating from 1707.[90] Besides the two major shopping malls, Reading has three smaller shopping arcades, the Bristol and West Arcade, Harris Arcade and The Walk, which contain smaller specialist stores. An older form of retail facility is represented by Union Street, popularly known as Smelly Alley.[91][92] Reading has no indoor market, but there is a street market in Hosier Street.[93] A farmers' market operates on two Saturdays a month.[94]
Culture[link]
Main article: Culture of Reading, Berkshire
Every year Reading hosts the Reading Festival, which has been running since 1971.[95][96] The festival takes place on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. For some twenty years until 2006, Reading was also known for its WOMAD Festival until it moved to Charlton Park in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.[97][98] The Reading Beer Festival was first held in 1994[99] and has now grown to one of the largest beer festivals in the UK. It is held at King's Meadow for the five days immediately preceding the May Day bank holiday every year.[100]Reading Carnival is an annual event that has been held on the May bank Holiday Monday for several years. The Carnival celebrates the large west Indian community that has resided in Reading since the 50's and it's integration into the town.</ref>
On the south side of Friar Street there once stood the Royal County Theatre, designed by Frank Matcham and built in 1895. It was destroyed by fire in 1937.[101] Within the town hall is a 700-seat concert hall that houses a Father Willis organ.[102] Reading theatre venues include The Hexagon and South Street Arts Centre.[103][104] Amateur theatre venues in Reading include Progress Theatre,[105] a self-governing, self-funding theatre group and registered charity founded in 1947 that operates and maintains its own 97-seat theatre.[106]
The demonym for a person from Reading is Readingensian,[3] giving the name of the local rugby team Redingensians, based in Sonning, and of former members of Reading School. An alternative demonym is Readingite.[4]
Cultural references[link]
Jane Austen attended Reading Ladies Boarding School, based in the Abbey Gateway, in 1784–86.[107]
Mary Russell Mitford lived in Reading for a number of years and then spent the rest of her life just outside the town at Three Mile Cross and Swallowfield.[108] The fictional Belford Regis of her eponymous novel,[109] first published in 1835, is largely based on Reading. Described with topographical accuracy, it is still possible to follow the steps of the novel's characters in present day Reading.
Oscar Wilde was imprisoned in Reading Gaol from 1895–97. While there, he wrote his letter De Profundis. After his release, he lived in exile in France and wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol, based on his experience of an execution carried out in Reading Gaol whilst he was imprisoned there.[110][111]
Ricky Gervais, who is from Reading, made a film Cemetery Junction although filmed elsewhere in the UK, is set in 1970s Reading and is named after a busy junction in East Reading.[112][113][114]
Landmarks[link]
The Maiwand Lion in Forbury Gardens, an unofficial symbol of Reading, commemorates the 328 officers of the Royal Berkshire Regiment who died in the Battle of Maiwand in 1880.[53][115] The Blade, a fourteen-storey building completed in 2009, is 128 m (420 ft) tall and can be seen from the surrounding area.[116] Reading has 5 Grade I listed buildings, 22 Grade II* and 853 Grade II buildings, in a wide variety of architectural styles that range from the medieval to the 21st century. The Grade I listed buildings are Reading Abbey, the Abbey Gateway, Greyfriars Church, St Laurence's Church, and Reading Minster.[117][118]
Media[link]
Reading has two local newspapers, the Reading Chronicle, published on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the Reading Post, published on Wednesdays and Fridays. Three local radio stations broadcast from Reading: BBC Radio Berkshire, Reading 107 FM and Heart Thames Valley. Other local radio stations, such as London's 95.8 Capital FM, Basingstoke's 107.6 Kestrel FM and East Berkshire's Time 106.6, can also be received. Local television news programmes are the BBC's South Today and ITV's Meridian Tonight.
Public services[link]
Reading has over 100 parks and playgrounds, including 5 miles of riverside paths.[120] In the town centre is Forbury Gardens, a public park built on the site of the outer court of Reading Abbey. The largest public park in Reading is Prospect Park, previously an estate owned by Frances Kendrick and acquired by the Reading Corporation in 1901.[121][122]
The principal National Health Service (NHS) hospital in Reading is the Royal Berkshire Hospital, founded in 1839 and much enlarged and rebuilt since.[123] A second major NHS general hospital, the Battle Hospital, closed in 2005.[124] Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust runs a NHS hospital, Prospect Park Hospital, that specialises in the provision of care for people with mental health and learning disabilities.[125] Reading has two private hospitals, the Berkshire Independent Hospital in Coley Park and the Dunedin Hospital situated on the main A4 Bath Road, with a third due to open at Kennet Island in August 2012.[126][127][128]
The Reading Borough Public Library service dates back to 1877.[53] Initially housed in Reading Town Hall, the central branch of the library relocated in 1985 to a new building on King's Road.[129]
Mains water and sewerage services are supplied by Thames Water Utilities Limited, a private sector water supply company, whilst water abstraction and disposal is regulated by the Environment Agency. Reading's water supply is largely derived from underground aquifers, and as a consequence the water is hard.[130][131][132]
The commercial energy supplier for electricity and gas is at the consumer's choice. Southern Electric runs the local electricity distribution network, while Scotia Gas Networks runs the gas distribution network. A notable part of the local energy infrastructure is the presence of a 2-megawatt (peak) Enercon wind turbine at Green Park Business Park, wired to the local sub-grid. It has the potential to produce 3.5 million units of electricity a year, enough to power over a thousand homes.[133]
The dialling code for fixed-line telephones in Reading is 0118. BT provides fixed-line telephone coverage throughout the town and ADSL broadband internet connection to most areas. Parts of Reading are cabled by Virgin Media, supplying cable television, telephone and broadband internet connections.
Transport[link]
Main article: Transport in Reading, Berkshire
Reading's location in the Thames Valley to the west of London has made the town an important location in the nation's transport system.
The town grew up as a river port at the confluence of the Thames and the Kennet. Both of these rivers are navigable, and Caversham Lock, Blake's Lock, County Lock, Fobney Lock and Southcote Lock are all within the borough. Today, navigation is exclusively for purposes of leisure: private and hire boats dominate traffic, while scheduled boat services operate on the Thames from wharves on the Reading side of the river near Caversham Bridge.[134][135]
Reading was a major staging point on the old Bath Road (A4) from London to Avonmouth, near Bristol. This road still carries local traffic, but has now been replaced for long distance traffic by the M4 motorway, which closely skirts the borough and serves it with three junctions, J10-J12. Other main roads serving Reading include the A33, A327, A329, A4074 and A4155. Within Reading there is the Inner Distribution Road (IDR), a ring road for local traffic. The IDR is linked with the M4 by the A33 relief road. National Express Coaches run out of Reading Coachway, at Junction 12 of the M4.[136] The Thames is crossed by both Reading and Caversham road bridges, while several road bridges cross the Kennet, the oldest surviving one of which is High Bridge.[137]
Reading is a major junction point of the National Rail system, and hence Reading station is a major transfer point and terminus. Reading station will be redeveloped at a cost of £850m, with grade separation of some conflicting traffic flows, and extra platforms, to relieve severe congestion at this station. The project is scheduled to finish in 2015.[138][139] Railway lines link Reading to both Paddington and Waterloo stations in London. Other stations in the Reading area are Reading West, Tilehurst and Earley. Green Park railway station is planned on the Reading to Basingstoke Line to serve Green Park Business Park.[140]
There have been two airfields in or near Reading, one at Coley Park[141] and one at Woodley,[142] but they have both closed. The nearest airport is London Heathrow, 25 miles (40 km) away by road. An express bus service named RailAir links Reading with Heathrow, or the airport can be accessed by rail by taking the Paddington train and changing to the Heathrow Connect rail service at Hayes and Harlington railway station.
Today local public transport is largely by road, which is often affected by peak hour congestion in the borough. A frequent local bus network within the borough, and a less frequent network in the surrounding area, are provided by Reading Buses. Other bus operators include First, Thames Travel and Newbury Buses.
The OYBike bicycle sharing system operates in Reading, with approximately 15 bicycles and with docking stations at Reading station, Holiday Inn (Basingstoke Road) and Green Park.[143] In March 2011, Reading Borough Council approved a larger scheme similar to Barclays Cycle Hire in London, with 1,000 bicycles available at up to 150 docking stations across Reading.[144][145]
Education[link]
See also: List of schools in Reading
Reading School, founded in 1125,[146] is the 16th oldest school in England.[147] There are six other state secondary schools and 37 state primary schools within the borough, together with a number of private and independent schools and nurseries.[148]
Reading College has provided further education in Reading since 1955, with over 8,500 local learners on over 900 courses.[149]
The University of Reading was established in 1892 as an affiliate of Oxford University.[150] It moved to its London Road Campus in 1904 and to its new Whiteknights Campus in 1947. It took over the Bulmershe teacher training college in 1989, becoming Bulmershe Court Campus. The Henley Management College, situated in Buckinghamshire and about 10 miles (16 km) from Reading, was taken over in 2008, becoming Greenlands Campus.[151] The University of West London maintains a presence in the town for its higher education students, principally in nursing, but has now divested itself of its previous ownership of Reading College and its further education students.[152]
Museums[link]
The Museum of Reading opened in 1883 in the town's municipal buildings.[53] It contains galleries relating to the history of Reading and to the excavations of Calleva Atrebatum,[153] together with a full-size replica of the Bayeux Tapestry, an art collection, and galleries relating to Huntley and Palmers.[154]
The Museum of English Rural Life, in East Reading, is a museum dedicated to recording the changing face of farming and the countryside in England. It houses designated collections of national importance. It is owned and run by the University of Reading, as are the Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology, the Cole Museum of Zoology and the Harris Botanic Gardens, all of which can be found on the university's Whiteknights Campus.[155][156][157]
The small Riverside Museum at Blake's Lock tells the story of Reading's two rivers, the Kennet and the Thames. In the suburb of Woodley, the Museum of Berkshire Aviation has a collection of aircraft and other artefacts relating to the aircraft industry in the town.[158][159]
Religion[link]
Reading Minster, or the Minster Church of St Mary the Virgin as it is more properly known, is Reading's oldest ecclesiastical foundation, known to have been founded by the 9th century and possibly earlier.[161] Although eclipsed in importance by the later Abbey, Reading Minster has regained its importance since the destruction of the Abbey.
