Reading
Reading shown within Berkshire
Population borough	143,096 (2001)
Urban sub-area	232,662 (2001)
OS grid reference	SU713733
Unitary authority	Reading Borough
	Wokingham Borough West Berkshire
Ceremonial county	Berkshire
Region	South East
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	READING
Postcode district	RG1, RG2, RG4, RG6, RG8, RG10, RG11, RG30, RG31
Dialling code	0118
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Royal Berkshire
Ambulance	South Central
European Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Reading East
	Reading West
Website: http://www.reading.gov.uk/
List of places: UK • England • Berkshire

Coordinates: 51°27′15″N 0°58′23″W / 51.4541, -0.973

Reading (pronounced /ˈrɛdɪŋ/ pronunciation (help·info)) is a large town, unitary authority area (the Borough of Reading) and urban area in South East England. Berkshire (ˈbɑːkʃə or /ˈbɑːkʃɪə/ say Baak-shuh/-sheer sometimes abbreviated to Berks) is a Home County in the South In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government History The district of Newbury was formed on April 1, 1974, as a merger of the borough of Newbury Bradfield Rural District, Hungerford Rural The ceremonial counties are areas of England that are appointed a Lord-Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as the Counties for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Berkshire (ˈbɑːkʃə or /ˈbɑːkʃɪə/ say Baak-shuh/-sheer sometimes abbreviated to Berks) is a Home County in the South The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one South East England is one of the nine official Regions of England. Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged gives an overview of States around the world with information on the extent of their Sovereignty. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system UK Postal codes are known as postcodes. UK postcodes are Alphanumeric. The, also known as the Reading postcode area, is a group of postal districts centered on Reading and Basingstoke in Southern England. The UK Telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Telephone Numbering Plan, is the system used for assigning Telephone numbers in the United There are a number of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom. Thames Valley Police is one of the largest Home Office Police services in England and the largest non- metropolitan one covering 2200 sq mi (5700 The fire service in the United Kingdom operates under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and The Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service is a statutory fire and rescue service covering the area of the Ceremonial county of Berkshire in The South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust is the authority responsible for providing NHS Ambulance services in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, South East England is a Constituency of the European Parliament. This is a list of the 646 constituencies currently represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, as at the 2005 general election Reading East is a Borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Reading West is a County constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. A Gazetteer of place names in the United Kingdom showing each place's County, Unitary authority or council area and its geographical coordinates List of places --> List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places This is a list of settlements in Berkshire, England. See the List of places in England for places in other counties A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. See also Independent city A unitary authority is a type of Local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all Local government functions South East England is one of the nine official Regions of England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland For ceremonial purpose it is in the county of Berkshire and has served as the county town since 1867. The ceremonial counties are areas of England that are appointed a Lord-Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as the Counties for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Berkshire (ˈbɑːkʃə or /ˈbɑːkʃɪə/ say Baak-shuh/-sheer sometimes abbreviated to Berks) is a Home County in the South Reading lies at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, midway between London and Swindon off the M4 motorway. The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. Kennet Fluss2 dbjpg|150px]] The upper reaches of the River Kennet near Avebury The London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Swindon ( is a large town in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire in the South West of England, midway between Bristol (64 km / 40 miles The M4 motorway is a Motorway in Great Britain linking London with Wales.

Reading was an important national centre in the medieval period, as the site of an important monastery with strong royal connections, but suffered economic damage during the 17th century from which it took a long time to recover. Today it is again an important commercial centre, with strong links to information technology and insurance. Information technology ( IT) as defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA is "the study design development implementation support Insurance, in Law and Economics, is a form of Risk management primarily used to hedge against the Risk of a contingent loss It is also a university town, with two universities and a large student population.

Contents 1 History 1.1 The middle ages 1.2 The 17th century 1.3 The 18th century 1.4 The 19th century 1.5 The 20th century and beyond 2 Governance 2.1 Local government 2.2 Boundaries 2.3 National government 2.4 Town twinning 3 Geography 3.1 Definition 3.2 Suburbs 4 Institutions 4.1 Religion 4.2 Education 4.3 Libraries and museums 4.4 Healthcare 5 Economy 5.1 Retail 5.2 Utilities 6 Transport 6.1 River transport 6.2 Road transport 6.3 Rail transport 6.4 Air transport 6.5 Local public transport 7 Culture 7.1 Arts 7.2 Music 7.3 Theatre 7.4 Media 7.5 Sports 7.6 Literature 7.7 Other 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

History

The middle ages

The settlement was founded at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet in the eighth century as Readingum. The Battle of Maiwand was one of the principal battles of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. The 8th century is the period from 701 to 800 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. The name is probably from the Anglo-Saxon for "(Place of) Readda's People", or (less probably) the Celtic Rhydd-Inge, "Ford over the River". The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic" a branch of the greater Indo-European Language family. It was occupied by the Vikings after the first Battle of Reading in 871, but had recovered sufficiently by its 1086 Domesday Book listing to contain around 600 people and be made a designated borough. A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas See also Siege of Reading (1642-1643 Battle of Reading (1688 The first Battle of Reading was a Battle on The Domesday Book (ˈduːmzdeɪ bʊk also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester) was the record of the great survey

The foundation of Reading Abbey by Henry I in 1121 led to the town becoming a place of pilgrimage. Reading Abbey is a large ruined Abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. Henry I (c 1068/1069 – 1 December 1135) was the fourth son of William I the Conqueror, the first King of England after the Norman In Religion and Spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long journey or Search of great Moral significance In 1253 Reading's Merchant Guild successfully petitioned for the grant of a charter from the King and negotiated a division of authority with the Abbey. A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade The earliest guilds were formed as confraternities of workers The dissolution of the Abbey saw Henry VIII grant the Guild a new charter in 1542 with which to become a borough corporation to run the town. Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of

The 17th century

By the end of the 16th century, Reading was the largest town in Berkshire, home to over 3,000 people. Reading had grown rich on its trade in cloth, as instanced by the fortune made by local merchant John Kendrick. John Kendrick may refer to John Kendrick (cloth merchant (1573 – 1624 English cloth merchant John B

The town played an important role during the English Civil War; it changed hands a number of times. The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. Despite its fortifications, it had a Royalist garrison imposed on it in 1642. Fortifications are Military Constructions and Buildings designed for defense in Warfare Humans have constructed defensive works for The subsequent Siege of Reading by the Parliamentary forces succeeded in April 1643. See also Battle of Reading (871 and Battle of Reading (1688 The Siege of Reading refers to the English Civil War military campaign However the taxes levied on the town by the garrison badly damaged its cloth trade, and it did not recover.

Reading was also the only site of significant fighting in England during the Revolution of 1688, with the second Battle of Reading. See also Battle of Reading (871, Siege of Reading (1642-1643 The Battle of Reading (or Battle of Broad Street or

The 18th century

The 18th century saw the beginning of a major iron works in the town and the growth of the brewing trade for which Reading was to become famous. Brewing is the production of Alcoholic beverage and Alcohol fuel through fermentation. Agricultural products from the surrounding area still used Reading as a market place, especially at the famous Reading cheese fair but now trade was coming in from a wider area.

Reading's trade benefited from better designed turnpike roads which helped its establish its location on the major coaching routes from London to Oxford and the west country. A toll road, (also known as a tollway, turnpike, pike, or toll highway, especially if it is constructed to Freeway standards London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Oxford is currently bidding for the 2010 Wikimania Conference Oxford () is a city, and the County town of Oxfordshire, The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region It also gained from increasing river traffic on both the Thames and Kennet. In 1723, despite considerable local opposition, the Kennet Navigation opened the River Kennet to boats as far as Newbury. This opposition stopped when it became apparent the new route benefited the town. The opening of the Kennet and Avon Canal in 1810 made it possible to go by barge from Reading to the Bristol Channel. The Kennet and Avon Canal is a Canal in southern England The name may refer to either the route of the original Kennet and Avon Canal Company, which linked the The Bristol Channel ( Môr Hafren) is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset

The 19th century

In 1801, the population of Reading was about 9,400. During the 19th century, Reading grew rapidly as a manufacturing centre. Manufacturing (from Latin manu factura, "making by hand" is the use of tools and labor to make things for use or sale Reading maintained its representation by two Members of Parliament with the Reform Act 1832, and the borough was one of the ones reformed as a municipal borough by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. The Representation of the People Act 1832, commonly known as the Reform Act 1832, was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system Municipal boroughs were a type of Local government which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974 in Northern Ireland from 1840 to The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 (5 & 6 Wm IV c76 - sometimes known as the Municipal Reform Act - required members of town councils ( Municipal corporations In 1836 the Reading Borough Police were founded. The Reading Borough Police was a Police force for the borough of Reading in the United Kingdom. The Great Western Railway arrived in 1841, followed by the South Eastern Railway, in 1849, and the London and South Western Railway, in 1856. The Great Western Railway ( GWR) was a British railway company and a notable example of Civil engineering, linking London with the West For the railway in India see South Eastern Railway (India South Eastern Railway (SER was a railway company in the United Kingdom The London and South Western Railway (L&SWR was a Railway company in England from 1838 to 1922 The Reading Establishment, an early commercial photographic studio, operated in Reading from 1844 to 1847 and was managed by Nicholaas Henneman, a Dutchman and former valet of William Henry Fox Talbot (a pioneer of photography). The Dutch people ( Dutch:) are the dominant Ethnic group of the Netherlands. William Henry Fox Talbot (11 February 1800 – 17 September 1877 was the inventor of the negative / positive photographic process the precursor to most photographic processes of ^[1] Many of the images for The Pencil of Nature by Fox Talbot, the first book to be illustrated with photographic prints, were printed in Reading. The Pencil of Nature, published in six installments between 1844 and 1846, was the "first photographically illustrated book to be commercially published"

