85-797: The Reading Rockets are an English semi-professional basketball club based in the town of Reading , England . Founded in 1997, the Rockets compete in NBL Division 1 , the second tier of the British basketball system. The Rockets were formed in 1997 by current owner Gary Johnson together with his son Matt, starting in Division 3. The club won promotion at the first attempt, and in the National Basketball League reorganisation of 2000, England Basketball replaced Division 1 with
170-521: A Royalist garrison imposed on it in 1642. The subsequent Siege of Reading by Parliamentary forces succeeded in April 1643. The town's cloth trade was especially badly damaged, and the town's economy did not fully recover until the 20th century. Reading played a significant role during the Glorious Revolution : the second Battle of Reading was the only substantial military action of
255-470: A non-metropolitan district , with Berkshire County Council providing county-level services in the borough for the first time. Ahead of those reforms, the borough council campaigned to have Reading's boundaries enlarged to take in Earley, Woodley , Purley on Thames , the residual Tilehurst parish (covering the parts of Tilehurst which had not been transferred into the borough in 1911), and the eastern part of
340-650: A 22-acre site of largely derelict land immediately to the south of the town centre. Most of this site was previously occupied by Simonds Brewery (latterly owned by the Courage brewing company) and by the Reading Buses depot (formerly the Reading Corporation tram depot). The brewery had earlier relocated to a new site adjoining the M4 motorway , whilst the bus depot was relocated to a location just west of
425-420: A degree of independence from the abbey from the 13th century onwards, particularly after the town's merchant guild was granted a royal charter in 1253. Following the dissolution of the abbey in 1538 the borough was granted a new charter in 1542. The borough boundaries were then set out in a subsequent charter from Elizabeth I in 1560. The borough covered the whole of the parish of St Laurence and parts of
510-863: A month. The old Victorian Corn Exchange now provides an alternative access to a shopping centre. Every year Reading hosts the Reading Festival , which has been running since 1971. The festival takes place on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend and is the largest of its kind in the United Kingdom aside from the Glastonbury Festival . Reading Festival takes place at Little Johns Farm in Reading, Richfield Avenue. For some twenty years until 2006, Reading
595-564: A narrow steep-sided gap in the hills forming the southern flank of the Thames flood plain . The Kennet, which naturally divided into multiple shallow streams through the centre of Reading, was embanked as part of the construction of the Kennet and Avon Canal in the 18th century, allowing the development of wharves . The floodplains adjoining Reading's two rivers are subject to occasional flooding. As Reading has grown, its suburbs have spread: to
680-482: A new town hall by inserting an upper floor into the refectory of the Hospitium of St John , the former hospitium of Reading Abbey . For some 400 years up to the 1970s, this was to remain the site of Reading's civic administration through the successive rebuilds that eventually created today's Town Hall . In 1976, Reading Borough Council moved to the new Civic Centre . In 2014, they moved again to civic offices in
765-405: A player must have either: Former head coaches Joan Portero Luque Jose Sanchez Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA -sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed. To appear in this section a player must have either: Former head coaches Reading, Berkshire Reading ( / ˈ r ɛ d ɪ ŋ / RED -ing )
850-487: A presence in the town, supplying Fibre-to-the-Premises ( FTTP ) broadband internet connections at speeds of up to 1 Gbit/s. Reading School (a state grammar school ), founded in 1125, is the 16th oldest school in England. There are six other state secondary schools and 38 state primary schools within the borough, together with a number of private schools and nurseries. Alfred Sutton Boys' School closed in
935-473: A professional association football team, Reading F.C. , and participates in many other sports. Reading dates from the 8th century. It was a trading and ecclesiastical centre in the Middle Ages , the site of Reading Abbey , one of the largest and richest monasteries of medieval England with royal connections, of which the 12th-century abbey gateway and significant ancient ruins remain. By 1525, Reading
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#17327934956701020-588: A refurbished existing office building on Bridge Street , in order to facilitate the demolition and redevelopment of the previous site. Reading is 42 miles (68 km) north of the English south coast. The centre of Reading is on a low ridge between the River Thames and River Kennet , close to their confluence , reflecting the town's history as a river port. Just above the confluence, the Kennet cuts through
