Bracknell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bracknell |
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Clockwise from top: Skyline of Bracknell, Holy Trinity Church, Market Street and shops, Lily Hill Park and the Lexicon |
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 Bracknell
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| Population | 113,205 (2021 Census) |
| OS grid reference | SU870693 |
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| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BRACKNELL |
| Postcode district | RG12, RG42 |
| Dialling code | 01344 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Royal Berkshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament |
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Bracknell is a town in Berkshire, England. It is the main town of the Bracknell Forest area. Bracknell is about 11 miles (18 km) east of Reading and 25 miles (40 km) west of central London. It is the third largest town in Berkshire.
The name Bracknell comes from an old Saxon name, Braccan Heal. This name was first written down in 942 AD. In the Middle Ages, Bracknell was two small market villages. By the 1800s, they had joined to become one market town. It was known for making bricks.
After World War II, Bracknell grew very quickly. It was named a "New Town" in 1949. It was first planned for 25,000 people. Later, it was expanded for 45,000 people. Today, Bracknell Forest has about 113,205 people (2021). The town is now a busy business hub. It is part of the "Silicon Thames Valley." Many technology companies have their UK offices here.
Bracknell is next to Swinley Forest and Crowthorne Woods. Nearby villages like Binfield, Warfield, and Winkfield are slowly becoming part of Bracknell. To the east, Bracknell joins up with Ascot. This creates a continuous urban area that stretches towards London.
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Bracknell's Story: A Look Back
The name Bracknell first appeared in 942 AD. It might mean "nook of land belonging to a man called Bracca." An old name for the town, Brakenhale, is still used for one of its schools. The town now covers the old village of Easthampstead.
There is an ancient burial mound from the Bronze Age at Bill Hill. Easthampstead Park was a favorite hunting spot for kings and queens. Catherine of Aragon stayed there for a time.
To the northeast, in Quelm Park, you can find the Quelm Stone. This is a large standing stone. To the southwest, near Crowthorne, is Caesar's Camp. This was an Iron Age hill fort.
One of the oldest buildings is the 'Old Manor' public house. It's a 17th-century brick manor house. It even has secret hiding places called "priest holes." Next door, the 'Hind's Head' inn used to stand. People say the famous highwayman Dick Turpin drank there.
The oldest church is St Michael and St Mary Magdalene in Easthampstead. There has been a church there since Saxon times. The current building is from the mid-1800s. Holy Trinity Church, closer to the town centre, was built in 1851.
Becoming a New Town
Bracknell was chosen as a "new town" on June 17, 1949. This happened after World War II. It was a small market town back then. Not much of the original Bracknell is left today. The location was picked because it was on a railway line. Also, it didn't use up good farming land.
The new town was planned for 25,000 people. It was meant to cover over 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres). This included 'Old Bracknell' and areas like Priestwood and Easthampstead. The existing town centre and factories were kept. New industries were brought in to create jobs. The town has grown much bigger than planned.
The New Town was designed with neighborhoods. Each neighborhood had about 10,000 people. They had a church, shops, a primary school, and a community centre. The plans also included walkways for people, a ring road around the town centre, and separate areas for homes and factories.
Some areas have unique street names. For example, in Birch Hill and Great Hollands, streets just have names like 'Frobisher' or 'Juniper'. They don't have 'Road' or 'Avenue' after them.
Bracknell's Modern Makeover
Bracknell is an older "New Town." So, in 1995, local leaders decided it needed an update. Plans were made to rebuild parts of the town. Work was supposed to start in 2008. But it was delayed due to money problems around the world. The project was estimated to cost £750 million.
The makeover would bring new services and a completely new town centre. It would also add 1,000 new homes. Plus, there would be new police and bus stations.
The first part of the project started in 2011. A new Waitrose store opened then. By 2013, old shops in Broadway and Crossway were empty. Demolition of the old town centre began in September 2013. Construction of the new centre started in February 2015.
On September 4, 2015, the new area was named The Lexicon. It opened on September 7, 2017. The Lexicon has 600,000 square feet of new shops. It also has a 12-screen cinema and many restaurants. There are 1,300 parking spaces. The bus station was also improved in 2015.
The Lexicon project has won awards. It won Gold at the Revo Awards in 2018. It also won Development of the Year at the 2018 Thames Valley Property Awards. The town saw many more visitors after it opened. Visitor numbers went from 4-5 million to 16 million in the first year. The town centre's shopping rank rose from 255 to 33. By January 2019, it was ranked 29th.
Another shopping area is the Peel Centre. It has shops like The Range and Sports Direct. The Peel Centre also has a leisure area called The Point. This includes an Odeon cinema with 10 screens and a bowling alley.
Bracknell is the first "New Town" to have its centre completely rebuilt. It is a great example of modern development.
Who Lives in Bracknell?
In 2018, about 121,676 people lived in Bracknell Forest.
The 2011 Census showed some interesting facts:
- Most people (94%) in Bracknell speak English.
- Other languages spoken include Nepalese (0.90%), Polish (0.70%), and Tagalog/Filipino (0.30%). French and Spanish are also spoken (0.30% each).
- About 61% of residents are Christian.
- The second largest group (35%) said they had no religion.
- Hinduism is the third most common belief (1.61%). Islam (1.13%) and Buddhism (0.73%) follow.
A person from Bracknell is called a Bracknellian.
Bracknell's Businesses
Many big companies have offices in Bracknell. These include 3M, Panasonic, Egnyte, Fujitsu, Dell, HP Inc., Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Micron Technology, Siemens, Riverbed, Honeywell, and Honda.