Reading Abbey was founded by Henry I in 1121. He was buried there, as were parts of his daughter Empress Matilda, William of Poitiers, Constance of York, and Princess Isabella of Cornwall, among others.[10][11] The abbey was one of the pilgrimage centres of medieval England, it held over 230 relics including the hand of St. James. Today all that remains of the abbey are the inner rubble cores of the walls of many of the major buildings of the abbey, together with a much restored inner gateway and the intact hospitium.[162][163]
The mediaeval borough of Reading was served by three parish churches: Reading Minster, St Giles' Church and St Laurence's Church. All are still in use by the Church of England.[164] The Franciscan friars built a friary in the town in 1311 and after the friars were expelled in 1538, the building was used as a hospital, a poorhouse and a jail, before being restored as the Church of England parish church of Greyfriars Church in 1863.[165][166]
The Bishop of Reading is a suffragan bishop within the Church of England's Diocese of Oxford. The bishop is based in Reading, and is responsible for the archdeaconry of Berkshire. There are a total of 18 Church of England parish churches in Reading.[167][168]
St James's Church was built on a portion of the site of the abbey between 1837–40, and marked the return of the Roman Catholic faith to Reading. Reading was also the site of the death of Blessed Dominic Barberi, the Catholic missionary to England in the 19th century who received John Henry Newman into the Catholic faith. There are now a total of 8 Roman Catholic parish churches in Reading.[169][170][171]
Reading also has places of worship of other religions, including the Shantideva Mahayana Buddhist centre, a Hindu temple, a Sikh gurdwara, a Salvation Army citadel, and a Quaker meeting house.[172][173][174][175][176]
There is presently one mosque, the Central Reading Mosque.[177]The £3–4m Abu Bakr Islamic Centre, on Oxford Road in West Reading, was granted planning permission in 2002. The community-funded project began construction in 2006, but, as of July 2008, had no estimated completion date.[178] [179] A second Islamic centre in eastern Reading has also been granted planning permission.[180] This £4m project has garnered some controversy.[181]
Sport[link]
Main article: Sport in Reading, Berkshire
Reading is the home of Reading Football Club, an association football club nicknamed The Royals, formed in 1871.[182] Formerly based at Elm Park, the club plays at the 24,161 capacity[183] Madejski Stadium, named after chairman Sir John Madejski, and which opened in 1998. After winning the 2005–06 Football League Championship with a record of 106 points, Reading F.C. spent two seasons in the Premier League before being relegated to The Championship.[184] For the 2012-2013 season, the club will again compete in the Premier League, after securing first place in the The Championship for the 2011-2012 season.[185]
Reading Town Football Club, formed in 1966,[186] play at Scours Lane and are currently playing in the Hellenic League Premier Division, while fellow Non-League football club Highmoor Ibis F.C. play at Palmer Park Stadium within Palmer Park.
Reading is a centre for rugby union football in the area, with the Aviva Premiership team London Irish as tenants at the Madejski Stadium. Reading is also home to another three senior semi-professional rugby clubs; Reading Abbey R.F.C., Redingensians R.F.C. and Reading R.F.C..
The town hosts Australian rules football team Reading Kangaroos and American football team Berkshire Renegades. Palmer Park Stadium has a velodrome and athletics track. It is used by Reading Athletic Club[187] and the Berkshire Renegades for training.[188] The Reading Hockey Club play in the Men's Premier Division and in Women's Division One of the English Hockey League. The Reading Rockets basketball club plays in the English Basketball League.
Rowing is pursued by the Reading Rowing Club and the Reading University Boat Club, and the Reading University Head of the River Race is held every year in February or March.[189][190] The Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake in Caversham provides training facilities,[191] although much rowing is also done on the River Thames. The annual Reading Town Regatta takes place near Thames Valley Park.[192]
The town was home to a motorcycle speedway team, Reading Racers. Speedway came to Reading in 1968 at Tilehurst Stadium, until the team moved to Smallmead Stadium in Whitley,[193] which was demolished at the end of 2008. The team is inactive pending the building of a new stadium, which it is hoped to complete in 2012.[194]
File:Reading Half Marathon in 2004.jpg
The Reading Half Marathon 2004 climbing Russell Street in West Reading
The Reading Half Marathon is held on the streets of Reading in March of each year, with 16,000 competitors from elite to fun runners.[195] It was first run in 1983 and took place in every subsequent year except 2001, when it was cancelled because of concerns over that year's outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.[196]
The British Triathlon Association was formed at the town's former Mall health club in 11 December 1982.[197] Britain's first ever triathlon took place just outside Reading at Kirtons's Farm in Pingewood in 1983 and was revived 10 years' later by Banana Leisure with one of the original organisers as Event Director. [198] Thames Valley Triathletes, based in the town, is Britain's oldest triathlon club, having its origins in the 1984 event at nearby Heckfield, when a relay team raced under the name Reading Triathlon Club.[199]
The Hexagon theatre was home to snooker's Grand Prix tournament, one of the sport's "Big Four", from 1984 to 94.[200][201]
Reading-born Richard Burns became the first Englishman to win the World Rally Championship, in 2001.[202]
Notable people[link]
Main article: List of people from Reading, Berkshire
See also: Category:People from Reading, Berkshire
Town twinning[link]
Reading is twinned with:
- Düsseldorf, Germany (since 1947, officially since 1988)[203][204]
- Clonmel, Ireland (since 1994)[205]
- San Francisco Libre, Nicaragua (since 1994)[206]
- Speightstown, Barbados (since 2003)[207]
Reading is also a sister city of:
References[link]
- Notes
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- ^ a b "Resident Population Estimates by Ethnic Group (Percentages)". Office for National Statistics. http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=276849&c=reading&d=13&e=13&g=407934&i=1001x1003x1004&o=322&m=0&r=1&s=1307886504218&enc=1&dsFamilyId=1812. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
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- ^ a b Serck, Linda (23 February 2011). "The Session: Tripwires primed to explode". Reading Post. http://www.getreading.co.uk/entertainment/music/local_bands/s/2088160_the_session_tripwires_primed_to_explode. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
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- ^ Lawes Long 1836, p. 11–13.
- ^ Cameron 1961, p. 64.
- ^ Ford, David Nash (2001). "History of Reading, Berkshire". Royal Berkshire History. Nash Ford Publishing. http://www.berkshirehistory.com/villages/reading.html. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
- ^ Phillips 1980, p. 14–15.
- ^ a b c d e f Ditchfield & Page 1923, p. 342–364.
- ^ a b Slade 2001, p. 1–16.
- ^ a b Hylton 2007, p. 34–38.
- ^ Slade 2001, p. 17–25.
- ^ Fasham & Hawkes 1983.
- ^ Hylton 2007, p. 51–52.
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- ^ Hunter 1995, p. 103.
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- ^ http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/census-2001-key-statistics/urban-areas-in-england-and-wales/urban-areas-in-england-and-wales-ks01-usual-resident-population.xls
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- ^ a b Phillips 1980, p. 42.
- ^ Phillips 1980, p. 88.
- ^ Phillips 1980, p. 168–9.
- ^ a b "Labour takes back control of council". Reading Chronicle. 12 May 2011. http://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/reading/articles/2011/05/12/52057-reading-headed-for-labour-return/. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
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- Phillips, Daphne (1980). The Story of Reading. Newbury, UK: Countryside Books. ISBN 0-905392-07-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=JG0aAAAACAAJ. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- Slade, Cecil (2001). The Town of Reading and Its Abbey. Reading, UK: MRM Associates Limited. ISBN 978-0-9517719-4-5. http://books.google.com/books?id=-ENqAAAACAAJ. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- Sowan, Adam (2004). Abbatoirs Road to Zinzan Street. Reading, UK: Two Rivers Press. ISBN 978-1-901677-36-2. http://books.google.com/books?id=ywOhpoq0tKsC. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- Waters, Laurence (1990). Reading. Rail Centres. Shepperton, UK: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-1937-1. http://books.google.com/books?id=PTSZAAAACAAJ. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
External links[link]
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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading,_Berkshire
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
For other uses, see Berkshire (disambiguation).
| The Royal County of Berkshire | |
|---|---|
 Shown within England |
|
| Geography | |
| Status | Non-metropolitan and ceremonial county |
| Origin | Historic |
| Region | South East England |
| Area - Total |
Ranked 40th 1,262 km2 (487 sq mi) |
| ISO 3166-2 | Consists of GB-BRC, GB-RDG, GB-SLG, GB-WBK, GB-WNM, GB-WOK |
| ONS code | Formerly 10 |
| NUTS 3 | UKJ11 |
| Demography | |
| Population - Total (2005) - Density |
Ranked 26th 812,200 643 /km2 (1,670 /sq mi) |
| Ethnicity | 88.7% White 6.8% S.Asian 2.0% Black. |
| Politics | |
| No county council | |
| Members of Parliament | |
| Districts | |
|
|
Berkshire ( /ˈbɑrkʃər/ or /ˈbɑrkʃɪər/, abbreviated Berks) is both a ceremonial county and a historic county of England. The administrative county of Berkshire including the Berkshire County Council were abolished in 1998. The county is 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 dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and letters patent issued confirming this in 1974.[1][2]
The ceremonial county has the same boundaries as the former administrative county, but historically the county was not co-terminous with this. The county borders the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Wiltshire and Hampshire. Historically the county included several towns to the northwest of the county (including Abingdon, Didcot and Wantage) that were moved into Oxfordshire in 1974 boundary changes. At the same time the town of Slough was moved into Berkshire from Buckinghamshire.[3]
Under boundary changes in 1995, the county also acquired a boundary with Greater London.[4] A later reorganisation, in 1998, abolished the county council. The highest tier of local government in Berkshire are now the unitary authorities of Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead and Wokingham.
