A HISTORY OF BERKSHIRE 



which is 9 1 2 feet above the sea. This range does not pursue the easterly 

 direction for any considerable distance, but turns southwards and soon 

 leaves the county. It will thus be seen that the county slopes from west 

 to east, and that three distinct ranges of hills traverse it from the west 

 to the east. South of the Kennet, to the east of the point where the 

 chalk range leaves the county, the country rises in a gentle slope, and 

 separates for some distance the valley of the Emborne from that of the 

 Kennet ; but the height of the hilly ground forming the watershed is 

 only about 400 feet on Greenham Common, and this height gradually 

 sinks eastwards, Crookham Common being 382, Burghfield 313, and 

 Sulhampstead only 300 feet above sea level. To the south of Reading 

 the watershed of the Blackwater is formed by hilly ground belonging to 

 the Tertiary formations. The river enters Berkshire at a point where 

 the height of the surface of the water is about 200 feet above the sea, 

 its outfall near Twyford, after its junction with the Loddon, being about 

 i oo feet. The hills in this southern part of the county are not arranged 

 in regular lines as are those already mentioned, but are irregularly scattered 

 over the area. In the south-east there is a flat tract between Twyford 

 and Maidenhead, of which a considerable extent is less than 150 feet, 

 and some not more than 90 feet above the sea. East of Twyford a rather 

 conspicuous and picturesque group of hills is formed by the London clay, 

 one of which, Bowsey Hill, reaches an altitude of 454 feet, Ashley Hill 

 being 358, and Crazey Hill 316 feet above the sea. On the south-west 

 the same formation rises into a hilly country which on Hawthorn Hill is 

 248, on St. Leonard's 294, and on High Standing Hill and Cranbourn 

 Park is 280 feet above the sea. South-west of Wokingham the ground 

 rises at Finchampstead to 320 feet, and overlooks the valley of the Black- 

 water ; Caesar's Camp near Bracknell attains an elevation of 410 feet, 

 Lodge Hill is 377, and Easthampstead Plain, the highest point of the 

 Bagshot beds, is 423 feet above the sea. The river at Maidenhead is 

 only 84 feet above the sea. 



Berkshire therefore not only slopes from the west to the east, but 

 there is also a decided slope from the north to the south. It must be 

 borne in mind that the central plateau of the chalk is by no means a 

 plain, or even an inclined plain ; on the contrary it is very diversified, 

 and may be roughly divided into two parts ; of these the western, which 

 is on the whole the more elevated of the two, is drained by the Lambourn, 

 its northern side being terminated by the White Horse, and, as has been 

 said already, the country slopes down towards the Kennet. In this part 

 the elevation of Wickham Heath is 477 feet, the river Lambourn near 

 Welford is 329 feet, and at its junction with the Kennet near Shaw is 

 254 feet above the sea. The eastern side includes the high ground of 

 the chalk which rises at Lowbury to a height of 585 feet ; further 

 south, overlooking the Pang stream, is Oare Hill, which is 397 feet 

 high, and in the vicinity is the earthwork known as Grimsbury Castle, 

 which is 461 feet high. The high ground about Aldworth reaches 579 

 feet, and Beedon touches 545 feet, while Ashampstead is 447 feet, and 



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