The head office of Waitrose is in the Southern Industrial Area. This large site also has their main distribution centre. Waitrose has been in Bracknell since the 1970s. Their new store opened in the town centre in 2011.
Many factories have closed since the 1980s. For example, the Thomas Lawrence brickworks used to be here. They were famous for special 'red rubber' bricks. These bricks were used in places like the Royal Albert Hall and Westminster Cathedral. They were also used to fix 10 Downing Street and Hampton Court Palace.
The Met Office (the UK's weather service) had a big office here until 2003. They moved to Exeter. But a roundabout in Bracknell is still named the "Met Office Roundabout." Many businesses are located in the town's three industrial areas.
Easthampstead Park is in the southern part of town. It used to be a conference centre. In 2019, it became a hotel.
Bracknell's Location and Layout
The town of Bracknell covers areas that were once separate villages. These include Easthampstead, Warfield, Binfield, and Winkfield. The town centre is just north of the railway station. It has pedestrian-only shopping areas like Princess Square and The Lexicon. There are also "out-of-town" shops, a cinema, and a bowling alley at the Peel Centre.
To the west are the Western and Southern industrial estates. These are on either side of the railway line. There are many housing areas, some old and some new. The oldest are Priestwood and Easthampstead village.
A new housing area called Jennett's Park was built starting in 2007. There are large ponds at Farley Wood and Easthampstead Mill Pond. There are also two lakes at South Hill Park. The Bull Brook river appears above ground in the Bullbrook area.
Arts and Fun in Bracknell
In the south of town is South Hill Park. This is a large mansion from 1760. It is now a big arts centre. The Wilde Theatre opened here in 1984. It was named after Oscar Wilde. He created a character called 'Lady Bracknell' in his play The Importance of Being Earnest. This play was the first one shown at the theatre.
South Hill Park has hosted many music festivals over the years:
- The Bracknell Jazz Festival (1975 – 1990s)
- The Bracknell Folk Festival (1970s – 1980s)
- The Womad Festival (1988)
- The Big Day Out festival (2000s – 2013), a free world music and folk festival.
Bracknell has been used for filming many TV shows and movies.
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was filmed in Martins Heron.
- Time Bandits was filmed in Birch Hill.
- The TV detective series Pie in the Sky called Bracknell 'Laxton'.
- Buddy's Song (1991) also featured Bracknell.
- The Offence (1972), a thriller with Sean Connery, was filmed in the town centre.
- The movie Villain (1971) had a scene filmed on the Southern Industrial Estate.
- The PlayStation 3 video game Resistance: Fall of Man is set in Bracknell.
- The BBC show The Wrong Mans is almost entirely set in Bracknell.
The actress Dani Harmer, from Tracy Beaker, grew up in Bracknell.
Artist Kerry Lemon created special artworks for The Lexicon. Her work includes:
- 36 unique botanical paving slabs.
- 15 lights that project moth drawings onto the ground.
- 5 benches shaped like birch leaves with brass insects.
Sister City
Bracknell is twinned with Leverkusen in Germany. This partnership started in 1973. Each town has a square named after the other. Leverkusen even has a pub called 'Bracknellstube'.
Local News and Media
Local news and TV are provided by BBC South & ITV Meridian. You can also get BBC London and ITV London. Local radio stations include BBC Radio Berkshire and Heart Thames Valley. Local newspapers are the Reading Chronicle and Bracknell News.
Getting Around Bracknell
Trains
Bracknell has two train stations: Bracknell and Martins Heron. Both are on the Waterloo to Reading Line. This line is run by South Western Railway. Many people who live in Bracknell travel by train. They go west to Reading or east to London Waterloo.
Roads
The town has good road connections. It is at the end of the A329(M) motorway. This is between Junction 3 of the M3 and Junction 10 of the M4 motorways.
Buses
Bracknell bus station is in the town centre. It is across the road from Bracknell railway station. Bus services go from Bracknell to places like Crowthorne, Camberley, Wokingham, Reading, Maidenhead, Windsor, and Slough. Local bus services are run by Thames Valley Buses and Reading Buses. They also offer Green Line services to London Victoria and Heathrow Airport.
Air Travel
Heathrow Airport is about 13 miles (21 km) east of Bracknell. You can get there by train from Bracknell station. Green Line also runs a bus from Heathrow to Bracknell.
Sports and Fun Activities
Bracknell Town F.C. is a football club. They play their home games at Bottom Meadow in Sandhurst. The Bracknell Bees Ice Hockey Club used to be national champions. They play in the NIHL National League. The Bracknell Blazers were the 2009 British Baseball Federation champions. The town also has teams for rugby, hockey, and cricket.
Bracknell has a large leisure centre called the Bracknell Leisure Centre. There is also the Coral Reef Water Park. You can find a golf course called the Downshire Golf Complex. There are two tennis clubs: Bracknell Lawn Tennis Club and Esporta. The Look Out Discovery Centre has 2,600 acres (1,050 hectares) of woodland.
Many groups for young people are active here. These include the Army Cadet Force and the Air Training Corps. There are also Saint John Ambulance Cadets.
Learning in Bracknell
Bracknell has several schools. These include St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, The Brakenhale School, Garth Hill College, King's Academy Easthampstead Park, and Ranelagh Church of England School. Bracknell and Wokingham College offers further education.
The Silwood Park campus of Imperial College London is about 5 miles (8 km) east of Bracknell. The University of Reading is 8 miles (13 km) northwest. Royal Holloway College is 8 miles (13 km) east.
Famous People from Bracknell
- Dani Harmer – an actress who starred in The Story of Tracy Beaker.
- John Nike – a local businessman known for leisure and hotel businesses.
See also
In Spanish: Bracknell para niños