Contents |
History[link]
Main article: History of Berkshire
The county is one of the oldest in England. It may date from the 840s, the probable period of the unification of "Sunningum" (East Berkshire) and "Ashdown" (the Berkshire Downs, probably including the Kennet Valley). The county is first mentioned by name in 860. According to Asser, it takes its name from a large forest of box trees that was called Bearroc (believed, in turn, to be a Celtic word meaning "hilly").[5]
Berkshire has been the scene of many battles throughout history, during Alfred the Great's campaign against the Danes, including the Battle of Englefield, the Battle of Ashdown and the Battle of Reading. Newbury was the site of two Civil War battles, the First Battle of Newbury (at Wash Common) in 1643 and the Second Battle of Newbury (at Speen) in 1644. The nearby Donnington Castle was reduced to a ruin in the aftermath of the second battle. The Battle at Reading took place on 9 December 1688 in Reading. It was the only substantial military action in England during the Glorious Revolution and ended in a decisive victory for forces loyal to William of Orange. It was celebrated in Reading for hundreds of years afterwards.
Reading became the new county town in 1867, taking over from Abingdon which remained in the county. Under the Local Government Act 1888, Berkshire County Council took over functions of the Berkshire Quarter Sessions, covering an area known as the administrative county of Berkshire, which excluded the county borough of Reading. Boundary alterations in the early part of the 20th century were minor, with Caversham from Oxfordshire becoming part of the Reading county borough, and cessions in the Oxford area.
On 1 April 1974 Berkshire's boundaries changed under the Local Government Act 1972. Berkshire took over administration of Slough and Eton and part of the former Eton Rural District from Buckinghamshire.[3] The northern part of the county became part of Oxfordshire, with Faringdon, Wantage and Abingdon and hinterland becoming the Vale of White Horse district, and Didcot and Wallingford added to South Oxfordshire district.[3] 94 (Berkshire Yeomanry) Signal Squadron still keep the Uffington White Horse in their insignia, even though the White Horse is now in Oxfordshire. The original Local Government White Paper would have transferred Henley-on-Thames from Oxfordshire to Berkshire: this proposal did not make it into the Bill as introduced.[citation needed]
On 1 April 1998 Berkshire County Council was abolished under a recommendation of the Banham Commission, and the districts became unitary authorities. Unlike similar reforms elsewhere at the same time, the non-metropolitan county was not abolished.[6][7] Signs saying "Welcome to the Royal County of Berkshire" have all but disappeared but may still be seen on the borders of West Berkshire District, on the east side of Virginia Water and on the M4 motorway. There are also signs at the south side of Sonning Bridge on the B478 and going north on the A33 at the start of the dual carriageway just past Stratfield Saye.
Geography[link]
From a landscape perspective, Berkshire divides into two clearly distinct sections with the boundary lying roughly on a north-south line through the centre of Reading.
The eastern section of Berkshire lies largely to the south of the River Thames, with that river forming the northern boundary of the county. In two places (Slough and Reading) the county now includes land to the north of the river. Tributaries of the Thames, including the Loddon and Blackwater increase the amount of low lying riverine land in the area. Beyond the flood plains, the land rises gently to the county boundaries with Surrey and Hampshire. Much of this area is still well wooded, especially around Bracknell and Windsor Great Park.
In the west of the county and heading upstream, the Thames veers away to the north of the (current) county boundary, leaving the county behind at the Goring Gap. This is a narrow part of the otherwise quite broad river valley where, at the end of the last Ice Age, the Thames forced its way between the Chiltern Hills (to the north of the river in Oxfordshire) and the Berkshire Downs.
As a consequence, the western portion of the county is situated around the valley of the River Kennet, which joins the Thames in Reading. Fairly steep slopes on each side delineate the river's flat floodplain. To the south, the land rises steeply to the nearby county boundary with Hampshire, and the highest parts of the county lie here. The highest of these is Walbury Hill at 297 m (974 ft), which is also the highest point in South East England region and between London and South Wales.
To the north of the Kennet, the land rises again to the Berkshire Downs. This is a hilly area, with smaller and well-wooded valleys draining into the River Lambourn, River Pang and their tributaries, and open upland areas famous for their involvement in horse racing and the consequent ever-present training gallops.
As part of a 2002 marketing campaign, the plant conservation charity Plantlife chose the Summer Snowflake (a.k.a. the 'Loddon Lily') as the county flower.
Demographics[link]
According to 2003 estimates there were 803,657 people in Berkshire, or 636 people/km². The population is mostly based in the urban areas to the east and centre of the county (Reading, Slough, Bracknell, Maidenhead, Wokingham, Windsor, Sandhurst, Crowthorne and Twyford being the largest towns) with West Berkshire being much more rural and sparsely populated, with far fewer towns (Newbury, Thatcham, Hungerford and Lambourn). The Reading/Wokingham Urban Area alone has a population of more than 350,000, making it south east England's second largest 'city' in all but name.
The population has increased massively since 1831; this is largely due to Berkshire's proximity to an expanding London[citation needed]. In 1831, there were 146,234 people living in Berkshire; by 1901 the population had risen to 252,571 (of whom 122,807 were male and 129,764 were female).
Population of Berkshire:
- 1831: 146,234
- 1841: 161,759
- 1851: 170,065
- 1861: 176,256
- 1871: 196,475
- 1881: 218,363
- 1891: 238,709
- 1901: 252,571
Ceremonial County[link]
Main articles: Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire, High Sheriff of Berkshire, and Ceremonial counties of England
The ceremonial county of Berkshire consists of the area controlled by the six unitary authorities, each of which is independent of the rest. Berkshire has no county council. The ceremonial county has a Lord Lieutenant and a High Sheriff. The Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire is Mary Selina Bayliss, appointed in May 2008[8] and the High Sheriff of Berkshire for the year 2011 is Robert Barclay Woods CBE.[9]
| District | Main towns | Population (2007 estimate) | Area | Population density (2007) |
| Bracknell Forest | Bracknell, Sandhurst | 113,500 | 109.38 km² | 1038/km² |
| Reading | Reading | 143,700 | 40.40 km² | 3557/km² |
| Slough | Slough | 120,100 | 32.54 km² | 3691/km² |
| West Berkshire | Newbury, Thatcham | 150,700 | 704.17 km² | 214/km² |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | Windsor, Maidenhead | 141,000 | 198.43 km² | 711/km² |
| Wokingham | Wokingham, Twyford | 156,600 | 178.98 km² | 875/km² |
| TOTAL Ceremonial | N/A | 825,600 | 1264 km² | 643/km² |
Population figures for 2007 estimates [1]. See List of English districts by population for a full list of every English district.
Politics[link]
Berkshire is a ceremonial county and non-metropolitan county and it is unique in England in that it has no county council, or district council covering its entire area; rather it is divided into several unitary authorities, which do not have county status. It is the only non-metropolitan county to function in such a manner.
The Conservative Party controls the unitary authorities of West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham and Bracknell Forest, whilst the Labour Party controls Reading and Slough.
In the 2010 general election, Conservative Party candidates were elected in seven of the eight parliamentary constituencies. Slough is the exception, being represented by a Labour MP.
Economy[link]
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Berkshire at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British pounds sterling.
| Year | Regional Gross Value Added1 | Agriculture2 | Industry3 | Services4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 10,997 | 53 | 2,689 | 8,255 |
| 2000 | 18,412 | 40 | 3,511 | 14,861 |
| 2003 | 21,119 | 48 | 3,666 | 17,406 |
- Notes
- Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
- Includes hunting and forestry
- Includes energy and construction
- Includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
Industry[link]
Reading has a significant historical involvement in the information technology industry, largely as a result of the early presence in the town of sites of International Computers Limited and Digital. Whilst both these companies have been swallowed by other groups, their respective descendents in Fujitsu and Hewlett-Packard both still have local operations. More recently Microsoft and Oracle have established multi-building campuses in the borough. Other technology companies with a significant presence in the town include Agilent Technologies, Assuria, Audio & Design (Recording) Ltd, Bang & Olufsen, Cisco, Comptel, DediPower Managed Hosting, Ericsson, Harris Corporation, Intel, Nvidia, Rockwell Collins, Sage, Sagem Orga, SGI, Symantec, Symbol Technologies, Verizon Business, Virgin Media, Websense, Xansa (now Steria), and Xerox. The financial company ING Direct has its headquarters in Reading, as does the directories company Yell Group and the natural gas major BG Group. The insurance company Prudential has an administration centre in the town, whilst PepsiCo and Holiday Inn have offices. As with most major cities, Reading also has offices of the big 4 accounting firms Deloitte, KPMG, Ernst and Young, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Slough is home to Europes largest trading estate and the world 2nd largest trading estate. Slough has more company HQ's than any other town or city in the UK. Slough is also home to the UK's biggest Business Park and is to be increased by Segro over the next few years. The global headquarters of Reckitt Benckiser and the UK headquarters of Mars, Incorporated are based in Slough. One of the Mars factories has been redeveloped and some production moved to the Czech Republic. The European head offices of major IT companies such as Research In Motion, Network Associates, Computer Associates, PictureTel and Compusys (amongst others) are all in the town. O2 is headquartered here across four buildings. The town is also home to the National Foundation for Educational Research, which is housed in The Mere. Other major brands include Nintendo, Black and Decker, Amazon.co.uk, Honda, HTC and Abbey Business Centres and many more.[10] Dulux paints are still manufactured in Slough by AkzoNobel which bought Imperial Chemical Industries in 2008. Slough is also home to popular companies such as Blackberry, HTC, Scottish and Southern Energy and many more world wide organisations. The Slough Trading Estate attracts many worldwide organisations due to its distance from London Heathrow Airport. Slough has seen major companies such as Burger King, Black and Decker, LG Electronics and many more move into the trading estate over the past few years. More details on the trading estate are available on the Segro website.
Bracknell is another base for high-tech industries, home to companies such as Panasonic, Fujitsu (formerly ICL) and Fujitsu-Siemens Computers, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Siemens (originally Nixdorf), Honeywell, Cable and Wireless, Avnet Technology Solutions and Novell. Its success subsequently spread into the surrounding Thames Valley or M4 corridor, attracting IT firms such as Cable and Wireless, DEC (subsequently Hewlett-Packard), Microsoft, Sharp Telecommunications, Oracle Corporation, Sun Microsystems and Cognos. Bracknell is also home to the central Waitrose distribution centre and head office which is on a 70-acre (280,000 m2) site on the Southern Industrial Estate. Waitrose has operated from the town since the 1970s. The town is also home to the UK headquarters of BMW Group.[11]
Newbury is home to the world headquarters of the mobile network operator Vodafone, which is the town's largest employer with over 6,000 people. Before moving to their £129 million headquarters in the outskirts of the town in 2002, Vodafone used 64 buildings spread across the town centre.[12] As well as Vodafone, Newbury is also home to the UK headquarters of the pharmaceutical company Bayer AG, National Instruments, Micro Focus, NTS Express Road Haulage, Jokers' Masquerade, Newbury Parcels and Quantel. It also is home to the Newbury Building Society which operates in the region.
