Bracknell

Bracknell (ˈbræknəl) is a town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, the westernmost area within the Greater London Urban Area and the administrative centre of the borough of Bracknell Forest. It lies to the east of Reading, south of Maidenhead, southwest of Windsor and west of central London. Bracknell is the third largest town in Berkshire. The name Bracknell is derived from the Saxon Braccan Heal or Braccan Heale, first recorded in a charter boundary of 942 AD. In the Middle Ages, Bracknell developed into two small market villages, Old Bracknoll and New Bracknoll. By the 19th century, the two Bracknells had combined into a singular market town, which was an important centre of local industry, most notably for its brick trade. In the 20th century, Bracknell experienced a period of rapid growth after it was declared a New Town. Planned at first for a population of 25,000, Bracknell New Town was further expanded in the 1960s to accommodate a population of 45,000. During this time, Bracknell absorbed many of its surrounding villages including Easthampstead, Ramslade and Old Bracknell. As of 2021, Bracknell Forest has an estimated population of around 113,205. Today, the town is a busy commercial centre within the so-called Silicon Thames Valley and the UK headquarters for several technology companies. Bracknell is bordered to the south by Swinley Forest and by Crowthorne Woods to the south-east and south. Its neighbouring towns of Binfield, Warfield and Winkfield are part of the borough of Bracknell Forest and are gradually becoming absorbed into the Bracknell metropolitan area. To the east, the urban area joins up with Ascot to form a continuous conurbation that extends to Central London. The name Bracknell is first recorded in a Winkfield Boundary Charter of AD 942 as Braccan heal, and may mean "Nook of land belonging to a man called Bracca", from the Old English Braccan (genitive singular of a personal name) + heal, healh (a corner, nook or secret place). An early form of the town's name, Brakenhale, still survives as the name of one of its schools.