Berkshire Historical Facts

When King Stephen, who was holding John Marshal's young son 'William' hostage outside the besieged Newbury Castle, sent word that if John did not surrender he would hang the young boy, John responded by saying that he did not care about the child, since he still had the anvils and hammers to produce even finer sons! However, the king could not bring himself to harm the boy (who was just 5 yrs old), and the young William Marshal would live and grow up to become England's Greatest ever Knight.

In a layby along the A4 Bath Rd, near Aldermaston Wharf, Berkshire is where on March 2, 1919 the AA opened Britain's first roadside petrol station.

The iconic WW2 photo of US General Eisenhower talking to the paratroops on the eve of D-Day was taken at Greenham Common air base, near Newbury, Berkshire.

Thatcham in Berkshire was claimed to be the oldest town in Britain until recently when it was surpassed by Amesbury in Wiltshire. There is evidence that people settled in Thatcham during the Mesolithic Age (10,000BC - 4,000BC).