Bracknell Forest: History
The district was formed as Easthampstead Rural District under the Local Government Act 1894 as a successor to the Easthampstead rural sanitary district. Originally a small rural district, its population was about 20,000 during World War II. Bracknell, in the district, was one of the first post-war new towns to be designated, and became a civil parish in 1955, created from parts of Binfield, Easthampstead, Warfield and Winkfield parishes. Bracknell had originally been a hamlet at the far south-west of Warfield parish.
The district's population rose rapidly, and reached 64,135 by the 1971 census. In 1974 the district was reconstituted as the non-metropolitan district of Bracknell under the Local Government Act 1972. It changed its name in May 1988 to Bracknell Forest, at the same time as it was granted borough status.
On 1 April 1998, Berkshire County Council was abolished, as a consequence of the Banham Review, and Bracknell Forest Borough Council became a unitary authority. From 2008, references to 'borough' were phased out in favour of simply Bracknell Forest Council.
Since 1973, Bracknell town has been twinned with Opladen in Germany, continued by Leverkusen after Opladen's incorporation in 1975.
There are 265 Listed Buildings in the borough of which 254 are Grade II, 10 are Grade II* and 1 is Grade I.
There are five sites in the borough included on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens: Ascot Place, Broadmoor Hospital, Newbold College, South Hill Park and Windsor Great Park.
Bracknell Forest Borough Council's offices at Time Square in Market Street were featured in an episode of Road Wars on 4 February 2010 when a pursuit ended in the carpark.