Agricultural produce[link]
Berkshire has a number of traditional dairy farming areas and has been famous of its cheese production for centuries. Abingdon Abbey once had many dairy-based granges in the Vale of the White Horse (now Oxfordshire) and in the south-east of the county, Red Windsor Cheese was developed with elderberry marbling. Today, a number of distinctive cheeses are exclusively produced in Berkshire, including Wigmore, Waterloo and Spenwood (named after Spencers Wood) cheeses from the Wigmore family at Village Maid Cheese in Riseley [2] (adjoining the Duke of Wellington's estate); and Barkham Blue, Barkham Chase and Loddon Blewe from Two Hoots Cheese at Barkham. [3]
Sport[link]
Horse racing[link]
Ascot Racecourse is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting 9 of the UK's 32 annual Group 1 races, the same number as Newmarket. The course is closely associated with the British Royal Family, being approximately six miles from Windsor Castle, and owned by the Crown Estate.[13]
Ascot today stages twenty-five days of racing over the course of the year, comprising sixteen Flat meetings held in the months of May and October. The Royal Meeting, held in June, remains a major draw, the highlight being the Ascot Gold Cup. The most prestigious race is the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes run over the course in July.
Newbury Racecourse in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's 31 Group 1 flat races, the Lockinge Stakes.
Windsor Racecourse, also known as Royal Windsor Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Windsor. It is one of only two figure-of-eight courses in the United Kingdom, the other being at Fontwell Park. It abandoned National Hunt jump racing in December 1998, switching entirely to Flat racing.
Lambourn also has a rich history in horse racing, the well drained, spongy grass, open downs and long flats make the Lambourn Downs ideal for training racehorses.
Football[link]
Reading F.C. is the only Berkshire football club to play professional football. Formed in 1871, the club is one of the oldest teams in England, but did not join the Football League until 1920, and first played in the top tier of English football in the 2006–07 season.
Newbury was home to A.F.C. Newbury, which was for a period one of only two football clubs to be sponsored by Vodafone (the other being Manchester United). In May 2006 Vodafone ended its sponsorship of the club,[14] following which the club collapsed. A local pub team from the Old London Apprentice took over the ground temporarily and now compete in the Hellenic Football League as Newbury F.C..
There are several amateur and semi-professional football clubs in the county. These include Slough Town, Thatcham Town, Ascot United, A.F.C. Aldermaston, Sandhurst Town and Windsor F.C.
Rugby[link]
Reading is a centre for rugby union football, with the Aviva Premiership team London Irish as tenants at the Madejski Stadium.
Newbury's rugby union club, Newbury R.F.C. (the Newbury 'Blues'), is based in the town. In the 2004/05 season, the club finished second in the National Two division earning promotion to National One. Newbury had previously won National Four South (now renamed as National Three South) in 1996/97 with a 100% win record. In 2010/11 the club finished bottom of National League 2S,[15] with a single win and twenty-nine defeats. The club was founded in 1928 and in 1996 moved to a new purpose-built ground at Monks Lane,[16] which has since hosted England U21 fixtures.
Slough Rugby Club play in the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Southern Premier League (5 leagues away from the Aviva Premiership)
Ice hockey[link]
The Bracknell Bees Ice Hockey Club are former national champions, who currently play in the English Premier League.
Slough Jets also play in the English Premier League winning the title in 2007. Slough Jets also won the play-offs in 2005/2006, 2007/2008, 2009/2010 & 2011/2012. they have finished in the top 4 in the last 9 seasons. They also won the EPIH Cup in 2010-11. Slough Jets have been in the Premier League since 1999.
Hockey[link]
Slough Hockey Club is home to the Slough Ladies who play in the Women's Premier League. Slough Hockey club have 10 teams, The Ladies First and Mens 3rd play in their respective Division 1 leagues.
Towns and villages[link]
See the List of places in Berkshire and the List of civil parishes in Berkshire
Notable people[link]
Berkshire has many notable people associated with it.
- Henry Addington, Viscount Sidmouth (1757–1844; former Prime Minister; donor of land for Royal Berkshire Hospital)[17]
- Alexander Pope (1688–1744; poet)
- Prince Albert Victor (1864–1892; eldest son of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII)
- George Alexander (1858–1918; actor and theatre manager)
- Jane Austen (1775–1817; author)
- Francis Baily (1774–1844; astronomer)
- Lucy Benjamin (1970; actress)
- Michael Bond (b1926; author, creator of Paddington Bear)
- Kenneth Branagh (b1960; actor & film director)[18]
- Charlie Brooker (b1971; journalist)
- Richard Burns (1971–2005; rally driver)[19]
- David Cameron (b1966; Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party since December 2005)
- Jimmy Carr (b1972; comedian)
- King Edward III of England (b1312–1377; one of the most successful English monarchs of the Middle Ages)
- Emma Crosby (1977; television presenter)
- Uri Geller (b1946; mentalist)
- Ricky Gervais (b1961; comedian)[20]
- Dani Harmer (b1989; actress)
- Chesney Hawkes (b1971; pop singer)
- King Henry I of England (1068/1069–1135; founded and buried at Reading Abbey)
- King Henry VI of England (1421–1471; King of England, born at Windsor)
- Lenny Henry (b1958; comedian)
- Nicholas Hoult (b1989; actor)
- Kate Humble (b1968; television presenter)
- Joseph Huntley (1775-?; innovative biscuit maker; founder of Huntley & Palmers)[21]
- Elton John (b1947; lives in Old Windsor)
- Peter Jones (b1966; entrepreneur)
- William Laud (1573–1645; former Archbishop of Canterbury)[17]
- John Kendrick (1573–1624; merchant and mayor)[17]
- John Madejski (b1941; entrepreneur and philanthropist)[22]
- Sam Mendes (b1965; director)[23]
- A. P. McCoy (b1974; jockey and winner of the 2010 Grand National and the 2010 BBC Sports Personality of the Year)
- Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (b1982; spouse of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge)
- William Penn (1644–1718; founder of Pennsylvania)[24]
- Lawrie Sanchez (b1959; former footballer and manager)[25]
- Ayrton Senna (1960–1994; racing driver, Formula One champion)[26]
- Mark Stephens, solicitor and broadcaster, mediator, writer, educator and patron of the arts (b. Old Windsor 1957)
- Chris Tarrant (b1946; radio broadcaster and host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?)[27]
- Jethro Tull (1674–1741; agriculturist)
- Theo Walcott (b1989; footballer, originally for A.F.C. Newbury)
- Neil Webb (b1963; professional footballer)[28]
- Oscar Wilde (1854–1900; poet and playwright, author of The Ballad of Reading Gaol, and prisoner in Reading Gaol)[17]
- Kate Winslet (b1975; actress)[29]
- Will Young (b1979; singer-songwriter)
Places of interest[link]
| Key | |
 |
Abbey/Priory/Cathedral |
 |
Accessible open space |
 |
Amusement/Theme Park |
 |
Castle |
 |
Country Park |
 |
English Heritage |
 |
Forestry Commission |
 |
Heritage railway |
 |
Historic House |
 .svg){kind=icon} |
Museum (free/not free) |
 |
National Trust |
 |
Theatre |
 |
Zoo |
- Basildon Park National Trust
- Beale Park
- Berkshire Downs
- Bisham Abbey
- Blake's Lock
- California Country Park
- Calleva Atrebatum
- Combe Gibbet
- Donnington Castle
- Eton College
- Frogmore House
- Greenham Common
- Highclere Castle
- Lardon Chase, the Holies and Lough Down National Trust
- The Living Rainforest
- Legoland Windsor
- Museum of English Rural Life
- Museum of Reading
- North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
- Reading Abbey
- Reading School Grade II listed building designed by Alfred Waterhouse
- River Thames
- Shaw House
- REME Museum of Technology
- Slough Museum
- Stanlake Park Wine Estate
- The Ridgeway
- Walbury Hill
- Watermill Theatre
- Welford Park
- Wellington Country Park
- West Berkshire Museum
- Windsor Castle
- Windsor Great Park
.png){kind=icon}
See also[link]
- Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire
- High Sheriff of Berkshire
- Custos Rotulorum of Berkshire - Keepers of the Rolls
- Berkshire constituency - Historical list of MPs for Berkshire constituency
- Thames Valley
- Berkshire Record Office
- Schools in Berkshire
References[link]
- ^ ""The Royal County of Berkshire". Title Confirmed by the Queen". The Times (UK). 30 December 1957.
- ^ Berkshire Record Office. "Berkshire, The Royal County". Golden Jubilee 2002 collection. http://www.berkshirerecordoffice.org.uk/collections/jubilee/jubilee_story4.htm. Retrieved 22 April 2007.
- ^ a b c Local government in England and Wales: A Guide to the New System. London: HMSO. 1974. ISBN 0-11-750847-0 Pages=1, 31.
- ^ "The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Surrey (County Boundaries) Order 1994". Office of Public Sector Information. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1994/Uksi_19940330_en_1.htm. Retrieved 14 June 2009.
- ^ "Dictionary.com". http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/berkshire. Retrieved 8 November 2008.
- ^ "The Berkshire (Structural Change) Order 1996". Office of Public Sector Information. 18 July 1996. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/SI/si1996/Uksi_19961879_en_2.htm. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ^ "In Berkshire, although the county council will be abolished, the county area will remain. Along with its lord lieutenant, it will retain its high sheriff and its title as a royal county." "Written Answers to Questions Col.830". House of Commons Hansard Debates. Parliament of the United Kingdom. 31 March 1995. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199495/cmhansrd/1995-03-31/Writtens-2.html. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ^ London Gazette: no. 58715. p. 8235. 2 June 2008.
