Located in the valley of the River Bulbourne - carved in the Chiltern Hills, in Hertfordshire, Berkhamsted - is a county that borders Hemel Hempstead to the west. Berkhamsted is both a civil parish and an important historical town of England. Its name has known a lot of transformation over the years, and the Old English "Beorhoanstadde" is one of the oldest names to be attributed to Berkhamsted. There are over 50 different names of the town the Domesday Book mentions in its old pages. Nevertheless, despite of the impressive number of names it was given, "Berko" is the townies' favorite.

Berkhamsted has played an important role in England's history, becoming the favorite country retreat for the Norman and Plantagenet dynasties. The town is extremely famous for its castle, which is now in ruins, but was the site from which William the Conqueror ascended to the English throne in the year 1066. Accordingly, a lot of town's people claimed that Berkhamsted is actually the genuine capital city of England.

Over the decades, the town has received a lot of royal charters. The first of them was granted by Henry III in the year 1216, and it freed the men and merchants of the town from all taxes wherever they went in England, Aquitaine, Anjou and Normandy. The second royal charter was attributed to Berkhamsted a year later, when it recognized Berkhamsted Market, which was the oldest institution of the town. Another royal charter refers to the one James I granted to the town in 1618, when he made the town a borough.

Apart from the famous castle, the Grand Junction Canal that runs through Berkhamsted parallel to the High Street is another high interest point for Berkhamsted. The canal is part of the Grand Union Canal in 1929. Other important buildings and constructions refer to St. Peter's parish church, which is one of the largest parish churches in Hertfordshire. The back of the church hides a marble tomb of a knight and his lady, which are thought to be the toms of Henry of Berkhamsted, one of the Black Prince's lieutenants at the Battle of Crecy. Another important figure that is worth mentioning in relation to Berkhamsted is poet William Cowper, who was christened in St. Peter's.

The Town Hall, Ashlyns School, and Berkhamsted School or Berkhamsted Place are other significant town buildings that hold interesting tales inside their walls. Berkhamsted is also hosting the oldest extant shop in Great Britain, dating back between 1277 and 1297, according to dendrochronology of structural timbers. The town is also home of the British Film Institute's BFI National Archive at King's Hill. This is the place where the largest film and television archives in the world are stored.

Charles de Gaulle was in exile during World War II in Berkhamsted; English novelist Graham Greene was born here, and the action in his novel "The Human Factor" is said to have taken place here, and Greene himself mentions the town of Berkhamsted as one of his main inspirations throughout his work. Poet William Cowper, actor Michael Hordern, television presenters Esther Rantzen, Nick Owen, Adrian Scarborough and Peter Drury or singer Sarah Brightman are other notable people who were either born or who have lived here.