In 1851 the population was 21,500. The town became the County Town (superseding Abingdon^[2]) in 1867 and became a county borough under the Local Government Act 1888. County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (excluding Scotland) to refer to a Borough or a City The Local Government Act 1888 (51 & 52 Vict c 41 was passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1888 and established County councils and County borough By 1900, the population was 59,000—large sections of the housing in Reading are terraced, reflecting its 19th century growth. In Architecture and City planning, a terrace(d or row house or townhouse (though the latter term can also refer to Patio houses The town has been famous for the "Three Bs" of beer (from 1785 dominated by the Simonds' Brewery - India Pale Ale was invented in Reading), bulbs (1807–1976, Suttons Seeds), and biscuits (1822–1977, Huntley & Palmers). Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed Alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea The Simonds' Brewery was a Brewery based in Reading in the English county of Berkshire. India Pale Ale, abbreviated IPA, is an ale that is light amber to copper in color medium to medium-high Alcohol by volume, with hoppy, bitter and sometimes A bulb is an underground vertical Shoot that has modified leaves (or thickened leaf bases that are used as Food Storage organs by Year 1807 ( MDCCCVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Suttons Seeds is a long established supplier of Seeds Bulbs and other horticultural products. A biscuit (ˈbɪskɨt is a small baked product the exact meaning varies markedly in different parts of the world Year 1822 (MDCCCXXII was a Common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Sunday of the Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays Huntley & Palmers was a British firm of Biscuit makers based in Reading Berkshire. In the 19th century the town also made 'Reading Sauce', described as a sharp sauce flavoured with onions, spices, and herbs, very like Worcestershire Sauce. Worcestershire sauce (ˈwʊstəˌʃɪə wooster-sheer is a widely used fermented liquid Condiment first made at 68 Broad Street Worcester by two

The 20th century and beyond

The town continued to expand in the 20th century, annexing Caversham across the River Thames in Oxfordshire in 1911. Caversham is a Suburb in the Unitary authority of Reading, England, although historically Caversham was part of Oxfordshire. History See also History of Oxfordshire The county of Oxfordshire was formed in the early years of the 10th century and is broadly situated in the This expansion can be seen in the number of 1920s built semi-detached properties, and the 1950s expansion that joined Woodley, Earley and Tilehurst into Reading. Semi-Detached (1998 was Therapy? 's last album for A&M Records. Woodley is a Town in the English county of Berkshire. It forms part of the urban area of Reading, although not part of the Borough of Reading Earley is a Town in Berkshire, England with a population of around 30000 people Tilehurst is a Suburb of the town of Reading in the English Miles Aircraft in Woodley was an important local firm from the 1930s to 1950s. Miles was the name used to market the aircraft of British engineer Frederick George Miles, who designed numerous light civil and Military aircraft and a The Lower Earley development, started in the 1970s, was the largest private housing development in Europe. This extended the urban area of Reading up to the M4 motorway, which acts as the southern boundary to the town. Further housing developments have increased the number of modern commuter houses in the surrounding parts of Reading, and 'out-of-town' shopping hypermarkets. In Commerce, a hypermarket is a superstore which combines a Supermarket and a Department store.

The local shopping centre, The Oracle, built in 1999, is named after the 17th century workhouse founded by John Kendrick which previously occupied the site. The Oracle is a large indoor shopping and leisure mall by London-based Hammerson plc, located on the banks of the River Kennet in Reading, A workhouse, colloquially known as a spike was a place where people who were unable to support themselves could go to live and work John Kendrick (1573 &ndash 30 December 1624 was a prosperous English Cloth merchant and patron of the Towns of Reading and Newbury The original 'Oracle' gates can be seen in the Museum of Reading in the town hall but usual reside in the main hall of Kendrick School, a girls' grammar school set up from money from John Kendrick's Will. The Museum of Reading (run by the Reading Museum Service) is in the old Town Hall in Reading in the English county of Berkshire. A city hall or town hall is the chief administrative building of a City or Town 's administration and usually houses the city or It provides 3 storeys of shopping and boosted the local economy by providing 4,000 jobs. Reading has also made itself more appealing to tourists by pedestrianising Broad street

Governance

Borough of Reading
Geography
Status:	Unitary, Borough
Region:	South East England
Ceremonial County:	Berkshire
Area: - Total	Ranked 318th 40.40 km²
Admin. The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one South East England is one of the nine official Regions of England. Berkshire (ˈbɑːkʃə or /ˈbɑːkʃɪə/ say Baak-shuh/-sheer sometimes abbreviated to Berks) is a Home County in the South Surface area is the measure of how much exposed Area an object has This is a list of Districts of England ordered by area. The areas given are calculated from the Output Areas created for Census 2001 and made available To help compare sizes of different geographic regions we list here Areas between 10 km² (1000 Hectares and 100 km² (10000 hectares Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of HQ:	Reading
ONS code:	00MC
Demographics
Population: - Total (2006 est. The Office for National Statistics coding system is a hierarchical code used in the United Kingdom for tabulating Census and other statistical data In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology ) - Density	Ranked 121st 142,800 3535 / km²
Ethnicity:	86. The density of a material is defined as its Mass per unit Volume: \rho = \frac{m}{V} Different materials usually have different The figures are mid-year estimates for 2007 from the Office for National Statistics. 8% White 5. 2% S. Asian 4. 1% Afro-Carib 0. 7% Chinese.
Politics
http://www.reading.gov.uk/
Leadership:	Leader & Cabinet
Executive:	TBA (council NOC)
Mayor of Reading	Councillor Peter Beard

Local government

Reading has had some degree of local government autonomy since 1253 when the local merchant guild was granted a royal charter. The pattern of local government in England is complex with the distribution of functions varying according to the local arrangements Within the context of Local councils of the United Kingdom the term No Overall Control (abbreviated to NOC refers to a situation in which no single party achieves A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade The earliest guilds were formed as confraternities of workers A Royal Charter is a Charter granted by the Sovereign on the advice of the Privy council to legitimize an incorporated body such as a city company Over the years since then the town has been run by a borough corporation, as a county borough, and as a district of Berkshire. A borough is an Administrative division of various countries In principle the term borough designates a self-governing Township although in practice County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (excluding Scotland) to refer to a Borough or a City The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government The Borough of Reading became a unitary authority area in 1998 when Berkshire County Council was abolished under the Banham Review, and is now responsible for all aspects of local government within the borough. See also Independent city A unitary authority is a type of Local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all Local government functions Berkshire (ˈbɑːkʃə or /ˈbɑːkʃɪə/ say Baak-shuh/-sheer sometimes abbreviated to Berks) is a Home County in the South The Local Government Commission for England was the body responsible for reviewing the structure of local government in England from 1992 to 2002 ^[3]

The borough council has bid for city status in several recent competitions but, as of 2007, these have been unsuccessful. The application for city status is politically controversial, with some groups of residents strongly opposed, while others support the bid.

Boundaries

Since 1887, the borough has included the former villages of Southcote and Whitley and small parts of Earley and Tilehurst. ^[4] By 1911, it also encompassed the Oxfordshire village of Caversham and still more of Tilehurst. History See also History of Oxfordshire The county of Oxfordshire was formed in the early years of the 10th century and is broadly situated in the ^[5] A small area of Mapledurham parish was added in 1977. Mapledurham is a small Village, Civil parish and country estate in the English county of Oxfordshire. A civil parish in the United Kingdom is a unit of local government. An attempt to take over a small area of Eye & Dunsden parish in Oxfordshire was rejected because of strong local opposition in 1997. History See also History of Oxfordshire The county of Oxfordshire was formed in the early years of the 10th century and is broadly situated in the ^[5]

Reading's municipal boundaries are particularly old and constrained; and proposals occasionally surface to expand the borough to include them. It is believed that Reading's chances of receiving City Status would be substantially boosted if these suburbs were to be included within the borough.

However, the constricted nature of the borough also creates more serious difficulties for the town, as it attempts to develop and grow. The diminishing amount of suitable land within the borough's boundary can bring the council in to conflict with those neighbouring it, who in turn have their own priorities and requirements. The longest running example of this is the planned third crossing of the Thames. So far, South Oxfordshire's politicians and residents, whose primary concern is maintaining the non-urbanisation of their region, have successfully opposed this. ^[6] As a consequence, the debate has at times become somewhat acrimonious between the opposing sides, and little progress has been made.

"However, the process has been painfully slow and it appears that, for every two steps forwards, there are three steps backwards—mainly because of the view of South Oxfordshire district council, which is being incredibly parochial about this matter. Meanwhile, Reading borough council is adopting strategies that prioritise local traffic in Reading, obviously to the detriment of through traffic. We have now reached the point at which we desperately need direct Government intervention to break the logjam between those local authorities. "

—Mr. Rob Wilson MP (Reading, East), House of Commons debate. ^[7]

National government

Reading has elected at least one Member of Parliament to every Parliament since 1295. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories Historically Reading was represented by the members for the former Parliamentary Borough of Reading, and the members for the former parliamentary constituencies of Reading, Reading North, and Reading South. History Reading was one of the boroughs summoned to send members to the Model Parliament. History Reading was one of the boroughs summoned to send members to the Model Parliament. Reading North was a Borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Reading South was a Borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Today Reading and the surrounding area is divided between the parliamentary constituencies of Reading East, represented by Rob Wilson, and Reading West, represented by Martin Salter. Reading East is a Borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Robert Wilson (born 4 January 1965 in south Oxfordshire) is a United Kingdom politician and entrepreneur Reading West is a County constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Martin John Salter (born 19 April 1954 in Hampton, in west London) is a United Kingdom politician The whole of the town is within the multi-member South East England european constituency. South East England is a Constituency of the European Parliament.

