West Berkshire
§ This page gives an overview of the West Berkshire local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ West Berkshire is a largely rural district stretching across the North Wessex Downs AONB, with rolling chalk hills, woodlands, and river valleys. Newbury is the main town, with its racecourse, canal, and historic streets, while Hungerford and Thatcham add market town character. The River Kennet and Kennet and Avon Canal run through, alongside farmland, meadows, and estates. Villages with historic cottages and churches dot the countryside, creating a mix of scenic landscapes and traditional settlements.
The administrative boundary of West Berkshire can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of West Berkshire.
Key Facts about West Berkshire
What region is West Berkshire in? West Berkshire is in the South East of England, a region within the UK.
What county is West Berkshire in? West Berkshire is in the county of Berkshire.
Is West Berkshire a city? No, West Berkshire is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs West Berkshire? The local government for this district is: West Berkshire Council (Unitary Authority).
▶ Official website of West Berkshire Council 🔗 westberks.gov.uk
Which police force covers West Berkshire? Policing in West Berkshire is provided by Thames Valley Police 🔗 thamesvalley.police.uk, which serves 13 local authority districts: Bracknell Forest ⁞ Buckinghamshire ⁞ Cherwell ⁞ Milton Keynes ⁞ Oxford ⁞ Reading ⁞ Slough ⁞ South Oxfordshire ⁞ Vale of White Horse ⁞ West Berkshire ⁞ West Oxfordshire ⁞ Windsor and Maidenhead ⁞ Wokingham.
Constituencies in West Berkshire
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in West Berkshire
West Berkshire is divided into 24 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Aldermaston
- Basildon
- Bradfield
- Bucklebury
- Burghfield & Mortimer
- Chieveley & Cold Ash
- Downlands
- Hungerford & Kintbury
- Lambourn
- Newbury Central
- Newbury Clay Hill
- Newbury Greenham
- Newbury Speen
- Newbury Wash Common
- Pangbourne
- Ridgeway
- Thatcham Central
- Thatcham Colthrop & Crookham
- Thatcham North East
- Thatcham West
- Theale
- Tilehurst & Purley
- Tilehurst Birch Copse
- Tilehurst South & Holybrook
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in West Berkshire
West Berkshire is fully parished: 63 civil parishes, listed A-Z below.
- Aldermaston
- Aldworth
- Ashampstead
- Basildon
- Beech Hill
- Beedon
- Beenham
- Boxford
- Bradfield
- Brightwalton
- Brimpton
- Bucklebury
- Burghfield
- Catmore
- Chaddleworth
- Chieveley
- Cold Ash
- Combe
- Compton
- East Garston
- East Ilsley
- Enborne
- Englefield
- Farnborough
- Fawley
- Frilsham
- Great Shefford
- Greenham
- Hampstead Marshall
- Hampstead Norreys
- Hermitage
- Holybrook
- Hungerford
- Inkpen
- Kintbury
- Lambourn
- Leckhampstead
- Midgham
- Newbury
- Padworth
- Pangbourne
- Peasemore
- Purley on Thames
- Shaw cum Donnington
- Speen
- Stanford Dingley
- Stratfield Mortimer
- Streatley
- Sulham
- Sulhamstead
- Thatcham
- Theale
- Tidmarsh
- Tilehurst
- Ufton Nervet
- Wasing
- Welford
- West Ilsley
- West Woodhay
- Winterbourne
- Wokefield
- Woolhampton
- Yattendon
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
Built-up Areas in West Berkshire
West Berkshire covers 55 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Aldermaston
- Aldermaston Wharf
- Ashmore Green
- Ball Hill *
- Beenham
- Bishop's Green
- Boxford (West Berkshire)
- Bradfield (West Berkshire)
- Brimpton
- Brimpton Common *
- Burghfield
- Burghfield Common
- Chaddleworth
- Chapel Row
- Chieveley
- Cold Ash
- Compton (West Berkshire)
- Curridge
- East Garston
- East Ilsley
- Eastbury
- Goring *
- Grazeley Green
- Great Shefford
- Greenham
- Hampstead Norreys
- Hermitage
- Hungerford
- Inkpen
- Kintbury
- Lambourn
- Lambourn Woodlands
- Lower Basildon
- Lower Green
- Lower Padworth
- Mortimer *
- Newbury
- Old Warren *
- Pangbourne *
- Peasemore
- Reading *
- Southend
- Stanford Dingley
- Stratfield Mortimer
- Streatley (West Berkshire) *
- Tadley *
- Thatcham
- Theale (West Berkshire)
- Tidmarsh
- Tutts Clump
- Upper Basildon
- Upper Bucklebury
- Upper Lambourn
- Welford (West Berkshire)
- Woolhampton
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of West Berkshire.)
West Berkshire compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how West Berkshire compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
West Berkshire has 24 electoral wards.
West Berkshire has a population of 165,112 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for West Berkshire can be found on the ONS statistics for West Berkshire.