The Royal County – it’s a special label for a place that has a regal history that goes all the way back to William the Conqueror almost 1,000 years ago. Berkshire is rightly proud of Windsor Castle, Reading Abbey, Frogmore House and the battle sites of the Civil War. But for me there’s something every bit as fascinating, magnificent and historic as the Kings and Queens of England – step forward the Berkshire pig!
They’re handsome, big-eared beauties with a coat that’s the same colour as a decent pint of Guinness and six distinctive white points (snout, feet and tail). This marvellous creature is a British rare breed and one of more than a hundred varieties of old, traditional farm livestock, which are as much a part of the landscape and heritage of the British Isles as the highest hills, the greenest valleys and the oldest oak trees.
From Exmoor ponies and Suffolk Punch horses to Gloucester cattle and Golden Guernsey goats, every breed evolved, or was developed, to suit its particular surroundings or the needs of the local farmers and traders. So we get small, wiry agile sheep in rocky windswept Shetland but big, flamboyant longwool sheep lazily grazing the meadows of Lincolnshire and Leicestershire. I’ve been busy collecting the stories of these remarkable animals for a brand new book, A Breed Apart: My Adventures with Britain’s Rare Breeds.
The book follows my journey around the British Isles as I recount tall tales and true testimony about these unique, resourceful and characterful creatures. I’ve devoted a large section to Berkshire, but the whole story begins and ends at home.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 2019 من Berkshire Life.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 2019 من Berkshire Life.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
A Home For Keeps - Reader At Home
Alex and James Fielden were looking for a forever home. Their search ended as soon as they pulled up outside this Georgian property in Berkshire
Duke & Duchess Of Berkshire?
They are the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge but should they really be the Duke and Duchess of Berkshire, which is, of course, a Royal county?
A national hero
He started out like many other children born in Reading, but mention Justin Fletcher to any kid in the land these days and their eyes will light up
Fruitful thinking
Ryan Simpson believes the world is our orchard. A project that began over a pint in his local is making the county more fruity
THE BERKSHIRE BOMBSHELL
Berkshire has had more than its fair share of famous inhabitants. However, few had such an explosive reputation as Diana Dors
“I'll always be a Berkshire girl”
Despite her international acclaim as the star of TV’s Tracy Beaker, Dani Harmer has never strayed far from her roots
Remembering the fallen
The most destructive war in human history lasted for six years and cost 60 million lives, the majority non-combatants. It is easy to understand why those who had survived wanted to celebrate the end of that conflict
HIDDEN WONDERS
Berkshire photographer Matt Emmett has made it his mission to explore the forgotten architecture and heritage many people miss in their home towns
EXPLORING BERKSHIRE - Majestic Maidenhead
Rejuvenation and revival; two buzz words surrounding the biggest town in the Royal borough. With riverside views and a vibrant arts and dining out scene, this high-class town is well worth a look
A good grounding
Berkshire has some of the best homes in the land, so perhaps it is no coincidence that the nation’s favourite property guru went to school in Wokingham