Town twinning

Reading is twinned with:^[8]

• - Düsseldorf, Germany (since 1947, officially since 1988)
• - Clonmel, Ireland (since 1994)
• - San Francisco Libre, Nicaragua (since 1994)
• - Speightstown, Barbados (since 2003)

Geography

Reading is 41 miles (66 km) due west of central London, 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Oxford and 40 miles (64 km) east of Swindon. Düsseldorf (ˈdʏsəldɔɐf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Clonmel ( Cluain Meala in Irish) in County Tipperary is the county seat of South Tipperary County Council. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world San Francisco Libre is a Municipality in the Managua department of Nicaragua. Nicaragua (ˌnɪkəˈrɑgwə officially the Republic of Nicaragua () is a representative democratic republic and the largest nation in Central America Speightstown ("Spite's-town" is the second largest town centre of Barbados. Barbados ( Portuguese word for bearded-ones, bɑrˈbeɪdoʊz -dɒs situated just east of the Caribbean Sea, is an independent Island nation A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand The term Central London refers to the districts of London England which are considered closest to the centre Oxford is currently bidding for the 2010 Wikimania Conference Oxford () is a city, and the County town of Oxfordshire, Swindon ( is a large town in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire in the South West of England, midway between Bristol (64 km / 40 miles The centre of Reading is on a low ridge between the Rivers Thames and Kennet close to their confluence, reflecting the town's history as a river port. The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. Kennet Fluss2 dbjpg|150px]] The upper reaches of the River Kennet near Avebury The Just before the confluence, the Kennet cuts through a narrow steep-sided gap in the hills forming the southern flank of the Thames flood plain. The absence of a floodplain on the Kennet in this defile enabled the development of wharves. Defile is a geographic term for a narrow pass or gorge between mountains or hills

As Reading has grown, its suburbs have spread in three directions:

• to the west between the two rivers into the foothills of the Berkshire Downs,
• to the south and south-east on the south side of the Kennet, and
• to the north of the Thames into the Chiltern Hills. The Berkshire Downs are a Downland area in England lie north of the River Kennet, south of the River Thames, east of Swindon and west The Chiltern Hills are a Chalk Escarpment in Southeast England.

However outside the central area, the floors of the valley containing the two rivers remain largely unimproved floodplain, subject to occasional flooding. ||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||}A floodplain, or flood plain, is flat or nearly flat land adjacent to a Stream or River that experiences occasional or periodic Apart from one road across the Kennet floodplain, and the M4 looping to the south, the only routes between the three built-up areas are in the central area, creating road congestion there. The M4 motorway is a Motorway in Great Britain linking London with Wales.

Reading has its own subregional catchment area, incorporating the towns of Wokingham, Bracknell and Twyford, plus large villages such as Pangbourne, Theale, Winnersh, Burghfield and Shiplake. Bracknell is a town in the Bracknell Forest borough of Berkshire, England. For other places of the same name see Twyford. Twyford is a large village and Civil parish in the English Pangbourne is a large Village and Civil parish on the River Thames in the English county of Berkshire. Theale is a large Village and Civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. Winnersh is a Village and Civil parish, a part of Wokingham Borough, in the English county of Berkshire. Burghfield is a Village and Civil parish in Berkshire, England Shiplake (and Lower Shiplake) is a village in Oxfordshire, England on the River Thames, near Henley-on-Thames and opposite the village

Definition

Depending on the definition adopted, neither the town nor the urban area are necessarily co-terminous with the borough.

The borough has a population of 144,000 in an area of 40.40 km², while the Office for National Statistics' definition of the urban area of Reading is significantly larger at 232,662 people in an area of 55.35 km². In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology To help compare sizes of different geographic regions we list here Areas between 10 km² (1000 Hectares and 100 km² (10000 hectares Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of The Office for National Statistics (ONS is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly To help compare sizes of different geographic regions we list here Areas between 10 km² (1000 Hectares and 100 km² (10000 hectares Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of This latter area – sometimes referred to as Greater Reading – incorporates the town's eastern and western suburbs outside the borough, in the civil parishes of Earley, Woodley, Purley-on-Thames and Tilehurst (see below for further details). Earley is a Town in Berkshire, England with a population of around 30000 people Woodley is a Town in the English county of Berkshire. It forms part of the urban area of Reading, although not part of the Borough of Reading Purley-on-Thames, (referred to as Purley) is a Village and Civil parish in Berkshire, England. Tilehurst is a Suburb of the town of Reading in the English This urban area is itself a component of the Reading/Wokingham Urban Area. The Reading/Wokingham Urban Area is a name given by the Office for National Statistics to a conurbation in Berkshire, England, with a population of 369804 Reading is the 17th largest settlement in England, based on the population of the urban area. ^[9][10] Furthermore, except for London boroughs, it is the most populous settlement that does not have city status. The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs.

Historically, the town of Reading was smaller than the current borough, and has had several definitions over the years. Such definitions include the old ecclesiastical parishes of the churches of St Mary, St Laurence and St Giles, or the even smaller pre-19th century borough. A parish is a Local church; it is an administrative unit typically found in episcopal or presbyterian churches Reading Minster, or the Minster Church of St Mary the Virgin as it is more properly known is the oldest ecclesiastical foundation in the English town of St Laurence's Church is a Church of England mission and former parish church in the town of Reading in the English county of St Giles' Church is an Church of England parish church in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. ^[5]

Suburbs

Besides the town centre, Reading comprises a number of suburbs and other districts, both within the borough itself and within the surrounding urban area. South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California. The names and location of these suburbs are in general usage but, except where some of the outer suburbs correspond to civil parishes, there are no formally defined boundaries. A civil parish in the United Kingdom is a unit of local government. The borough itself is unparished, and the wards used to elect the borough councillors generally ignore the accepted suburbs and use invented ward names. In Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, a ward is an Electoral district A councillor or councilor ( Cllr, Coun, Clr or Cr for short is a member of a Local government council such as a

The suburbs and districts include:

• Beansheaf Farm
• Calcot, Caversham, Caversham Heights, Caversham Park Village, Coley, Coley Park
• Earley, East Reading, Emmer Green
• Fords Farm
• Holybrook, Horncastle
• Katesgrove
• Little Heath, Lower Caversham, Lower Earley
• Maiden Erlegh
• Newtown
• Purley-On-Thames
• Southcote
• Tilehurst
• West Reading, Whitley, Whitley Wood, Woodley

Institutions

Religion

Reading Minster, or the Minster Church of St Mary the Virgin as it is more properly known, is Reading's oldest ecclesiastical foundation, known to have been founded by the 9th century and possibly earlier. Calcot, or Calcot Row, is a Suburb west of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Caversham is a Suburb in the Unitary authority of Reading, England, although historically Caversham was part of Oxfordshire. Caversham Heights is a suburb of Reading Berkshire, UK Social Amenities Caversham Heights features two parks two golf courses a health club with swimming Caversham Park is a Victorian Stately home with parkland in the suburb of Caversham, on the outskirts of Reading, England. Coley is an inner-city district and Urban village near the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. Coley Park is a Suburb of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Earley is a Town in Berkshire, England with a population of around 30000 people East Reading is a district of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Emmer Green is a Village situated north of the River Thames, on the outskirts of Reading Berkshire in the United Kingdom. Fords Farm is a suburb within Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Holybrook is a Civil parish on the outskirts of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Horncastle is an area of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. Katesgrove is a Suburb of Reading Berkshire. Little Heath is a suburb of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. Caversham is a Suburb in the Unitary authority of Reading, England, although historically Caversham was part of Oxfordshire. Earley is a Town in Berkshire, England with a population of around 30000 people Earley is a Town in Berkshire, England with a population of around 30000 people Newtown Reading is a Suburb of Reading Berkshire, situated in East Reading between the Cemetery Junction and the River Kennet. Purley-on-Thames, (referred to as Purley) is a Village and Civil parish in Berkshire, England. Southcote is a Suburb and local government ward of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Tilehurst is a Suburb of the town of Reading in the English West Reading is a district of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Whitley is a large Suburb in the south of Reading in the English County of Berkshire. Whitley Wood is a Suburb to the south of Reading in the English County of Berkshire. Woodley is a Town in the English county of Berkshire. It forms part of the urban area of Reading, although not part of the Borough of Reading Reading Minster, or the Minster Church of St Mary the Virgin as it is more properly known is the oldest ecclesiastical foundation in the English town of The 9th century is the period from 801 to 900 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Although eclipsed in importance by the later Abbey, Reading Minster has regained its importance since the destruction of the Abbey.

