Berkshire

The great English poet, painter and visionary, William Blake, is said to have seen angels in the trees on Hampstead Heath, and was surprised that others could not. Stanley Spencer, another English visionary painter, may not have seen them but he certainly 'peopled many of his paintings with angels, and with other biblical figures, all pictured in and around the streets and fields of his home at Cookham, in the delightful county of Berkshire. Whilst other artists would not necessarily see with Spencer's eye, there is no doubt that they would all find a great deal to occupy them in a county that is as varied as any in England.

The ancient tracks of the Icknield Way and Ridge Way cross the lovely Berkshire Downs and give some indication of how far back in antiquity people must have lived in the area. This is further exemplified by the great Iron Age fort of Segbury Camp and the numerous barrows and mounds that are to be found in the county. Later travelers, intent on hauling heavier loads than they could by track or road, used the waters of the Kennet and Avon Canal for this purpose until it fell into disuse, as did so many other canals all over the country. Barges do however, still sail on it today but now they carry trippers and holiday makers.

Berkshire is full of fascination and nowhere is this more apparent than at Uffington. Cut into the chalk of a hillside near the village may be seen the huge stylized figure of the famous White Horse. The origins of this strange figure, between three hundred and fifty and four hundred feet in length, are still a cause of argument.

It is no surprise, in a land that has such a long history, to find associations with famous people in almost every corner of it. Berkshire is no exception and many noted families have built their country houses within its borders. It would generally be agreed, however, that no country home could have more celebrated occupants than the castle on the banks of the Thames at Windsor! This, the largest castle in England, first became a royal home during the reign of Henry 1, although it was founded some years earlier by his father, William the Conqueror.