Biscuitmen to Royals...

[Mr Angry]

Another book you may want to try Seahawk is "More than a job?" by Roger Titford and Eamon Dunphy, based on Dunphy's newspaper column in the Evening Post for the 1975/76 season; if you can get it, there is a famous picture on the back cover - stunned Tranmere players, Reading players wheeling away in joyous amazement, and Clive Thomas, the ref, holding his head in his hands in sheer wonderment, all at, what is commonly agreed to be the greatest ever goal scored by a Reading player....

.....whilst the book is about Reading FC, to be honest it could be about just about any lower league team from about 1958 to 1988; but it does put into perspective how very different things were a Generation ago.

[brendywendy]

We're not Berkshire FC. We're Reading FC. I've always hated "Royals".

Maybe it's time the papers asked us to come up with another name, though, to be honest, nothing springs to mind. The town is becoming too diverse to sum it up in one word.

But we are the capital of Berkshire and the only professional club in Berkshire. So by default we are Berkshire!

How can we be the capital of a county that only exists for 'ceremonial' reasons. Berkshire is deader than Exmouth on a wet Monday night in winter.

ay?

berkshire is only exists as a ceremonial county?

what?

[1960]

Yes, first of all the bastard Tories took the north of Berkshire away and gave it to Oxfordshire and gave us Slough in return. Some exchange. Then they decided that County Councils had too much power, so broke all the Counties up into unitary authorities and town boroughs (eg Bracknell Forest). Divide and rule. Make all the councils so small that they couldn't harm the government.

So yes, Berkshire is a county only in name.

[brendywendy]

Yes, first of all the bastard Tories took the north of Berkshire away and gave it to Oxfordshire and gave us Slough in return. Some exchange. Then they decided that County Councils had too much power, so broke all the Counties up into unitary authorities and town boroughs (eg Bracknell Forest). Divide and rule. Make all the councils so small that they couldn't harm the government.

So yes, Berkshire is a county only in name.

does that not apply to all counties?

[windjammer]

Yes, first of all the bastard Tories took the north of Berkshire away and gave it to Oxfordshire and gave us Slough in return. Some exchange. Then they decided that County Councils had too much power, so broke all the Counties up into unitary authorities and town boroughs (eg Bracknell Forest). Divide and rule. Make all the councils so small that they couldn't harm the government.

So yes, Berkshire is a county only in name.

"Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough", John Betjeman wasn't it? Never was a truer word..... On the subject of nicknames how about "The Cheesegraters" as in the wonderful Oracle as viewed from the IDR. Or the "Old recycling centres" as the MadStad rests on top of it. Moreover if Millwall could move to the New Den why can't we have a New Elm Park for when JM sells up to some Icelandics/ Russians/Thais/Iranians. If they bought us their names wouldn't fit on the seats.

[Mr Angry]

Yes, first of all the bastard Tories took the north of Berkshire away and gave it to Oxfordshire and gave us Slough in return. Some exchange. Then they decided that County Councils had too much power, so broke all the Counties up into unitary authorities and town boroughs (eg Bracknell Forest). Divide and rule. Make all the councils so small that they couldn't harm the government.

So yes, Berkshire is a county only in name.

"Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough", John Betjeman wasn't it? Never was a truer word..... On the subject of nicknames how about "The Cheesegraters" as in the wonderful Oracle as viewed from the IDR. Or the "Old recycling centres" as the MadStad rests on top of it. Moreover if Millwall could move to the New Den why can't we have a New Elm Park for when JM sells up to some Icelandics/ Russians/Thais/Iranians. If they bought us their names wouldn't fit on the seats.

Cos he would only sell the football club; he would still own the stadium and hotel.

He would loan the stadium out to the new owners of the football club, so it would remain The Mad Stad.

[1960]

Yes, first of all the bastard Tories took the north of Berkshire away and gave it to Oxfordshire and gave us Slough in return. Some exchange. Then they decided that County Councils had too much power, so broke all the Counties up into unitary authorities and town boroughs (eg Bracknell Forest). Divide and rule. Make all the councils so small that they couldn't harm the government.

So yes, Berkshire is a county only in name.

does that not apply to all counties?

Yes, but I'm proud of being from Berkshire. I'm not bothered about other counties.

[brendywendy]

Yes, first of all the bastard Tories took the north of Berkshire away and gave it to Oxfordshire and gave us Slough in return. Some exchange. Then they decided that County Councils had too much power, so broke all the Counties up into unitary authorities and town boroughs (eg Bracknell Forest). Divide and rule. Make all the councils so small that they couldn't harm the government.

So yes, Berkshire is a county only in name.

does that not apply to all counties?

Yes, but I'm proud of being from Berkshire. I'm not bothered about other counties.

but you are still from berkshire

berkshire still exists

it is just split into smaller authourities

no one said london no longer exists when split into boroughs

[Duke the Dog]

Berkshire is like Middlesex (and various other long-forgotten minor Welsh counties like er, Monmouthshire - i can't remember the others ), it only exists on the map or as sporting associations (eg Berkshire CC).

As an administrative entity is doesn't exist. You try and find a road sign that says "Welcome to Berkshire"! - Someone'll bloody find one now won't they!

[brendywendy]

im off to drive around the border and find one,
1 doctored picture coming up

[Polyethylene]

How about The Gerrymanderers?

[1960]

Berkshire is like Middlesex (and various other long-forgotten minor Welsh counties like er, Monmouthshire - i can't remember the others ), it only exists on the map or as sporting associations (eg Berkshire CC).

As an administrative entity is doesn't exist. You try and find a road sign that says "Welcome to Berkshire"! - Someone'll bloody find one now won't they!

A329 from Virginia Water towards Ascot. Welcome to the Royal County of Berkshire. This sign has been there a few years though. It could date back to the good old days.

[zac naloen]

There's a sign on the A33...

coming up from hampshire IIRC.

[SWLR]

Travelling west along the M4 there is a sign that reads:

'Civilisation ends here'

Although in the local tongue it is pronounced 'welcome to Swindon'.

[bobby m's syrup]

Many of the shire counties still exist. Oxfordshire for example and Norfolk. (Both Norwich and Oxford lack Unitary Authority status).

There are still plenty of signs on the former Berkshire borders, but they are strictly speaking, pointers back to the days when Royal Berkshire was administered from Shire Hall in Reading.

The unitary authority route is being mooted as a model for the whole of England. There are fears in Gloucestershire, that the current county make up will be lost to 3 or 4 mega councils. Now if they could only loose Gloucester....

[Behindu]

Berkshire still exists - the council is just one facet and just because that has gone it doesn't mean the county is defunct....

[brendywendy]

Berkshire still exists - the council is just one facet and just because that has gone it doesn't mean the county is defunct....

thats what i was trying (and failing) to say

[SpaceCruiser]

As an administrative entity is doesn't exist. You try and find a road sign that says "Welcome to Berkshire"! - Someone'll bloody find one now won't they!

I'm sure that there is one on the M4 just before the Membury services.

[brendywendy]

if it no longer exists, what county sits to the north of surrey and hants?
they havent changed the name, id have been told

middlesex is different, it actually doesnt exist anymore, unlike berkshire

[ScottishRoyal]

Berkshire is like Middlesex (and various other long-forgotten minor Welsh counties like er, Monmouthshire - i can't remember the others ), it only exists on the map or as sporting associations (eg Berkshire CC).

As an administrative entity is doesn't exist. You try and find a road sign that says "Welcome to Berkshire"! - Someone'll bloody find one now won't they!

I presume you've never left the county, there's a welcome to Royal Berkshire sign on all the main roads in