Reading Abbey was founded by Henry I in 1121. Reading Abbey is a large ruined Abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. Henry I (c 1068/1069 – 1 December 1135) was the fourth son of William I the Conqueror, the first King of England after the Norman He was buried there, as were parts of Empress Matilda, William of Poitiers, Constance of York, and Princess Isabella of Cornwall, among others. Matilda of England (sometimes Maud or Maude; 7 February 1102 &ndash 10 September 1167 was the daughter and dispossessed Heir of Henry I of England William (17 August 1153 &ndash April 1156 was the first child of Henry Plantagenet (later Henry II of England) and Eleanor of Aquitaine, born in Constance of York (c 1374 - 29 November 1416) was the only daughter of Edmund of Langley 1st Duke of York and his wife Isabella of The abbey was one of the pilgrimage centres of medieval England, it held over 230 relics including the hand of St. James. A relic is an object or a personal item of religious significance carefully preserved with an air of Veneration as a tangible memorial For people and places called Saint James, see the Saint James disambiguation page The abbey was largely destroyed in 1538 during the dissolution of the monasteries and Henry VIII had the abbot, Hugh Cook Faringdon, hanged. The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the formal process between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of Hugh Cook Faringdon (unknown to 15 November 1539) also known as Hugh Faringdon or Hugh Cook of Faringdon where he was Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death

The mediaeval borough of Reading was served by three parish churches. A borough is an Administrative division of various countries In principle the term borough designates a self-governing Township although in practice A parish church, in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a Parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches Besides Reading Minster, these were St Giles' and St Laurence's churches, both of which are still in use as Anglican churches. St Giles' Church is an Church of England parish church in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. St Laurence's Church is a Church of England mission and former parish church in the town of Reading in the English county of The Franciscan friars built a friary in the town in 1311 and after the friars were expelled in 1538, the building was used as a hospital, a poorhouse and a jail, before being restored as the Anglican parish church of Greyfriars Church in 1863. The term Franciscan is commonly used to refer to members of Catholic This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism. A hospital is an institution for Health care providing treatment by specialised staff and equipment and often but not always providing for poorhouse or workhouse is a government-run Facility for the support and housing of dependent or needy persons typically run by a local government entity such as a Jail, or gaol (especially in Canada, Australia and NZ[http //www There are several other Anglican parish churches in areas that are now part of suburban Reading.

St James' Church was built on a portion of the site of the abbey between 1837 and 1840, and marked the return of the Roman Catholic faith to Reading. St James' Church is a Roman Catholic church situated in the centre of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Reading was also the site of the death of Blessed Dominic Barberi, the Catholic missionary to England in the 19th century who received John Henry Newman into the Catholic faith. Blessed Dominic of the Mother of God, born Dominic Barberi, a member of the Passionist Congregation and theologian born near Viterbo Italy 22 June 1792 died Family John Henry Newman was born in London and was the eldest son of John Newman (d The town contains many other churches and religious centres of varying faiths.

Education

Reading School, founded in 1125, is the tenth oldest school in England. Reading School is a Grammar school in the town of Reading, Berkshire, England. It is based in Victorian buildings designed by Alfred Waterhouse on Erleigh Road. Alfred Waterhouse (19 July 1830 – 22 August 1905 was an English Architect, particularly associated with the Victorian Gothic revival. There are 6 other state secondary schools and 37 state primary schools within the borough, together with a number of private and independent schools, kindergartens and nurseries. State school is an expression used in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom to distinguish schools provided by the government from privately Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational Institution where the final stage of compulsory schooling known as Secondary education, takes See also Primary education A primary school (from French école primaire) is an institution where children receive the first stage of Compulsory For the film of this title see Private School (film. Private schools, or Independent schools are Schools not administered An independent school is a school which is not dependent upon national or local Government for financing its operation and is instead operated by tuition charges gifts and Some of the designated schools for pupils in the borough's catchment areas are actually in the neighbouring boroughs. ^[11] Besides mainstream schools the Reading area has a Steiner-Waldorf school and an active Education Otherwise home schooling network. Waldorf education (also known as Steiner or Steiner-Waldorf education is a Pedagogy based upon the Educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the founder Education Otherwise (EO is a registered charity based in England for families whose children are being educated otherwise than at school and for those who wish Homeschooling (also called home education) home learning or homeschool  – is the education of children at home typically by parents or professional

The University of Reading was established in 1892 as an affiliate of Oxford University, and moved to its London Road Campus in 1904. The University of Reading is a University in the English town of Reading Berkshire The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the London Road Campus of the University of Reading is the original Campus of that university Reading was chartered as an independent university in 1926 and moved onto its new Whiteknights Campus in 1947. Whiteknights Park, or the Whiteknights Campus of the University of Reading, is the principal campus of that university It took over the Bulmershe teacher training college in 1982, creating its Bulmershe Court Campus. Bulmershe Court is today a campus of the University of Reading, situated in what is now the Reading suburb of Woodley, in the English county All three campuses are still in use, although Whiteknights is by far the largest.

The more recent Thames Valley University, which also has campuses in Slough and Ealing, now runs what was previously Reading College & School of Arts and Design on two sites in east Reading. Thames Valley University ( TVU) is a British university based on campuses in Slough, Reading and Ealing, all in the Slough ( ˈslaʊ is a Borough and Unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Berkshire, England. Ealing is a Town in the London Borough of Ealing. It is a Suburban development situated 7

Libraries and museums

The Reading Borough Public Library service dates back to 1877. Reading Borough Libraries are responsible for Public library provision in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The Central Library which was opened in 1985 contains the Reading Local Studies Library which provides books, maps, and illustrations of the history of the town and Berkshire.

The Museum of Reading opened in 1883 in the Town Hall, parts of which date back to 1786. The Museum of Reading (run by the Reading Museum Service) is in the old Town Hall in Reading in the English county of Berkshire. The museum contains galleries relating to the history of Reading and its related industries and to the excavations of Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester Roman Town), together with a copy of the Bayeux Tapestry, an art collection, and galleries relating to Huntley & Palmers

The University of Reading runs the Museum of English Rural Life, the Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology, the Cole Museum of Zoology, and the Harris Garden. Calleva Atrebatum (or Silchester Roman Town) was an Iron Age Oppidum and subsequently a Town in the Roman province of Britannia The Bayeux Tapestry (Tapisserie de Bayeux is a 50 cm by 70 m (20 in by 230 ft long embroidered cloth which explains the events leading up to the 1066 Norman invasion of Huntley & Palmers was a British firm of Biscuit makers based in Reading Berkshire. The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL was founded by the University of Reading, England, in 1951 to record the changing face of farming and the countryside The Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology forms part of the Department of Classics at the University of Reading and is on the university's Whiteknights Campus in the town The Cole Museum of Zoology forms part of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Reading and is on the university's Whiteknights Campus in the town The Harris Garden is a Botanical garden on the Whiteknights Campus of the University of Reading in the Civil parish of Earley, adjoining In the suburb of Woodley, the Museum of Berkshire Aviation has a collection of aircraft and other artifacts relating to the aircraft industry in the town. Woodley is a Town in the English county of Berkshire. It forms part of the urban area of Reading, although not part of the Borough of Reading The Museum of Berkshire Aviation is a small aviation museum in Woodley, a Suburb of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire

Healthcare

The principal National Health Service (NHS) hospital in Reading is the Royal Berkshire Hospital, originally founded in 1839 but much enlarged and rebuilt since. The National Health Service is the name commonly used to refer to the four Publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom collectively or individually (although The Royal Berkshire Hospital is a National Health Service Hospital in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Until recently there was a second major NHS general hospital, the Battle Hospital, but this closed in 2005 with the patients and most staff moved to the Royal Berkshire Hospital. Battle Hospital was a National Health Service Hospital in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust runs a NHS hospital, Prospect Park Hospital, that specialises in the provision of care for people with mental health and learning disabilities. ^[12][13]

Reading is also served by two private hospitals, the Capio Reading Hospital in Coley Park and the Dunedin Hospital situated on the main A4 Bath Road. Coley Park is a Suburb of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. ^[14][15]

Economy

Reading is an important commercial centre in Southern England and is often referred to as the commercial capital of the Thames Valley. Southern England is an imprecise term used to refer to the southern Counties of England. The Thames Valley generally implies the region that drains into the River Thames (the Thames catchment) from west of Cirencester to London ^[16]

The town hosts is the headquarters of major British companies and the UK offices of major foreign multinationals, especially in the IT industry, including Symantec, ING Direct, Microsoft, Oracle, Sage, Xansa, Cisco, Symbol Technologies, Websense and Yell.com. Symantec Corporation, founded in 1982 is an International Corporation which sells Computer Software, particularly in the realms of security ING Direct is a marketing name for a branchless direct bank with operations in Australia, Canada, France, Germany (branded Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational Computer technology Corporation, which rose to dominate the Home computer Oracle Corporation ( specializes in developing and marketing Enterprise software products — particularly Database management systems In 2007 Oracle ranked The Sage Group plc (abbreviated Sage) is engaged in the development distribution and support of business management software and related products and services for medium-sized and Xansa plc, trading as Xansa, is a British Outsourcing and technology company and was quoted on the London Stock Exchange until 17th October Symbol Technologies is a manufacturer and worldwide supplier of mobile data capture and delivery equipment Websense' is a San Diego California -based company which produces Web security gateway software including Web filtering also known as Internet Content-control Yell Group plc ( is a leading international directories business operating in classified advertising markets in the UK US Spain and Latin America through printed online and telephone-based Several of these are at the Thames Valley Business Park. Thames Valley Park is a high-tech Business park adjacent to the River Thames on the eastern outskirts of Reading in the English county of The head office of the natural gas major BG Group is also at the Thames Valley Business Park. BG Group Plc ( is an integrated oil and gas company which has its headquarters in Reading, England. Thames Valley Park is a high-tech Business park adjacent to the River Thames on the eastern outskirts of Reading in the English county of Some of the others are located in Green Park, which is near the Madejski Stadium. This area has been developed a lot in the last 10 years.