- ^ London Gazette: no. 59729. p. 4995. 17 March 2011.
- ^ Location of registered office of Amazon.co.uk Ltd. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
- ^ www.companieshouse.gov.uk Companies House – UK data and registered offices
- ^ "How Vodafone moved to a mobile environment". vnunet.com. 24 September 2004. http://www.vnunet.com/computing/features/2072443/vodafone-moved-mobile-environment.
- ^ "The Crown Estate Profile". http://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/15_our_portfolio/64_windsor_and_other_traditional_holdings.htm.
- ^ "Vodafone ends AFC Newbury deal". Newbury Weekly News. 23 May 2006. http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article.aspx?articleID=2242.
- ^ "National League 2S table". BBC News. 9 August 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/tables/4777175.stm.
- ^ "Rugby at its best" (PDF). Newbury Weekly News Advertiser. October 2006. http://www.newburyrfc.co.uk/NRFC%20wrap.pdf.
- ^ a b c d "Reading's Great People". Reading Borough Libraries. http://www.readinglibraries.org.uk/services/local/greatpeople.htm. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
- ^ "The Kenneth Branagh Compendium: Conspiracy". http://www.branaghcompendium.com/conspiracy.html. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
- ^ "Richard Burns". Richard Burns Foundation. http://www.richardburnsfoundation.com/about-us/richard-burns/. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
- ^ Farndale, Nigel (19 April 2009). "Ricky Gervais: Grumpy middle-aged man". The Daily Telegraph (London: Telegraph Media Group Limited). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/5158001/Ricky-Gervais-Grumpy-middle-aged-man.html. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
- ^ "Huntley and Palmers". Reading History Trail. http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/radstock/rht/themes/manufacture/handp.html. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
- ^ "John Madejski: 'Without deep pockets you are wasting your time'". The Independent (London). 9 December 2006. http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/comment/article2060012.ece. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
- ^ "Sam Mendes Biography". filmreference. 2008. http://www.filmreference.com/film/67/Sam-Mendes.html. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
- ^ Faber, Mrs. M.A.; John Buy, William Lamboll Junr. and Dr. Stoughton (April 1887). "William Penn and the Society of Friends at Reading". The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography (Historical Society of Pennsylvania) 11 (1): 37–49. JSTOR 20083177.
- ^ Thompson, Steve (8 April 2001). "Sanchez eager to graduate with honours". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/4776680/Sanchez-eager-to-graduate-with-honours.html. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- ^ For a short period during the early stages of his career, he lived in Tilehurst. Following his death, a street was named in his memory. See "Ayrton Senna Road, Tilehurst, Reading". Streetmap.co.uk. http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=466166&Y=173098&A=Y&Z=1. Retrieved 1 August 2006.
- ^ Ross, Deborah (8 January 2001). "Chris Tarrant: Confident?". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/chris-tarrant-confident-695677.html. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
- ^ "Neil Webb". Soccerbase.com. Centurycomm Limited. http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=8366. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
- ^ Boshoff, Alison (23 February 2009). "The Other Winslet Girls". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1150755/The-Winslet-girls-Its-easy-struggling-actor-sisters-Hollywood-darling-Kate.html. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
External links[link]
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- "Victoria County History: Berkshire". British History Online. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/subject.aspx?subject=5&gid=2. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
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Coordinates: 51°27′18″N 0°58′09″W / 51.455°N 0.96917°W / 51.455; -0.96917
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Timothy Paul Dellor is a radio presenter on BBC Berkshire.
Contents |
Biography[link]
Born in Reading, Berkshire in 1975 to Ralph Dellor and his wife, he grew up in Woolhampton, Berkshire, and attended Bradfield College. Dellor graduated from the University of Gloucestershire with a bachelor's degree in Sport and Exercise Science and Geography and from the London Institute with a master's degree in Broadcast Journalism.
Dellor is a news and sports commentator and reporter with the BBC.[1]
Dellor's position as local radio sports commentator gives him a surprising amount of leverage over Reading FC.[citation needed] He was implicated in the sacking of Brendan Rodgers as it was felt that his outburst on air and rudeness to Dellor had been a contributing factor in his dismissal.[2]
Dellor also reports on Premier League football for BBC South Today and for BBC Radio 5 Live.
Dellor also works for the England Cricket Board as their "Head Coach-Lead Tutor". He runs the Level 3 coaching programme, developing the skills of elite coaches. He is an ECB-qualified coach, and coaches Berkshire Minor County Cricket first team and was coach of the Greece national cricket team for 9 years.
Personal life[link]
Dellor married Amanda Sutton at St Bartholomew's church in Nettlebed, Oxfordshire in December 2005. Sutton is a BBC Berkshire broadcast journalist,[3] who often wrote sports reports on Reading Hockey Club. They had worked closely together in November 2004 covering the Ufton Nervet rail crash.[4]
References[link]
- ^ "Radio Berkshire Sports team". BBC Berkshire. 2006-10-26. http://www.bbc.co.uk/berkshire/content/articles/2006/02/02/radioberks_sport_team_feature.shtml. Retrieved 2007-03-04.
- ^ http://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/football/readingfc/s/2062738_brendan_rodgers_leaves_reading_fc_with_darren_ferguson_favourite_to_replace_him
- ^ "Walk Through Time Filming". BBC Berkshire. http://www.bbc.co.uk/berkshire/content/image_galleries/walk_through_time_filming_gallery.shtml?10. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ Matthews, Tony. "Local link vital to rail disaster coverage". BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/newswatch/ukfs/hi/newsid_3990000/newsid_3999500/3999529.stm. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
External links[link]
- Tim Dellor ECC Coach Profile at cricketeurope.net
- Tim Dellor Footie Phone-In on BBC Radio Berkshire
- Crash at Ufton Nervet
| Persondata | |
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| Name | Dellor, Tim |
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| Date of birth | 1975 |
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This British biographical article related to radio is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
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| Bruno Mars | |
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 Bruno Mars performing in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 19, 2010 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Peter Gene Hernandez |
| Born | (1985-10-08) October 8, 1985 (age 26)[1] Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Genres | Reggae fusion, pop, soul, R&B |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, record producer, model, dancer |
| Instruments | Vocals, drums, guitar, keyboard, bass, piano, harmonica |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Atlantic, Elektra |
| Associated acts | The Smeezingtons |
| Website | www.brunomars.com |
Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age. He performed in various musical venues in his hometown throughout his childhood. He graduated from high school and then moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue a musical career. Mars produced songs for other artists, joining production team The Smeezingtons.
Mars had an unsuccessful stint with Motown Records, but then signed with Atlantic Records in 2009. He became recognized as a solo artist after lending his vocals and co-writing the hooks for the songs "Nothin' on You" by B.o.B, and "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy. He also co-wrote the hits "Right Round" by Flo Rida featuring Ke$ha, and "Wavin' Flag" by K'naan. In October 2010, he released his debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans. Anchored by the worldwide number-one singles "Just the Way You Are" and "Grenade", the album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200.[2] Mars was nominated for seven Grammys at the 53rd Grammy Awards, winning Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Just the Way You Are".
Mars' music is noted for displaying a wide variety of styles and influences, and contains elements of many musical genres. He has worked with an assortment of artists from various genres. Mars acknowledges the influences that his collaborations have had on his own music. As a child, he was highly influenced by artists such as Little Richard,[3] Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson and would often impersonate these artists from a young age. Mars also incorporates reggae and Motown inspired sounds into his work. Jon Caramanica of The New York Times referred to Mars as "one of the most versatile and accessible singers in pop."[4] Worldwide, Mars became the best-selling digital artist in 2011. He had three singles in the top ten, including first place with "Just The Way You Are," which sold 12.5 million copies.[5] Mars won Best International Male Solo Artist at the BRIT Awards in 2012.[6] Bruno Mars has sold 5 million albums and 36 million singles worldwide.[7]
Contents |
Early life[link]
Bruno Mars was born Peter Gene Hernandez on October 8th, 1985, and raised in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii, by parents Pete Hernandez, of Puerto Rican descent, and Bernadette "Bernie," a Filipina.[8][9][10][11] His mother emigrated to Hawaii from the Philippines as a child and his father moved to the island from Brooklyn, New York.[12] Mars' parents met while performing in a show, where his mother was a hula dancer and his father played percussion.[12] At the age of two, he was nicknamed "Bruno" by his father, because of his resemblance to legendary professional wrestler Bruno Sammartino.[13]
Mars was one of six children and came from a musical family who exposed him to a diverse mix of reggae, rock, hip hop, and R&B.[14][15] In addition to being a dancer, his mother was a singer and his father used his musical ability to perform Little Richard rock n roll music.[3] Mars' uncle was an Elvis impersonator. By the age of three his uncle had Mars up on the stage performing. He also performed songs by artists such as Michael Jackson, The Isley Brothers, and The Temptations.[10] At age four, Mars began performing five days a week with his family's band, The Love Notes, in which he became known on the island for his impersonation of Presley.[16]
In 1990, Mars was featured in MidWeek as "Little Elvis", going on to have a cameo in the film Honeymoon in Vegas in 1992.[10][17] He later reflected on the influence Presley had on his music: "I watch the best. I'm a big fan of Elvis. I'm a big fan of 1950s Elvis when he would go on stage and scare people because he was a force and girls would go nuts! You can say the same thing for Prince or The Police. It's just guys who know that people are here to see a show, so I watch those guys and I love studying them because I'm a fan."[18] In 2010, he also acknowledged his Hawaiian roots and musical family as an influence, explaining, "Growing up in Hawaii made me the man I am. I used to do a lot of shows in Hawaii with my father's band. Everybody in my family sings, everyone plays instruments...I've just been surrounded by it."[19] In 2003, shortly after graduating from President Theodore Roosevelt High School at the age of seventeen, Mars moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue a musical career.[10][17] He adopted his stage name from the nickname his father gave him, adding "Mars" at the end because "I felt like I didn't have [any] pizzazz, and a lot of girls say I’m out of this world, so I was like I guess I'm from Mars."[20]
Career[link]
[edit] 2004–10: Career beginnings and It's Better If You Don't Understand
Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Mars signed to Motown Records in 2004, in a deal that "went nowhere".[21] However, Mars' experience with Motown proved to be beneficial to his career when he met songwriter and producer Philip Lawrence, who was also signed to the label. Mars, Lawrence, and engineer Ari Levine began writing songs together, and formed the production team The Smeezingtons.[21] In 2006, Lawrence introduced Mars to his future manager at Atlantic Records, Aaron Bay-Schuck.[22] After hearing him play a couple of songs on the guitar, Bay-Schuck wanted to sign him immediately, but it took about three years for Atlantic records to finally sign Mars to the label.[22] In the meantime, Bay-Schuck hired Mars and the Smeezingtons to write and produce songs for the label's artists.[22] According to Bay-Schuck in an interview with HitQuarters, Mars had stated that although his ultimate goal was to be a solo artist, he was willing to write and produce for other artists, both to help improve his songwriting and help him discover the type of artist he ultimately wanted to be.[22] Bay-Schuck credits this as a period of "self-discovery" that contributed significantly to Mars' later success.[22]
Before becoming a successful solo artist, Hernandez was an acknowledged music producer, writing songs for Alexandra Burke, Travie McCoy, Adam Levine, Brandy, Sean Kingston, and Flo Rida.[14][23] He also co-wrote the Sugababes' hit song "Get Sexy" and provided backing vocals on their album Sweet 7.[24][25] His first musical appearance as a singer was in Far East Movement's second studio album Animal, featured on the track "3D".[26] He was also featured on pastor and hip hop artist Jaeson Ma's debut single "Love" in August 2009.[27][28] He reached prominence as a solo artist after being featured on and co-writing B.o.B's "Nothin' on You" and Travie McCoy's "Billionaire"; both songs peaked within the top ten of many charts worldwide.[29][30][31][32] He said of them, "I think those songs weren't meant to be full-sung songs. If I'd sung all of "Nothin' on You", it might've sounded like some '90s R&B." Following this success, Mars released his debut extended play (EP), titled It's Better If You Don't Understand, on May 11, 2010.[33] The EP peaked at the 99th position on the Billboard 200 and produced one single, "The Other Side", featuring singers Cee Lo Green and B.o.B.[34][35] Mars collaborated with Green once more in August 2010 by co-writing his single "Fuck You!". He performed a medley of "Nothin' on You" and "Airplanes" with B.o.B and Hayley Williams at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010.[36]
[edit] 2010–present: Doo-Wops & Hooligans
Bruno Mars' debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, was released digitally on October 4, and saw its physical release on October 5, 2010.[37][38] The lead single, "Just the Way You Are", was released on July 19, 2010,[39] and has reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 as well as several other charts worldwide.[40][41] The music video was released on September 8, 2010.[42] The second single, "Grenade", was released September 28, 2010, and has also seen successful international chart performance.[43][44] In the United States, Doo-Wops & Hooligans debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 for the week of October 13, 2010, selling 55,000 copies.[2] The album also received generally positive reviews from critics. Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt praised Mars for his "instant-access melodies" and "sly snatches of dance-floor swagger", but noted weaknesses in songs deviant from his conventional pop and soul genres.[45] He opened for Maroon 5 on the fall leg of the Hands All Over Tour starting October 6, 2010 and co-headlined with McCoy on a European tour starting October 18, 2010.[38]
On September 19, 2010, Mars was arrested in Las Vegas for possession of cocaine.[46] When talking to a police officer, Mars reportedly stated that what he did was "foolish" and that "he has never used drugs before".[47][48] Mars pled guilty to felony drug possession, and in return for his plea, he was told that the charges would be erased from his criminal record as long as he stayed out of trouble for a year, paid a $2,000 fine, did 200 hours of community service and completed a drug counseling course.[49]
On February 13, 2011, Mars won his first Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, having received six nominations; Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Nothin' on You", Record of the Year for "Nothin' on You" and "Fuck You", Song of the Year for "Fuck You", and Producer of the Year, Non-Classical at the 53rd Grammy Awards.
On September 16, 2011, Bad Meets Evil released their single, "Lighters", which featured Mars in the song. The song was met with mixed reviews from critics and many criticized Mars for doing this type of song.[50] On September 22, 2011, it was announced on Mars' website that his new song "It Will Rain" will appear on The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack which was released on November 8.[51] On October 30, 2011, Mars gave an exclusive performance of "Runaway Baby" on the results show of The X Factor UK, the same day that Mars received six nominations for a Grammy Award; Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Grenade", and Producer of the Year, Non-Classical at the 54th Grammy Awards. During the ceremony, Mars performed "Runaway Baby" but he did not win any awards as Adele won in all the categories he was nominated in and also lost to Paul Epworth for Producer of the Year.
Mars has confirmed on Twitter that his work on his second album has begun.[52] On March 22, 2012, it was announced that Mars had signed a worldwide publishing deal with BMG Chrysalis US.[53]
Musical style[link]
Mars' music has been noted for displaying a wide variety of styles and influences, including pop,[55] rock,[55] reggae,[55] R&B,[56] soul,[45] and hip hop.[57] His co-producer Philip Lawrence says, "What people don't know is there's a darker underbelly to Bruno Mars." Mars himself says, "I blame that on me singing to girls back in high school."[58] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times called him "one of the most versatile and accessible singers in pop, with a light, soul-influenced voice that’s an easy fit in a range of styles, a universal donor."[4] Mars was initially influenced by R&B artists such as Keith Sweat, Jodeci and R. Kelly, as well as 1950s rock 'n' roll and Motown.[59] In high school, he began listening to classic rock groups such as The Police, Led Zeppelin, and the Beatles.[59] All of these genres of music have influenced Mars' musical style; he observed that "It’s not easy to [create] songs with that mixture of rock and soul and hip-hop, and there’s only a handful of them."[59] Mars also stated that he is a fan of Alicia Keys, Jessie J, Jack White and The Saturdays.[60]
In addition, Mars claims that his work with other artists influenced his musical style, saying that "'Nothin' on You' had a Motown vibe, 'Billionaire' was a reggae acoustic guitar-driven song, though one of my favorites is the Cee-Lo [Green] song ['Fuck You']. I don't think anyone else could've sung that song. And there's 'Just the Way You Are.' If you know my story, you know I love all different genres of music."[61] He cites doo-wop as a major influence on his music, referring to the genre as "just straightforward love songs – so charming and simple and romantic."[61] In addition, Mars states that growing up in Hawaii influenced his music, giving the songs a reggae sound. He explains that "In Hawaii some of the biggest radio stations are reggae. The local bands are heavily influenced by Bob Marley. That music brings people together. It's not urban music or pop music. It's just songs. That's what makes it cross over so well. The song comes first."[12] Lyrically, many of Mars' songs have been described as "feel-good", carefree, and optimistic,[62] however, darker subjects are addressed in songs such as "Grenade", "Liquor Store Blues", and "Talking to the Moon", which detail failed relationships and self-destructive behavior.[45][63]
Discography[link]
Main article: Bruno Mars discography
- Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010)
- TBA (2012)
Tours[link]
- Doo-Wops & Hooligans tour (2010–2011)
Awards and nominations[link]
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Bruno Mars
References[link]
- ^ De Castro, Cynthia (January 5, 2011). "Bruno Mars: The Fil-Am Artist with Universal Appeal". Asian Journal. AJ Press Los Angeles. http://www.asianjournal.com/aj-magazine/midweek-mgzn/8386-bruno-mars-the-fil-am-artist-with-universal-appeal.html. Retrieved January 7, 2011.
- ^ a b Caulfield, Keith (October 13, 2010). "Toby Keith's 'Gun' Fires at No. 1 on Billboard 200". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/news/toby-keith-s-gun-fires-at-no-1-on-billboard-1004120559.story. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
- ^ a b "Bruno Mars Interview – JustBrunoMars.com Exclusive". http://justbrunomars.com/bruno-mars/interviews/bruno-mars-interview-justbrunomars-com-exclusive/. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
- ^ a b Caramanica, Jon (October 5, 2010). "Bruno Mars in Ascension". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/arts/music/06mars.html. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
- ^ "Digital music report 2012". January 23, 2012. http://www.ifpi.org/content/library/DMR2012.pdf.
- ^ http://www.brunomars.com/forums/a2058a-brit-awards-2012-bruno-mars-wins-international-male-solo-artist/
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/features/bruno-mars-the-billboard-cover-story-1005277432.story#/features/bruno-mars-the-billboard-cover-story-1005277432.story
- ^ web|url=http://www.ascap.com/ace/search.cfm?requesttimeout=300&mode=results&searchstr=1687696&search_in=c&search_type=exact&search_det=t,s,w,p,b,v&results_pp=10&start=1%7Ctitle=ACE Title Search: Hernandez Peter Gene|publisher=American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers|accessdate=September 15, 2010}}
- ^ Jeffries, David. "Bruno Mars > Biography". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p1107691/biography. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Moniz, Melissa (April 14, 2010). "Starring Bruno Mars". MidWeek. Honolulu: Black Press. http://www.midweek.com/content/story/midweek_coverstory/Bruno_Mars_Nothin_On_You/. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- ^ Yi, David (October 12, 2010). "Bruno Mars, Far East Movement lead Asian-American pop music wave taking over the Billboard charts". Daily News. New York City. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2010/10/12/2010-10-12_bruno_mars_far_east_movement_lead_asianamerican_pop_music_wave_taking_over_the_b.html. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
- ^ a b c Farber, Jim (October 3, 2010). "Bruno Mars follows his summer of hits with a big debut album 'Doo-Wops & Hooligans'". Daily News. New York City. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2010/10/03/2010-10-03_bruno_mars_follows_his_summer_of_hits_with_a_big_debut_album_doowops__hooligans.html. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
- ^ Lewis, Pete. "Bruno Mars: Out of this World!". Blues & Soul. http://www.bluesandsoul.com/feature/593/bruno_mars_out_of_this_world/. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
- ^ a b Lester, Paul (September 13, 2010). "New band of the day: Bruno Mars (No 865)". The Guardian. UK. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/sep/13/new-band-bruno-mars. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- ^ "Bruno Mars and Phillip Lawrence". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. March 18, 2010. http://www.ascap.com/playback/2010/03/ACTION/Mars_Lawrence.aspx. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- ^ "Bruno Mars on Songwriting, Singing as a Tot, Working with Ne-Yo". Vibe. Vibe Media Group. October 4, 2010. http://www.vibe.com/content/bruno-mars-songwriting-singing-tot-working-neyo. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
- ^ a b "Bruno Mars gravitates toward a stellar solo career". USA Today. September 15, 2010. http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2010-09-16-brunomars16_ST_N.htm. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- ^ Gentry, Colin (September 22, 2010). "4Music.com meets Bruno Mars". 4Music. Box Television. http://www.4music.com/artist/bruno-mars/just-the-way-you-are-interview.html. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
- ^ "Greetings From Bruno Mars (YouTube video)". Elektra Records. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yWMJyNSIpM.
