Berkhamsted () is a historic town in England which is situated in the west of Hertfordshire, between the towns of Tring and Hemel Hempstead.

Berkhamsted today is most well known for its castle, now in ruins but once a popular country retreat of the Norman and Plantagenet kings.

Berkhamsted is also the home of the British Film Institute's BFI National Archive at King's Hill, one of the largest film and television archives in the world, which was generously endowed by John Paul Getty.

He died having reformed working class education in the Scilly Isles and today is commemorated by the award of the Augustus Smith scholarship for state school students in Berkhamsted.

Berkhamsted is located in the Chiltern Hills, Hertfordshire, in the wide valley of the River Bulbourne, to the west of Hemel Hempstead.

Berkhamsted Castle is a ruined Norman castle, beside the railway station.

Simon Schama refers to Berkhamsted as being to the Plantagenets what Windsor is to today's Royal Family.

It is still known as the Port of Berkhamsted.

It is thought to be that of Henry of Berkhamsted, one of the Black Prince's lieutenants at the Battle of Crecy.

The shop, at 173 High Street, until recently Figg's the Chemists, is currently ( 2006 ) in use as an estate agent which has proved controversial as some residents of Berkhamsted think the site should be preserved.

BBC Radio 4 character Ed Reardon is a Berkhamsted resident, and many of the stories in the show are set there.

Berkhamsted is served by rail services from Berkhamsted railway station which is on the West Coast Mainline.

The Aylesbury-London 773 commuter express service, calling at Berkhamsted, runs directly to Baker Street, Marble Arch, Embankment and Finsbury Square, although this service is due to be withdrawn in February 2011.

The town is located at the junction of the A355 road from Slough and Beaconsfield, the A404 road that links Maidenhead, High Wycombe and Harrow, the A416 road from Chesham and Berkhamsted and the A413 road, which runs from Aylesbury to Uxbridge.

They live in an £ 800, 000 grace-and-favour house in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire provided by Unite for the duration of Simpson's entire lifetime or that of his most recent partner, whichever is longer.

In Old English, "- stead " or "- stede " simply meant a place, such as the site of a building or pasture, as in clearing in the woods, and this suffix is used in the names of other English places such as Hamstead and Berkhamsted.

Dacorum Borough Swimming Squad is an elite Swimming Squad made up of members from the swimming clubs in Dacorum including Hemel Hempstead Swimming Club, FIFOLITS Swimming Club, Berkhamsted Barracudas Swimming Club, Berkhamsted Sports Centre Swimming Club, Kings Langley Swimming Club and Tring Swimming Club.

Paddick retired from the police force on 31 May 2007, and is currently a Visiting Fellow of Ashridge Business School near Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, where he lectures on leadership, change management and diversity.

Berkhamsted School is an independent school in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England.

During World War I the dachshunds ' popularity in the United States plummeted because of this association and there are even anecdotes such as a Dachshund being stoned to death on the high street of Berkhamsted, England at this time because of its association with the enemy.

From here the canal follows the course of the River Bulbourne through Bourne End with the well-known swingbridge at Winkwell, and the " Port of Berkhamsted ".

: Nicholas of Cornwall ( b. & d. 17 January 1240 Berkhamsted Castle ), died shortly after birth, buried at Beaulieu Abbey with his mother

In 1866 Lord Brownlow of Ashridge House attempted to enclose and privatise Berkhamsted Common with 5 ' steel fences built by Woods of Berkhamsted and thereby, claim it as part of his estate.

More happily the Hero of Berkhamsted, Edward Prince of Wales, the Black Prince spent his honeymoon here with Joan, the Maid of Kent in 1361.

At the Battle of Poitiers Henry saved the Prince's baggage and was rewarded with 2d a day and was appointed porter of the royal castle at Berkhamsted.

During World War II Charles de Gaulle, living exiled from Vichy France, resided near Berkhamsted with his family, from October 1941 to September 1942 at a house called Rodinghead.

File: Berkhampstead railway station 1838. jpg | Berkhamsted railway station in 1838 with the Grand Junction Canal to the right.

There are two of the ' big five ' supermarkets present which have impacted on the town's independent stores and all retail outlets have also to compete with other nearby town centres, at Amersham, Berkhamsted and Tring as well as the large shopping centres in High Wycombe, Watford and Milton Keynes.

After the Norman conquest the land thereabouts was given to Robert, Count of Mortain, the elder half-brother of William the Conqueror, as part of the lands associated with Berkhamsted Castle.

In 1974, the government abolished the Borough of Hemel Hempstead and the town was incorporated into Dacorum District Council along with Tring and Berkhamsted.

Presently the Chilterns are connected on the West Coast Main Line through Berkhamsted and the Midland Main Line with First Capital Connect call at.

There are no navigable rivers ( apart from the River Thames ), though the Grand Union Canal passes through the Chilterns between Berkhamsted and Marsworth following the course of the Colne, Gade, Bulbourne and ( after crossing a watershed ) the Ouzel, with branches to Wendover and Aylesbury.

The Hertfordshire town of Berkhamsted unveiled a set of 32 blue plaques in 2000 on some of the town's most significant buildings, including Berkhamsted Castle, the birthplace of writer Graham Greene and buildings associated with the poet William Cowper, John Incent ( a Dean of St Paul's Cathedral ) and Clementine Churchill.

Cockburn was educated at Berkhamsted School, Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, and Keble College, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

This done he did give possession by his deed bearing date the 23 of The original motto of Berkhamsted School was virtus laudata crescit, Latin for " greatness increases with praise ", establishing the ideology on which the school is based.

Berkhamsted School for Girls was advised festina lente, a Latin imperative with which Aldus Manutius is credited, meaning " hurry slowly ", reminiscent of the contemporary phrase " more haste less speed ".

These bus routes include connections with Slough, Amersham, Berkhamsted and Uxbridge.

The parish is on the boundary with Hertfordshire, midway between Chesham and Berkhamsted.

Five main roads link Dagnall with the nearby towns of Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Tring, Hemel Hempstead and Berkhamsted, and slightly further on to the larger towns of Luton, Aylesbury and Milton Keynes.

A Mission Hall was open in 1879 with the help of Naphill Mission Hall and Hope Hall ( now Kings Road Evangelical Church ), Berkhamsted with the words ” The desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose ” ( Isaiah ).

However, it was to Berkhamsted in 1353 that Edward brought his most celebrated prisoner, John II, King of France.