Retail

Reading town centre is a major shopping centre. The primary catchment area for the town centre (the area for which the centre attracts the largest single flow of generated expenditure) for non-bulky comparison goods extends as far as Goring-on-Thames, Henley-on-Thames, Pangbourne and Wokingham. Goring-on-Thames is a Village and Civil parish on the River Thames in the English county of Oxfordshire. Henley-on-Thames is a town on the north side of the River Thames in south Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Pangbourne is a large Village and Civil parish on the River Thames in the English county of Berkshire. The secondary catchment area (the area where the centre attracts 10% or more of generated expenditure) also includes Ascot, Bracknell, Camberley, Didcot, Farnborough, Fleet, High Wycombe, Maidenhead, Newbury, Tadley, Thatcham, Wallingford and Windsor. Ascot is a small town within the Civil parish of Sunninghill and Ascot, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire, Bracknell is a town in the Bracknell Forest borough of Berkshire, England. Camberley is a town in Surrey, England, situated 31 miles (50 km south west of Central London Didcot is a Town in the Thames Valley, in the English county of Oxfordshire (although formerly in Berkshire) Farnborough is a Town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England. Fleet is a town in the county of Hampshire, UK, located 37 miles (60 km southwest of London. See also High Wycombe Western Australia High Wycombe (hai ˈwɪk Maidenhead is a town within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. Newbury is a Civil parish and the principal Town in the west of the County of Berkshire in England. Tadley is a Town and Civil parish in the English county of Hampshire. Thatcham is a Town in Berkshire, England 3 miles (5km east of Newbury and 15 miles (24km west of Reading Wallingford is a small Market town and Civil parish in the upper Thames Valley in Oxfordshire, England. Windsor (ˈwɪnzə/ /ˈwɪndzə is a suburban town and tourist destination in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. In 2007 an independent poll placed Reading as one of the top ten retail destinations in the UK ^[17][18]

The principal town centre shopping area is around Broad Street, which was pedestrianised in 1995. Broad Street is anchored at its east and west ends respectively by The Oracle and Broad Street Mall enclosed shopping centres. The Oracle is a large indoor shopping and leisure mall by London-based Hammerson plc, located on the banks of the River Kennet in Reading, Broad Street Mall is a large indoor shopping mall in central Reading in England. The Oracle shopping centre regularly attracts over 250,000 people passing through on a Saturday alone. It plays host to a number of major retailers which had previously not been present in the town.

There are three major department stores in Reading: John Lewis Reading (formerly known as Heelas), Debenhams and House of Fraser. A department store is a Retail establishment which specializes in selling a wide range of products without a single predominant merchandise line. John Lewis Reading is a major Department store in Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Debenhams plc ( is a British -based retailer operating under a Department Store format in the UK and franchise stores in other countries House of Fraser is a British Department store group with 63 stores (April 2008 across the United Kingdom and Ireland. There are also branches of the chains Marks and Spencers, Bhs, H&M, Primark and UNIQLO. Marks & Spencer Group plc (also M&S, Marks and Sparks, and Marks) is a British Retailer with 843 stores in more than 30 Bhs or British Home Stores (formerly BHS and BhS) is a stalwart department store of the British High Street, selling clothing and household items Hennes & Mauritz AB (operating as H&M) is a Swedish clothing company known for its inexpensive and fashionable clothing offerings for women men teenagers and children is a Japanese casual wear designer manufacturer and retailer Originally a division of Fast Retailing Co

The booksellers Waterstone's have two branches in Reading. Waterstone's is a United Kingdom –based chain of bookshops. Their Broad Street branch is of particular interest, as it is a remarkable conversion of a nonconformist chapel dating from 1707. Waterstone's Broad Street Reading is a branch of the Waterstone's chain of Bookshops in the principal shopping street of Reading in England Nonconformism is the refusal to conform to common standards conventions rules customs traditions norms or laws A chapel is a holy place or area of Worship for Christians, which may be attached to an institution such as a large church, a College, a

Besides the two major shopping malls, Reading has three smaller shopping arcades, the Bristol & West Arcade, Harris Arcade and The Walk, which contain smaller specialist stores. An older form of retail facility is represented by Union Street, popularly known as Smelly Alley, a narrow pedestrianised alley lined on both sides by small independent stores, including open fronted fishmongers and greengrocers. An alley or alleyway is a narrow pedestrian Lane found in urban areas which usually run between or behind buildings A fishmonger ( fishwife for women practitioners - "wife" in this case used in its archaic meaning of "woman" is someone who sells Fish and A greengrocer is a Retail trader in Fruit and Vegetables that is in green groceries.

Other than Marks and Spencers, two small branches of Sainsbury's and a few speciality shops such as those in Union Street, food retail has largely deserted the town centre. J Sainsbury plc ( is the parent company of Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd commonly known as Sainsbury's (also Sainsbury and JS) the third largest Large branches of Tescos, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons and Waitrose supermarket chains, with their associated car parks, can be found in suburban and edge of town locations. Tesco plc is a British -based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain Asda is a United Kingdom Supermarket chain which retails food clothing and general merchandise Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC ( is the fourth largest chain of Supermarkets in the United Kingdom. Waitrose is the Supermarket division of the John Lewis Partnership, with 192 branches as of September 2008

Utilities

Mains water and sewerage services are supplied by Thames Water plc, a private sector water supply company. Thames Water, known originally as the Thames Water Authority and after privatisation as Thames Water Utilities Limited, is the utility responsible In Economics, the private sector is that part of the economy which is both run for private Profit and is not controlled by the State. Water abstraction and disposal is regulated by the Environment Agency. The Environment Agency (Asiantaeth yr Amgylchedd is a Non-Departmental Public Body of the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Reading's water supply is largely derived from underground aquifers, and as a consequence the water is hard. An aquifer is an underground layer of Water -bearing Permeable rock or unconsolidated materials ( Gravel, Sand, Silt, or Clay Hard water is the type of Water that has high Mineral content (in contrast with Soft water) ^[19][20][21]

As with the rest of the Britain, the choice of commercial energy supplier for electricity and gas is at the consumer's choice. This page is about the physical properties of gas as a state of matter Southern Electric runs the local electricity distribution network, while Scotia Gas Networks runs the gas distribution network. Southern Electric plc was an electric company in the UK The company originated as the Southern Electricity Board, created in 1948 as part of the Nationalisation Scotia Gas Networks Plc is a holding company of Scotland Gas Networks Plc and Southern Gas Networks Plc based in Perth Scotland. One notable part of the local energy infrastructure is the presence of a 2 megawatt (peak) Enercon wind turbine at GreenPark, which is wired to the local sub-grid. The watt (symbol W) is the SI derived unit of power, equal to one Joule of energy per Second. Enercon GmbH, based in Aurich, Northern Germany, is the third-largest Wind turbine manufacturer in the world and the Market leader A wind turbine is a rotating machine which converts the Kinetic energy in Wind into Mechanical energy. GreenPark is a Business park near junction 11 of the M4 motorway on the outskirts of Reading, but partly in the Civil parish of Shinfield It was constructed in November 2005 just outside the borders of the borough in the civil parish of Shinfield and is owned by Ecotricity. A civil parish in the United Kingdom is a unit of local government. Shinfield is a Village and Civil parish in the English county of Berkshire, just south of Reading. Ecotricity is a Green energy company based in Stroud Gloucestershire, England specialising in Wind power. This turbine can be seen from a large part of Reading, as well as from near junction 11 of the M4. The turbine has the potential to produce 3. 5 million units of electricity a year, enough to power over a thousand local homes. ^[22]

BT provides fixed-line telephone coverage throughout the town, and ADSL broadband internet connection to most areas. BT Group plc (formerly British Telecommunications plc) which trades as BT (ˌbiːˈtiː bee tee) (previously known as British Telecom and still Basic principle A traditional landline telephone system also known as "plain old telephone service" (POTS, commonly handles both signaling and audio information Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line ( ADSL) is a form of DSL, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over Copper Telephone Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just Broadband, is high-speed Internet access—typically contrasted with dial-up access over a Modem Parts of Reading are cabled by Virgin Media, supplying cable television, telephone and broadband internet connections. Virgin Media Inc (formerly known as ntlTelewest, after a merger of NTL Incorporated with Telewest Global Inc The dialling code for fixed-line telephones is 0118. The UK Telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Telephone Numbering Plan, is the system used for assigning Telephone numbers in the United

Mobile phone service is available throughout the town, from all the UK licensed network operators and using the GSM and UMTS standards. A mobile network operator ( MNO) also known as carriage service provider ( CSP) wireless service provider, wireless carrier, GSM ( Global System for Mobile communications: originally from Groupe Spécial Mobile) is the most popular standard for Mobile phones in the

Transport

Reading's location in the Thames Valley to the west of London means that it has always had a significant position in the nation's transport system.

River transport

The town grew up as a river port at the confluence of the Thames and Kennet. The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. Kennet Fluss2 dbjpg|150px]] The upper reaches of the River Kennet near Avebury The Both of these rivers remain navigable, and the locks of Caversham Lock, Blake's Lock, Yale Lock, County Lock, Fobney Lock and Southcote Lock are all within the borough. A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal Waterways. Caversham Lock is a lock and Weir situated on the River Thames in England at Reading, Berkshire. Blake's Lock is a lock situated on the River Kennet in Reading, Berkshire, England. Yale is a lock manufacturer owned by Assa Abloy. The company started in the mid 1800s County Lock is a lock on the River Kennet in Reading town centre in the English county of Berkshire. Fobney Lock is a lock on the River Kennet in the Small Mead area of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Southcote Lock is a lock on the River Kennet at Southcote within the town of Reading in Berkshire, England. Today navigation is exclusively leisure oriented, with private and hire boats dominating traffic.