- ^ Cline, Georgette. "10 Questions for Bruno Mars". Rap-Up. Devin Lazerine. http://www.rap-up.com/2010/05/11/10-questions-for-bruno-mars/. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
- ^ a b Jones, Steve (January 25, 2011). "Bruno Mars' musical orbit seems inescapable". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2011-01-25-brunomars25_ST_N.htm. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e "Interview with Aaron Bay-Schuck". HitQuarters. December 13, 2010. http://www.hitquarters.com/index.php3?page=intrview/opar/intrview_AaronBaySchuck_int.html. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
- ^ Wete, Brad (April 13, 2010). "So who is Bruno Mars? A Q&A with the guy behind B.O.B's smash hit 'Nothin' On You'". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. http://music-mix.ew.com/2010/04/13/bruno-mars-qa/. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- ^ "Get Sexy". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. http://www.ascap.com/ace/search.cfm?requesttimeout=300&mode=results&searchstr=372437211&search_in=i&search_type=exact&search_det=t,s,w,p,b,v&results_pp=10&start=1. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- ^ Sweet 7 (CD booklet). Sugababes. Island Records. 2010.
- ^ "Animal by Far East Movement FM". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. http://itunes.apple.com/album/animal/id303539971. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- ^ "Jaeson Ma Releases New Single Glory" (Press release). PR Newswire. November 11, 2010. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jaeson-ma-releases-new-single-glory-107258648.html. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
- ^ "Love – Single". iTMS. http://itunes.apple.com/album/love-single/id328941719. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
- ^ "B.o.B feat. Bruno Mars – Nothin' on You (song)". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. http://www.australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=B.o.B+feat.+Bruno+Mars&titel=Nothin'+On+You&cat=s. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ^ "Travie McCoy feat. Bruno Mars – Billionaire (song)". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. http://www.australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Travie+McCoy+feat.+Bruno+Mars&titel=Billionaire&cat=s. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ^ "Bruno Mars: Top 75 Releases". The Official Charts Company. http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/BRUNO%20MARS/. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ^ Trust, Gary (December 2, 2010). "Weekly Chart Notes: P!nk, Bruno Mars, Band Perry". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/column/chartbeat/weekly-chart-notes-p-nk-bruno-mars-band-1004133464.story. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ^ "Bruno Mars Blasts Off Into the Top Ten Albums Chart on iTunes With New Digital EP; Acclaimed Singer/Songwriter/Producer Follows B.o.B's No. 1 Blockbuster, "Nothin' On You" With Much-Anticipated Solo Debut; Four-Song EP Features Guest Appearances From B.o.B and the Legendary Cee Lo Green; Major TV Performances Slated Throughout May; "IT'S BETTER IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND" Arrives at All Digital Retailers Today" (Press release). Marketwire. May 11, 2010. http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Bruno-Mars-Blasts-Off-Into-Top-Ten-Albums-Chart-on-iTunes-With-New-Digital-EP-Acclaimed-1258360.htm. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- ^ "Bruno Mars Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/bruno-mars/chart-history/1054629?f=305&g=Albums. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- ^ Rodriguez, Jayson (July 15, 2010). "Bruno Mars Shows His 'Darker' Self On 'The Other Side' Video". MTV News. MTV Networks. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1643751/20100715/bruno_mars.jhtml. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- ^ Dinh, James (September 13, 2010). "B.o.B, Hayley Williams Perform Rousing 'Airplanes' At VMAs". MTV News. MTV Networks. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1647679/20100913/bob_7_.jhtml. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- ^ "Doo-Wops & Hooligans". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Doo-Wops-Hooligans/dp/B0043ZDFEQ/. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
- ^ a b "Bruno Mars Unveils Eagerly Awaited Debut Album "DOO-WOPS & HOOLIGANS" Slated to Arrive October 5th; New Single "Just The Way You Are" Shaping Up as Massive Hit, With Top 3 Success on iTunes "Top Singles"; Sold-Out New York City Live Debut Set for Tonight, Followed by US Tour Alongside Maroon 5 in October" (Press release). Marketwire. August 25, 2010. http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Bruno-Mars-Unveils-Eagerly-Awaited-Debut-Album-DOO-WOPS-HOOLIGANS-Slated-Arrive-October-1309664.htm. Retrieved August 25, 2010.
- ^ "Bruno Mars Ready With New Solo Single; "Just The Way You Are" Drops July 20th, Heralding Hugely Anticipated Debut Album; Elektra Recording Artist and Acclaimed Singer/Songwriter/Producer to Join Maroon 5 and One Republic on Tour" (Press release). Marketwire. July 19, 2010. http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Bruno-Mars-Ready-With-New-Solo-Single-Just-The-Way-You-Are-Drops-July-20th-Heralding-1292460.htm. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- ^ Pietroluongo, Silvio (September 22, 2010). "Bruno Mars Lands Atop Hot 100, Rihanna Roars Into Top 10". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/news/bruno-mars-lands-atop-hot-100-rihanna-roars-1004115901.story. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
- ^ "Bruno Mars – Just the Way You Are (song)". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. http://www.australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Bruno+Mars&titel=Just+The+Way+You+Are&cat=s. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ^ Wete, Brad (September 8, 2010). "Bruno Mars wows his lady with cassette tape drawings in 'Just the Way You Are' video: Watch here". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. http://music-mix.ew.com/2010/09/08/bruno-mars-just-the-way-you-are-video/. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- ^ "Grenade – Single". iTunes Store Australia. Apple Inc. http://itunes.apple.com/au/album/grenade-single/id394582499. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ^ "Bruno Mars – Grenade (song)". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. http://www.australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Bruno+Mars&titel=Grenade&cat=s. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ^ a b c Greenblatt, Leah (September 29, 2010). "Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010)". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20430431,00.html. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
- ^ "Bruno Mars Arrested". TMZ.com. September 20, 2010. http://www.tmz.com/2010/09/20/bruno-mars-arrested-cocaine-mug-shot-las-vegas-singer-coke-possession/. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
- ^ "Bruno Mars – Sniffed Out by Bathroom Attendant". TMZ.com. September 20, 2010. http://www.tmz.com/2010/09/20/bruno-mars-arrested-cocaine-bathroom-attendant-hard-rock-hotel/. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
- ^ Black, Caroline (September 21, 2010}). "Bruno Mars Mug Shot: Singer Arrested in Las Vegas on Cocaine Charge". CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20017098-504083.html. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
- ^ "Bruno Mars Escapes Cocaine Charge". MTV News UK. February 5, 2011. http://www.mtv.co.uk/artists/bruno/news/256871-bruno-mars-escapes-cocaine-charge. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ Steven J. Horowitz (June 14, 2011). "Royce Da 5'9 Responds To "Lighters" Criticism". http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.15534/title.royce-da-59-responds-to-lighters-criticism.
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE ANNOUNCEMENT: New Bruno Mars single “It Will Rain”". BrunoMars.com. September 27, 2011. http://www.brunomars.com/news/7a50a7-exclusive-announcement-new-bruno-mars-single-it-will-rain/. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
- ^ https://twitter.com/#!/brunomars
- ^ Williams, Paul (March 22, 2012). "BMG Chrysalis captures Bruno Mars". Music Week. Music Week. http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=1048916&c=1. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
- ^ "Bruno Mars Steps Out Sobruary 4, 2011". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/news/bruno-mars-steps-out-solo-after-hitting-1004089204.story.
- ^ a b c Cohen, Sandy (October 4, 2010). "Music Review: Singer-songwriter-producer Bruno Mars shows range and pop flair on debut CD". The News. The Canadian Press. http://www.ngnews.ca/section/2010-10-04/article-1820062/Music-Review:-Singer-songwriter-producer-Bruno-Mars-shows-range-and-pop-flair-on-debut-CD/1. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ Mervis, Scott (October 7, 2010). "For the Record: Bruno Mars". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Block Communications. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10280/1093033-388.stm. Retrieved October 16, 2010.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (October 5, 2010). "Bruno Mars in Ascension". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/arts/music/06mars.html. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
- ^ Wood, Mikael (August 18, 2010). "Bruno Mars Is Not Soft". The Village Voice. Village Voice Media. http://www.villagevoice.com/2010-08-18/music/bruno-mars-is-not-soft/. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- ^ a b c "Bruno Mars On Damian Marley Track, Hip-Hop Influences, B.o.B.". Vibe. Vibe Media Group. October 4, 2010. http://www.vibe.com/content/bruno-mars-damian-marley-track-hiphop-influences-bob. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
- ^ Copsey, Robert (January 20, 2011). "Bruno Mars "in awe" of Alicia Keys". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a299096/bruno-mars-in-awe-of-alicia-keys.html. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
- ^ a b Johnson, Kevin C. (November 24, 2010). "Bruno Mars learned music biz by collaborating with big acts". STL Daily. STL Media Group. http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/music/article_b1db2769-06cc-5739-8104-03f294758410.html. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
- ^ Vick, Megan (August 6, 2010). "Bruno Mars, "Just the Way You Are"". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/new-releases/bruno-mars-just-the-way-you-are-1004108079.story. Retrieved October 16, 2010.
- ^ Toor, Amar (October 5, 2010). "Bruno Mars, 'Grenade' – New Song". AOL Radio Blog. AOL. http://www.aolradioblog.com/2010/10/05/bruno-mars-grenade/. Retrieved October 16, 2010.