Several scheduled boat services operate on the Thames, operating from wharves on the Reading side of the river near Caversham Bridge. A wharf is a landing place or Pier where ships may tie up and load or unload Caversham Bridge is a bridge across the River Thames between Caversham and the town centre of Reading. Salters Steamers operate a summer daily service from just downstream of the bridge to Henley-on-Thames, taking somewhat over two hours in each direction and calling at the riverside villages of Sonning and Shiplake. Salters Steamers, formerly known as Salter Bros, is an old family firm based around Boating on the River Thames, originally established in 1858 Henley-on-Thames is a town on the north side of the River Thames in south Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Sonning (occasionally called Sonning-on-Thames) is a Village and Civil parish in the English county of Berkshire, a few miles Shiplake (and Lower Shiplake) is a village in Oxfordshire, England on the River Thames, near Henley-on-Thames and opposite the village Thames River Cruises operate several different trips from just upstream of the bridge, including a service on summer weekends and bank holidays to Mapledurham, taking 45 minutes in each direction and allowing two hours ashore for visits to Mapledurham Watermill and Mapledurham House. A bank holiday is a Public holiday in the United Kingdom and also in the Republic of Ireland. Mapledurham is a small Village, Civil parish and country estate in the English county of Oxfordshire. Mapledurham Watermill is an historic Watermill on the River Thames at the village of Mapledurham in Oxfordshire, England. Mapledurham House is an Elizabethan Stately home in the English county of Oxfordshire. ^[23][24]

Road transport

Reading was a major staging point on the old Bath Road (A4) from London to Bath and Bristol. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London This road still carries local traffic, but has now been replaced for long distance traffic by the M4 motorway, which closely skirts the borough and serves it with three junctions (J10–J12). The M4 motorway is a Motorway in Great Britain linking London with Wales.

Within Reading there is the Inner Distribution road (IDR), a ring road for local traffic movements. The council has put forward a plan to make the IDR one-way. This has proved highly controversial and the plan is now (June 2007) under review. ^[25]

The A329(M), A33 and A4 national routes link the town with junctions 10, 11 and 12 of the M4 motorway respectively. The IDR is linked with the M4 by the recently constructed A33 relief road, which runs past the Madejski stadium and Green Park Business complex. The A33 is a major Road in England. The road formerly ran from Reading to Southampton, but now consists of three disjoint sections

The Thames is crossed by both Reading and Caversham road bridges, while several road bridges cross the Kennet. Reading Bridge is a road bridge over the River Thames at Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Caversham Bridge is a bridge across the River Thames between Caversham and the town centre of Reading. There has long been a desire to construct a third bridge across the Thames, to the east of the existing bridges. Some people believe that this will remove one of the town's bottlenecks and ease traffic congestion. Others believe that it will induce more traffic, move bottle necks and open up swathes of South Oxfordshire to unwanted development. However, the proximity of the county border means that any such route will have to pass through South Oxfordshire, and this development has so far been blocked by its residents and politicians. ^[26]

Rail transport

Reading is a major junction point on the national rail system, and as a consequence Reading station is a major transfer point as well as serving heavy originating and terminating traffic. National Rail is a brand name of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC Reading railway station (formerly Reading General) is a major rail transport hub in Reading. There are current plans to rebuild Reading station, with grade separation of some conflicting traffic flows and extra platforms, to relieve severe congestion at this station.

Railway lines link Reading to both Paddington and Waterloo stations in London. London Paddington station, also known as London Paddington, or just simply Paddington, is a major National Rail and London Underground station London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The route to Paddington offers both non-stop (taking around 30 minutes) and stopping services, whilst that to Waterloo offers only a stopping service. Long distance services also link Reading to Bristol, Cardiff and South Wales, Exeter, Plymouth and South West England, Birmingham and the North of England, and Southampton and Bournemouth. Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London Cardiff ( 'kɑːdɪf) is the Capital and the largest city and county in Wales. South Wales (De Cymru is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south and Mid Wales and West Wales Exeter ( (IPA ˈeksɪtər is a city, district and County town of Devon, England. Plymouth ( is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England about south west of London. South West England is one of the Regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area and extends from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to Birmingham ( ˈbɜːmɪŋəm Ber -ming-um Northern England, The North, The North of England or (less commonly The North Country refers to the parts of England north of an ill-defined line Southampton ( IPA /ˌsaʊθˈhæmptən/ is the largest city in the county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England Bournemouth ( is a large coastal resort town in the Borough of Bournemouth in Dorset, England. Local services link Reading to Oxford, Newbury, Basingstoke, Guildford and Gatwick Airport. Oxford is currently bidding for the 2010 Wikimania Conference Oxford () is a city, and the County town of Oxfordshire, Newbury is a Civil parish and the principal Town in the west of the County of Berkshire in England. Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, England It lies across a Valley at the source of the River Loddon. Guildford ( IPA /ˈgɪlfəd/ is the County town of Surrey, England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the Gatwick Airport is London 's second largest Airport and the second busiest airport in the United Kingdom after Heathrow.

Other stations in the Reading area are Reading West, Tilehurst and Earley, but all serve local trains only. Reading West is a Railway station in Reading in England. It is situated in West Reading, to the west of the town centre about one mile from Tilehurst railway station is a railway station in the suburb and former village of Tilehurst to the west of Reading in England. Earley railway station is a railway station in the suburb of Earley to the east of Reading in England. A new Reading GreenPark railway station is planned. Green Park railway station is a railway station in Reading, Berkshire, currently under construction

Air transport

Historically, there have been two airfields in Reading, one at Coley Park and one at Woodley, but these have both long since closed. An aerodrome is an area on land or water (including any buildings installations and equipment used for the arrival and departure of aircraft Coley Park is a Suburb of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Woodley is a Town in the English county of Berkshire. It forms part of the urban area of Reading, although not part of the Borough of Reading Today Reading is served by several nearby airports.

The nearest airport is London Heathrow, which is 30 miles away by road. An express bus service named RailAir links Reading with Heathrow, or alternatively it can be accessed by changing at Hayes and Harlington railway station, on the local rail service to Paddington, to the Heathrow Connect rail service. RailAir, Railair or Rail Air describes a number of Airport bus and coach services designed to connect the National Rail network to airports Hayes and Harlington railway station is a railway station in Hayes and Harlington in the London Borough of Hillingdon. Heathrow Connect is a train service in London provided by Heathrow Express and First Great Western, connecting Heathrow Airport with Paddington

London Gatwick is 60 miles away by road and is served by direct trains from Reading. Gatwick Airport is London 's second largest Airport and the second busiest airport in the United Kingdom after Heathrow. London Luton is also 60 miles away by road, whilst London Stansted is 90 miles away; both can be reached by rail by changing stations in central London. London Luton Airport (previously called Luton International Airport) is an International airport located on the edge of the Town of Luton London Stansted Airport is a passenger Airport located in the Uttlesford District of the English County of Essex about 38 miles (61 The airport at London City, principally used by short-haul business travellers to and from London's financial district, can also be reached by a combination of rail services. London City Airport is a single-runway Airport, intended for use by STOL (Short Take Off and Landing Airliners and principally serving the financial

Southampton Airport also provides services to short haul destinations. Southampton Airport is the 20th largest Airport in the UK, located in Eastleigh near Southampton. It is 45 miles away by road and served by direct rail services.

Local public transport

Local public transport is largely road-based, and can be affected by the significant peak hour congestion in the borough. A comprehensive and frequent local bus network within the borough, and a less frequent network in the surrounding area, are provided by Reading Buses. Other bus operators include:

• First: Reading - Winnersh - Wokingham - Bracknell service
• Thames Travel: Reading - Arborfield - Wokingham; Reading - Wallingford - Oxford services
• Arriva: Reading - High Wycombe service
• Newbury Buses: Reading - Newbury service
• Fleet Buzz: Reading - Fleet - Aldershot service

Culture

Arts

Reading has a number of arts centres, including concert halls, fine art galleries and general use spaces, with a vibrant arts scene. First Berkshire & The Thames Valley is a bus operator serving Bracknell, Slough and Wokingham, in England. Winnersh is a Village and Civil parish, a part of Wokingham Borough, in the English county of Berkshire. Bracknell is a town in the Bracknell Forest borough of Berkshire, England. Thames Travel is a Bus operator based in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, in England. Arborfield is a Village in the English county of Berkshire. The village is situated on the A327 road some 3 miles south-east of the large town Wallingford is a small Market town and Civil parish in the upper Thames Valley in Oxfordshire, England. Oxford is currently bidding for the 2010 Wikimania Conference Oxford () is a city, and the County town of Oxfordshire, Arriva Shires & Essex is a division of Arriva and one of many private operators of London Buses. See also High Wycombe Western Australia High Wycombe (hai ˈwɪk Newbury is a Civil parish and the principal Town in the west of the County of Berkshire in England. Fleet is a town in the county of Hampshire, UK, located 37 miles (60 km southwest of London. Aldershot is a town in the English County of Hampshire, located on heathland about 60 km (37 miles southwest of London.

In 2006 the Reading Fringe Festival was launched, striving to prove that Reading was "a hotbed of talent" worthy of city status. The Reading Fringe Festival was started in 2005 in Reading Berkshire, after a group of several musicians producers and promoters decided to showcase Reading's musical talent ^[27] Local arts organisations, groups and individuals promote themselves at venues throughout the town in the run-up to Reading Festival.

Reading is home to Remix Reading, a free culture project with a particular focus on copyright and the local arts scene. The free culture movement is a Social movement that promotes the freedom to distribute and modify Creative works, using the Internet as well as other Copyright is a legal concept enacted by Governments, giving the creator of an original work of authorship Exclusive rights to control its distribution usually for

Reading is also the home to Gen Con UK, a Games Convention. Gen Con is the one of the largest Despite a recent lawsuit from Lucasfilm and filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on February 15,

Music

Every year Reading hosts the Reading Festival, which has been running since 1971. It is considered as the largest UK music festival after Glastonbury. While WOMAD found a home in the town in 1990,^[28] it has been announced that after 17 years WOMAD Reading is to find a new location, having outgrown the Rivermead site. World of Music Arts and Dance ( WOMAD) is a festival started in Shepton Mallet, England in 1982 ^[29] Internationally, it is perhaps for these two events that the town is best known.

The town has had mixed fortunes in creating home-grown artists over the years. Perhaps most notable is Mike Oldfield of Tubular Bells fame. Michael Gordon Oldfield (born 15 May 1953 in Reading, Berkshire) is an English Multi-instrumentalist Musician Tubular Bells is a record album, written and mostly performed by Mike Oldfield, released in 1973. More recently, Slowdive, The Cooper Temple Clause, Stuart Price, Morning Runner, My Luminaries, Laura Marling, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Dan Le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip, Pete & The Pirates, SixNationState, Pure Reason Revolution, Exit Ten and Mr Fogg have had some degree of success. Slowdive were a Shoegazing band formed in 1989 lasting until 1995 The Cooper Temple Clause were a five-piece Alternative rock band originating from Wokingham Berkshire, England. Stuart David Price (born in Paris, 9 September 1977) is a British Electronic musician songwriter and producer whose Remixing Morning Runner were an Alternative rock band from Reading, England. My Luminaries are a British rock band formed in London in 2004 Laura Beatrice Marling (born 1 February 1990) is a folk-pop Singer-songwriter from Hampshire, England. Does It Offend You Yeah? is a British electro-rock band from Reading Berkshire. Pete & The Pirates are an English indie rock band based in Reading. SixNationState (also known as Six Nation State or 6NS) is an Indie rock band formed in 2004 in Southampton, UK (although the band Pure Reason Revolution is a British rock group formed at the University of Westminster in 2003 Exit Ten is a British alternative / Progressive metal band Its current lineup has been active since 2003 Mr Fogg is an indie-synth-pop solo artist from Reading Berkshire. David Byron, first and most famous singer of heavy metal band Uriah Heep lived his last years in Reading before he died in 1985. David Byron (born 29 January 1947 &ndash 28 February 1985, born as David Garrick) was the original lead vocalist Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in December 1969 when record producer Gerry Bron invited keyboardist Ken Hensley (previously

Reading plays host to semi-professional and amateur choirs and choral societies. Reading Festival Chorus has just celebrated its 60th anniversary. Reading Festival Chorus is a chorus which was formed in 1945 to give performances of larger scale choral works usually with an orchestra RFC sings a diverse music programme, with works like Mozart's Requiem, Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man in 2005 to Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and a summer programme of English and American Folk songs by Tippett and Aaron Copland. Dr Karl William Jenkins OBE DMus FRAM ARAM LRAM FWCMD FTCC (born February 17, 1944) is a Welsh musician and composer The Armed Man is the name of a Mass by Welsh Composer Karl Jenkins, subtitled "A Mass for Peace" Ludwig van Beethoven ( English ˈlʊdvɪg væn ˈbeɪtoʊvən, 16 December 1770 &ndash 26 March 1827 was a German Composer and Pianist. Sir Michael Kemp Tippett, OM (2 January 1905 &ndash 8 January 1998 was one of the foremost English Composers of the 20th century Aaron Copland (November 14 1900 &ndash December 2 1990 was an American Composer of concert and film music as well as an accomplished Pianist.

Reading also has orchestras including the long-established Reading Symphony Orchestra (RSO) and Reading Youth Orchestra (RYO). Reading Youth Orchestra (RYO is one of the oldest youth orchestras in Britain. Reading Youth Orchestra (RYO is one of the oldest youth orchestras in Britain. The Aldworth Philharmonic Orchestra (APO), named after Richard Aldworth, the founder of Reading Blue Coat School (where it rehearses and plays most of its concerts), was formed relatively recently, in 2002. Reading Blue Coat School is a boys' Secondary school in Holme Park at Sonning in the English county of Berkshire, which includes a APO's remit is to be as innovative as possible, giving more local people the chance to play by rehearsing exclusively at weekends, attracting a wider audience to classical music (especially younger people) through its 'Concert Virgin Scheme' & education projects, and championing the music of talented young composers.

Theatre

Reading has several theatre venues, including The Hexagon and 21 South Street, which are professional venues supported by Reading Borough Council. The Hexagon is a multi-purpose arts venue and theatre in central Reading Berkshire, England. The Hexagon is a multi-purpose venue in the heart of Reading that provides a programme of events including rock, pop, comedy, classical music and dance as well as theatre. ^[30] South Street also presents a diverse range of performing arts from both the professional and community sectors, including fringe theatre, comedy, music, dance and live literature. ^[31]

Amateur theatre venues in Reading include Progress Theatre,^[32] a self-governing, self-funding theatre group and registered charity founded in 1947 that operates and maintains its own 97-seat theatre. Progress Theatre is a theatre company owning and managing its own theatre on The Mount in Reading, Berkshire, England, close to Reading University ^[33] Progress Theatre produces a yearly open air Shakespeare production in the Reading Abbey Ruins that has come to represent a highlight of Reading's cultural calendar. Reading Abbey is a large ruined Abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. ^[34] Reading also has Bohemian Night, a weekly Open Mike event that many ameuters perform at. Bohemian Night is a weekly open mic night in Reading Berkshire, England. An open mike or open mic (or open spots) is a live show where audience members may perform at the microphone

Media

Reading has two local newspapers.

• The Reading Evening Post is an evening newspaper published on Mondays to Fridays. Reading Evening Post is an English local evening newspaper covering Reading and surrounding areas
• The Reading Chronicle is published weekly, on Thursdays. This article is about a UK newspaper For the newspaper in Reading Massachusetts, see Daily Times Chronicle.

Three local radio stations broadcast from Reading: BBC Radio Berkshire, Reading 107 FM and 2-Ten FM. BBC Radio Berkshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English County of Berkshire. Reading 107 FM is an Independent Local Radio station for Reading Berkshire. 2Ten FM (Originally styled 2-Ten FM) is an Independent Local Radio station serving Berkshire and North Hampshire with studios in Reading Other local radio stations, such as London's 95.8 Capital FM, Basingstoke's 107.6 Kestrel FM and Slough's Star 106.6 can also be received. Time 1066 is an adult contemporary Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to East Berkshire and South Buckinghamshire.

Local television news programmes are the BBC's South Today and ITV's Thames Valley Tonight. South Today is the BBC 's regional television news programme for East Dorset, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Berkshire and West Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent Thames Valley Tonight is a regional news programme broadcast to part of the ITV Network in the Thames Valley area of southern England.

Sports

Reading Football Club, an association football club nicknamed The Royals, has played in Reading since 1871. Reading Football Club are an Association football club based in the English town of Reading, in Berkshire. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Formerly based at Elm Park, the club has played in the 24,500 capacity Madejski Stadium home since 1998. The Madejski Stadium is a football Stadium in Reading, Berkshire, England. Reading finished their second season in the elite Premier League with a 4-0 win over Derby County, however this wasn't enough to avoid relgation due to Fulham's 1-0 win over Portsmouth. The Premier League, colloquially referred to as the Premiership, is an English professional league for football clubs Derby County Football Club is a professional football club based at Pride Park Stadium in Derby England. Fulham Football Club is an English football team based in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the south coast city of Portsmouth. Reading finished the season in 18th place meaning the club will play next season in the Football League Championship. The Football League Championship (often referred to as The Championship for short or the Coca-Cola Football League Championship for sponsorship reasons The Town's second team, Reading Town play in the Combined Counties Football League Premier Division. Reading Town Football Club is an English football club in the FTL Hellenic Football League Premier Division based in Reading Berkshire The Combined Counties Football League Premier Division is the Step 5 division of the Combined Counties Football League, an English regional football league situated in Southern

Reading is a centre for rugby union football in the area, with the Guinness Premiership team London Irish as tenants at the Madejski Stadium. Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short The English Premiership (known as the Guinness Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Guinness) is a professional league competition for Rugby For the British Army regiment see London Irish Rifles London Irish (also known as The Exiles) is an English Rugby Reading is also home to another three senior semi-professional rugby clubs; Reading Abbey R.F.C., Redingensians R.F.C. and Reading R.F.C.. Reading Abbey RFC is an English Rugby Union club Although the club is named for and historically connected with the Berkshire town of Reading Redingensians RFC is an English Rugby Union club The club is near the village of Sonning on the outskirts of Reading in the county of Reading RFC are an English Rugby union club who play in South West Division 1 and are based in the village of Sonning, on the outskirts of The town plays host to a number of other football variants, such as Gaelic football's St. Football is the word given to a number of similar Team sports all of which involve (to varying degrees kicking a Ball with the foot in an attempt to score a Gaelic football ( Irish: Peil, Peil Ghaelach, or Caid) commonly referred to as " football " is a form of Football Anthony's GAA, Australian rules football team Reading Kangaroos, and American football team Reading Renegades. Australian (rules football, or simply known as football, footy or Aussie rules, is a Team sport played between two teams of 18 players The Reading Kangaroos are an Australian rules football club who play in the English town of Reading. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with The Reading Renegades are an American Football team currently competing in the South West Conference of British American Football League (BAFL Division 2 The sport of field hockey is represented by Reading Hockey Club. Field hockey is a Team sport in which players attempt to score goals by hitting the Ball across the pitch with a stick Reading Hockey Club is a Field hockey club based in the English town of Reading.

The Reading Half Marathon is held on the streets of Reading in March of each year, with as many as 13,000 competitors from elite to fun runners. The Reading Half Marathon is a Half marathon Road running event held on the streets of the English town of Reading.