External links[link]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bruno Mars |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Hernandez, Peter Gene |
| Alternative names | Bruno Mars |
| Short description | Pop singer |
| Date of birth | October 8, 1985 |
| Place of birth | Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Bruno_Mars
Related pages:
http://it.wn.com/Bruno Mars
http://cs.wn.com/Bruno Mars
http://id.wn.com/Bruno Mars
http://es.wn.com/Bruno Mars
http://ru.wn.com/Бруно Марс
http://nl.wn.com/Bruno Mars
http://pt.wn.com/Bruno Mars
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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruno_Mars
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
| Miles Kane | |
|---|---|
 Kane perfoming at the Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen in 2011 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Miles Kane |
| Born | (1986-03-17) 17 March 1986 (age 26) The Wirral, Merseyside, England |
| Genres | Indie rock, garage rock, Britpop, psychedelic rock, baroque pop, post-punk revival |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 2004–Present |
| Labels | Columbia Records UK (Solo Career) Domino (Last Shadow Puppets) |
| Associated acts | The Little Flames, The Rascals, The Last Shadow Puppets, Arctic Monkeys, Alex Turner, Eugene McGuinness |
| Website | mileskane.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| Gibson ES Fender Jaguar Fender Telecaster Gibson J-45 |
|
Miles Kane (born 17 March 1986) is an English musician originally from Meols on the Wirral, best known as the co-frontman of The Last Shadow Puppets and former frontman of The Rascals. He was formerly the vocalist and lead guitarist for The Rascals, but announced the band's break-up in August 2009. [1]
He is currently pursuing a solo career, and continues to be a part of his side-project The Last Shadow Puppets. His debut solo album, Colour of the Trap, was released on 9 May 2011.
Contents |
The Little Flames[link]
Aged 18, Kane joined The Little Flames later in 2008 as guitarist alongside Eva Petersen (Vocals), Greg Mighall (Drums), Joe Edwards (Bass) and Matt Gregory (Guitar) in December 2004. The band went on to be vaguely successful, achieving comparisons to The Coral and high profile fans such as the Arctic Monkeys. They also went on to tour with bands like The Coral, The Zutons, The Dead 60s and Arctic Monkeys. However, the band decided to go their separate ways.
The Rascals[link]
Kane, on vocals and lead guitar, was joined by Greg Mighall on drums and Joe Edwards on bass guitar and occasional backing vocals. Kane took on the main songwriting duties for the band. The band, who have known each other from childhood, continued where The Little Flames left off; they signed with Deltasonic Records again, only with fewer members this time. They were adamant to keep their own distinct sound of 'awesome rockin beats' with a 'psychedelic quirk' and a 'compelling and unique dark underlying spirit'1. They released their debut EP in December 2007, just 7 months after they got together. Entitled Out of Dreams it featured 4 tracks, but did not achieve chart success. Yet they soon became tipped to be one of the bands of 2008, championed in particular by NME, following a well received support slot on Arctic Monkeys' 2007 tour. Their first album 'Rascalize' was released on 23 June 2008. The Rascals have a small role in the film Awaydays playing an Echo & the Bunnymen cover. Miles also has several lines such as "Sorry, I have to help the guys with the gear."
The Last Shadow Puppets[link]
Whilst touring with the Arctic Monkeys, Kane developed a strong friendship with front man Alex Turner. They shared a love of the same musical influences, such as Nick Cave. The pair began to play together backstage, and soon began writing new tracks. They realized that there was a future in their songwriting partnership, and the Last Shadow Puppets were born.
The duo decided to travel to the West Coast of France with producer James Ford where they recorded their debut album The Age of the Understatement in just two weeks. Their album went straight to number 1 in the UK Album Charts with the single of the same name reaching number 1 in the Indie Single Charts, and subsequent singles also reaching high spots. They first played together live in the UK, doing a secret set at Glastonbury with a special guest appearance from Jack White, whom Kane lent his iPod to so White could learn the solo. The band's album narrowly missed out on the Nationwide Mercury Music Prize, but thus far they have won the Mojo Breakthrough Award, and have also been nominated for various other accolades.
Solo career[link]
In early 2009, after his last tour with The Rascals, Kane left the band to focus on a solo career. Inspired by a classic, smart 60s Mod theme he signed with Columbia Records[2] and began recording his solo album with Dan Carey and Dan the Automator, who had previously worked with Gorillaz and Kasabian.[3]
Kane's debut single, "Inhaler" was released on 22 November 2010, and he did a series of solo shows throughout November, as well as supporting The Courteeners at several shows in December. He then continued solo performances in January and February, before supporting Beady Eye at eight shows in March.[4] Kane released another single, "Come Closer" on 20 February 2011, reaching #85 on the UK Singles Chart.[5]
"Rearrange", the lead single for his debut album, was released on 27 March 2011 and reached #149 on the UK Singles Chart.[6] The album, titled Colour of the Trap, was released on 9 May 2011.[7][8] One track, "My Fantasy" features backing vocals from Noel Gallagher,[9] while another, "Happenstance" is a duet between Kane and French actress Clémence Poésy.[10] Half of the tracks on the album were co-written by Alex Turner, Kane's partner in The Last Shadow Puppets.
Kane supported Arctic Monkeys for two shows in Sheffield in June 2011. As well as being their support act on their Australian tour of January 2012. [11]
It was also announced on the 19th of October 2011 that Kane is to support Kasabian on their UK tour in December 2011.
Band members[link]
The live band include Ben Parsons, Phil Anderson, Jay Sharrock (whose father is Chris Sharrock, former The Icicle Works, The La's, Robbie Williams and Oasis (2008–2009) drummer and the current drummer in Beady Eye) and George Moran. Singer-songwriter, Eugene McGuinness was formerly a member. He left the band to continue with his own career.
- Jay Sharrock – drums
- Ben Parsons – keyboards
- Phill Anderson – bass guitar
- George Moran – rhythm guitar/vocals
Former Members
- Eugene McGuinness – vocals/rhythm guitar[12]
Discography[link]
Note: This only includes artist's solo career, not other projects such as The Last Shadow Puppets or The Rascals.
Studio Albums[link]
| Album Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [13] |
BEL (VL) [14] |
BEL (WAL) [15] |
NED [16] |
FRA [17] |
SWI [18] |
||
| Colour of the Trap |
|
11 | 35 | 27 | 61 | 38 | 76 |
EPs[link]
| EP Title | EP details | Peak UK Chart Position (If released as a single too) |
|---|---|---|
| Live at iTunes Festival: London 2011 | * Released: 6 July 2011
|
N/A |
| First of My Kind | * Released: 21 April 2012 (Vinyl), 22 April 2012 (digital download)
|
65 |
Singles[link]
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [19] |
BEL (VL) [14] |
BEL (WAL) [15] |
FRA [17] |
|||
| 2010 | "Inhaler" | 171 | — | — | — | Colour of the Trap |
| 2011 | "Come Closer" | 85 | — | 23 | 75 | |
| "Rearrange" | 149 | 3 | 29 | — | ||
References[link]
- ^ "teletext.co.uk". http://www.teletext.co.uk/planetsound/news/027b818261992950296927c0b22d37da/Rascals+singer+quits.aspx.
- ^ Ed Power (November 19 2010). "Q&A: Last shadow puppets' miles kane". Irish Independent. http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/day-and-night/qanda-last-shadow-puppets-miles-kane-2427365.html. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
- ^ Greg Cochrane, Dan Cairns (6 December 2010). "Miles Kane: New album was 'emotional'". BBC Newsbeat. http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/11912125. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
- ^ "Miles Kane to support Beady Eye". http://www.musicrooms.net/alternative/24422-miles-kane-to-support-beady-eye.html. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
- ^ "Chart Stats – Miles Kane – Come Closer". Chart Stats. http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=49980. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ^ "CHART LOG UK: NEW ENTRIES UPDATE". Chart Log UK. http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/110514cluk.txt. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ^ "Interview with Nick Grimshaw 23/11/10". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svLNsaAXq8c. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
- ^ "Columbia Records News – New Single – Come Closer". http://www.columbia.co.uk/news/19132/0/. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
- ^ "Miles Kane reveals new Noel Gallagher album collaborations". NME. http://www.nme.com/news/miles-kane/53970. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ^ "Miles Kane: Clemence is my Bardot". Belfast Telegraph. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/news/miles-kane-clemence-is-my-bardot-15150355.html. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ^ "Miles Kane to support Arctic Monkeys at Sheffield gigs!". Miles Kane.org. http://mileskane.org/2011/02/miles-kane-to-support-arctic-monkeys-at-sheffield-gigs/. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ^ "Stereoboard.com – Tour News – Miles Kane". http://www.stereoboard.com/content/view/162574/121. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
- ^ "Chart Stats – Miles Kane – Colour Of The Trap". Chart Stats. http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=50254. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
- ^ a b "Eric Saade – Belgium (Flanders) Charts". ultratop.be/nl/ Hung Medien. http://www.ultratop.be/nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Miles+Kane.
- ^ a b "Eric Saade – Belgium (Wallonia) Charts". ultratop.be/fr/ Hung Medien. http://www.ultratop.be/fr/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Miles+Kane.
- ^ "Eric Saade – Dutch Charts". dutchcharts.nl/ Hung Medien. http://dutchcharts.nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Miles+Kane.
- ^ a b "Eric Saade – French Charts". lescharts.com/ Hung Medien. http://lescharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Miles+Kane.
- ^ "Eric Saade – Swiss Charts". lescharts.com/ Hung Medien. http://hitparade.ch/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Miles+Kane.
- ^ Peak positions for singles in the UK:
External links[link]
|
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Miles Kane |
- Official website
- Miles Kane on Twitter
- Miles Kane on Facebook
- Miles Kane.org Fansite
- Miles Kane Forum
|
||||||||||||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Kane, Miles |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | English musician |
| Date of birth | 17 March 1986 |
| Place of birth | The Wirral, Merseyside, England |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Miles_Kane
Related pages:
http://ru.wn.com/Кейн, Майлз
http://fr.wn.com/Miles Kane
http://nl.wn.com/Miles Kane
http://pt.wn.com/Miles Kane
http://de.wn.com/Miles Kane
http://it.wn.com/Miles Kane
http://pl.wn.com/Miles Kane
http://es.wn.com/Miles Kane
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Kane
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