The Reading Rockets, are a basketball club that play in the English Basketball League. The Reading Rockets are a basketball club based in Reading Berkshire that currently play in the English Basketball League. The Rockets were formed in 1997 by the owner Gary Johnson. The Rockets won the National Cup, and reached EBL Championship Final in 2005, and were League runners-up and Cup Finalists in 2006. In 2007 they won the National Trophy and were league runners-up again. They are thus already firmly established among the elite teams of the EBL.

Like many Thames-side towns, Reading has several rowing clubs, representing both town and university. GB coxless pair of Toby Garbett & Rick Dunn at Henley Royal Regatta 2004 The local Redgrave-Pinsent Rowing Lake provides training facilities, although much rowing is also conducted on the river itself. The Redgrave-Pinsent Rowing Lake is a rowing Lake in the United Kingdom, named after the Olympic Rowers Sir Steve Redgrave Dorney Lake, some 27 km (17 miles) to the east of Reading, provides a full international competition venue and will host the rowing events of the 2012 Summer Olympics. Dorney Lake is a purpose built rowing Lake in the United Kingdom. There are also several sailing lakes to the south and southwest of the town, the largest being Theale Lake close to junction 12 of the M4. These lakes are also popular with water-skiing and jet-skiing enthusiasts.

From 1984 to 1994, The Hexagon theatre was home to snooker's Grand Prix tournament, one of the sport's 'big four' Grand Slam events. The Hexagon is a multi-purpose arts venue and theatre in central Reading Berkshire, England.

Britain's first-ever triathlon was held just outside Reading at Kirtons's Farm in Pingewood in June 1983. A triathlon is an endurance sports event consisting of Swimming, cycling and Running over various distances The Reading International Triathlon was revived by Banana Leisure in 1994 and 1995. Thames Valley Triathletes, based in the town, is Britain's oldest triathlon club, with origins in the 1984 event at nearby Heckfield. The British Triathlon Association was also formed at the town's former "Mall" health club in 1982.

Reading's Palmer Park was also the host of the UK's first-ever outdoor Aerobics display; pre-dating the more famous Hyde Park (London) event by a year. Palmer Park is a Public park in Reading, England. The land for the park was given to the town in 1889 by the Palmer family proprietors of the

Reading is also in the history books of motorsport. Reading-born Richard Burns became the first Englishman to win the World Rally Championship, in 2001. Richard Burns ( January 17 1971, Reading Berkshire, England &ndash November 25 2005) was a British rally History Early The World Rally Championship was formed from well-known international rallies nine of which were previously part of the International Championship

The town is also home to Reading Greyhound Racing and the Reading Racers speedway team, and there is a velodrome at Palmer Park where many of Britain's junior champions train and race. Reading Greyhound Racing is an English Greyhound racing track Reading Racers (known as the Reading Bulldogs for 2006 and part of 2007 Season is an English Motorcycle speedway team Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a Motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise A velodrome is an arena for Track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights Palmer Park is a Public park in Reading, England. The land for the park was given to the town in 1889 by the Palmer family proprietors of the

Literature

See also: List of residents of Reading, Berkshire

Oscar Wilde was imprisoned in Reading (HM Prison) from 1895 to 1897. This is a list of notable people who are current or former residents of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900 was an Irish Playwright, Novelist, poet and Author of HM Prison & YOI Reading is a British Prison. HM Prison Reading was built in 1844 as the Berkshire County gaol in the While he was there he wrote De Profundis, which was published in 1905. Psalm 130 ( Greek numbering Psalm 129 traditionally referred to as De profundis, after its Latin incipit is one of the penitential psalms. After his release he lived in exile in Paris and wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol, published in 1908. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city The Ballad of Reading Gaol is a famous poem by Oscar Wilde, written after his release from Reading prison on 19 May 1897.

Jane Austen attended Reading Ladies Boarding School, based in the Abbey Gateway, in 1784-86. Jane Austen (16

Thomas Hardy painted a rather disparaging picture of the town, lightly disguised as Aldbrickham, in his 1895 novel Jude the Obscure. Thomas Hardy OM (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928 was an English novelist Short story writer and poet of the naturalist movement though he saw Jude the Obscure is the last of Thomas Hardy 's Novels begun as a magazine serial and first published in book form in 1895.

T. E. Lawrence lost the first draft of his Seven Pillars of Wisdom at Reading railway station. Seven Pillars of Wisdom A Triumph is the autobiographical account of the experiences of T

Thomas Noon Talfourd, the judge and dramatist was born in Reading and later became MP for the town. Sir Thomas Noon Talfourd, SL ( May 26, 1795 &ndash March 13, 1854) was an English Judge and Author

Mary Russell Mitford lived in Reading for a number of years and then spent the rest of her life just outside the town at Three Mile Cross and Swallowfield. Mary Russell Mitford ( 16 December 1787 - 10 January 1855) was an English Novelist and Dramatist. Three Mile Cross is a Village in the Civil parish of Shinfield, close to Reading, in the English County of Berkshire Swallowfield is a Village and Civil parish in the English County of Berkshire.

Charles Dickens was asked to stand as MP for Reading, but declined. He became president of the Reading Athenaeum. In his Bleak House, Esther Summerson goes to school in Reading. Bleak House is the ninth Novel by Charles Dickens, published in twenty monthly installments between March 1852 and September 1853 His great-granddaughter Monica Dickens died in Reading in 1992. Monica Enid Dickens ( May 10, 1915 London - December 25, 1992 Reading Berkshire) was a British Writer

Jerome K. Jerome did not warm to the town on his famous journey up the Thames in Three Men in a Boat (1888): "The river is dirty and dismal here. Jerome Klapka Jerome ( May 2, 1859 – June 14, 1927) was an English writer and Humorist, best known for the humorous travelogue Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog, published in 1889 is a humorous account by Jerome K One does not linger in the neighbourhood of Reading". He does, however, recognise the historical significance of Reading in local history.

Jasper Fforde set his series of Jack Spratt novels in this town. Jasper Fforde (born in London on 11 January, 1961) is an English Novelist.

The comic novel A Melon For Ecstasy by John Fortune and John Wells is set in and around Reading. John Fortune (born John Wood; 30 June 1939) is a British Satirist, Comedian Writer and Actor, best John Wells may refer to John Wells (architect (Bank of Montréal John Wells (artist (1907–2000 Cornish

The 1992 radio serialisation of Mark Wallington's Boogie Up The River by the BBC (a modern-day Three Men in a Boat) includes a spoof lament entitled O Caversham Man. Mark Wallington is the name of three prominent people Mark Wallington (actor, played the part of Kyle Lammas in Doctors Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog, published in 1889 is a humorous account by Jerome K

Other

A Reading edition of Monopoly is available (see Localized versions of the Monopoly game). Monopoly is a Board game published by Parker Brothers, a subsidiary of Hasbro. Throughout this article the unqualified use of currency denominations such as "$" or "£" generally refers to play money in the context of the game Perhaps surprisingly, given its size and status in the South East, Reading is not yet officially a city, having missed out during the millennium celebrations when the Queen instead granted Brighton & Hove city status in 2000.

The interview show As It Happens, which airs on CBC Radio One in Canada, is notable for its mention of Reading. As It Happens is a long-running interview show on CBC Radio One in Canada. CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information Radio network of the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Frequently, after concluding an interview with someone in the UK, the host will describe the individual in relation to how far they live from Reading. For example, one might hear "That was professional bagpiper William J. Tweed from Biggleswade, which is about 81 miles north of Reading. See also Biggleswade (hundred Biggleswade is a small and quaint market town on the River Ivel in Bedfordshire, England. "

In 1974, the BBC filmed The Family in Reading. The show, considered to one of the first reality television shows,^[35] followed the lives of the Wilkins family. Reality television is a genre of Television programming which presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations documents actual events and usually features ordinary

The roadside chain of restaurants Little Chef began in the town back in 1958. Little Chef is a chain of 180 roadside restaurants in the United Kingdom, founded in 1958 and owned by the UK private equity group RCapital typically Its first branch was a small eleven-seater venue. ^[36]

When Ricky Gervais (who comes from Reading) used to perform a stand-up comedy segment on the British TV show The 11 O'Clock Show, he would often (comically) describe the residents of the Reading suburb Whitley as the lowest members of society. Ricky Dene Gervais (dʒɜːˈveɪz born 25 June 1961 is an English Actor, Comedian, Writer, director, Producer and former The 11 O'Clock Show was a satirical late-night British Television comedy series on Channel 4, which featured topical sketches Whitley is a large Suburb in the south of Reading in the English County of Berkshire. This turned Whitley into a household name for the duration of the series.

Reading in Pennsylvania and Reading in Massachusetts are both named after Reading. Reading (ˈrɛdɪŋ is the county seat of Berks County Pennsylvania and the center of the Greater Reading Area. Reading is a town situated in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, some north of central Boston.

Soul singer Glen Goldsmith was born in Reading in 1965 and helped pen the massive 1996 record hit called "Mysterious Girl" by Peter Andre. Glen Goldsmith was born on August 17 1965 in High Wycombe, Berkshire and is a UK -based Singer. Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Peter James André (born 27 February 1973 is an English-born Australian Singer-songwriter and Television personality.

In a 2007 poll by Readers Digest, Reading was named the worst place to live for families^[37]

See also

• List of notable residents of Reading, Berkshire

References

External links

• Reading (Berkshire) travel guide from Wikitravel
• Reading Borough Council
• Reading Pride 2006
• Reading Guide
• Reading information
• Reading's GreenPark windfarm
• Royal Berkshire History: Reading
• Reading Fringe Festival
• Reading GreenPark
• Polish community in Reading

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