1105-575: A retail mix that would enhance what was already there – we wanted to get the right caliber retailers to suit the slightly higher-end shopping demographic of the area." The main shopping malls comprising phase I of The Oracle were opened in September 1999, followed in November by the Riverside restaurants, pubs and cinema that made up phase II. Once phase I was complete, the way was open to relocate
1190-470: A self-governing, self-funding theatre group and registered charity founded in 1947 that operates and maintains its own 97-seat theatre. Rabble Theatre in Caversham and Reading Rep on London Road offer classic and contemporary performances. Jelly is an artist-led organisation that has been committed to improving access to the arts since 1993. The demonym for a person from Reading is Redingensian , giving
1275-442: A significant presence in the town include Huawei Technologies , Pegasystems , Access IS , CGI Inc. , Agilent Technologies , Cisco , Ericsson , Symantec , Verizon Business , and Commvault . These companies are distributed around Reading or just outside the borough boundary, some in business parks including Thames Valley Park in nearby Earley, Green Park Business Park and Arlington Business Park . Reading town centre
1360-597: A single Luftwaffe plane machine-gunned and bombed the town centre, resulting in 41 deaths and over 100 injuries. The Lower Earley development, begun in 1977, was one of the largest private housing developments in Europe . It extended the urban area of Reading as far as the M4 Motorway . Further housing developments have increased the number of modern houses and hypermarkets in the outskirts of Reading. A major town-centre shopping centre, The Oracle , opened in 1999,
1445-590: Is a conversion of a nonconformist chapel dating from 1707. Besides the two major shopping malls, Reading has three smaller shopping arcades, the Bristol and 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 . Reading has no indoor market, but there is a street market in Hosier Street. A farmers' market operates on two Saturdays
1530-667: Is a major commercial centre, especially for information technology and insurance. It is also a regional retail centre, serving a large area of the Thames Valley with its shopping centres, including the Oracle , the Broad Street Mall, and the pedestrianised area around Broad Street. It is home to the University of Reading . Every year it hosts the Reading Festival , one of England's biggest music festivals. Reading has
1615-808: Is a major shopping centre. In 2007, an independent poll placed Reading 16th in a league table of best performing retail centres in the United Kingdom. The main shopping street is Broad Street , which runs between The Oracle in the east and Broad Street Mall in the west and was pedestrianised in 1995. The smaller Friars Walk in Friar Street is closed and will be demolished if the proposed Station Hill redevelopment project goes ahead. There are three major department stores in Reading: John Lewis & Partners (known as Heelas until 2001), Debenhams (now closed down), and House of Fraser . The Broad Street branch of bookseller Waterstone's
1700-629: Is a museum dedicated to recording the changing face of farming and the countryside in England. It houses designated collections of national importance. It is owned and run by the University of Reading , as are the Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology , the Cole Museum of Zoology and the Harris Botanic Gardens , all of which can be found on the university's Whiteknights Campus . The small Riverside Museum at Blake's Lock tells
1785-641: Is a town and borough in Berkshire , England. Most of its built-up area lies within the Borough of Reading , although some outer suburbs are parts of neighbouring local authority areas. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers Thames and Kennet , Reading is 40 miles (64 km) east of Swindon , 28 miles (45 km) south of Oxford , 40 miles (64 km) west of London and 16 miles (26 km) north of Basingstoke . Reading
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#17327934956701870-575: Is buried within the Abbey grounds. As part of his endowments, he gave the abbey his lands in Reading, along with land at Cholsey . The town grew around a crossing of the River Kennet, about 1 mile (1.6 km) upstream from its confluence with the River Thames. In 1312, King Edward II directed that its bridges should be kept in good order. It is not known how badly Reading was affected by
1955-559: Is complemented by Palmer Park , a purpose built public park in east Reading gifted to the town by the proprietors of Huntley & Palmers in 1889. A string of open spaces stretch along one or other side of the River Thames throughout its passage through Reading. From west to east these are Thameside Promenade , Caversham Court , Christchurch Meadows , Hills Meadow , View Island and King's Meadow . Reading also has five local nature reserves : Clayfield Copse in Caversham , with
2040-460: Is from Reading, made the film Cemetery Junction , which, although filmed elsewhere in the United Kingdom, is set in 1970s Reading and is named after a busy junction in East Reading . Jasper Fforde 's Nursery Crimes Division novels, The Big Over Easy and The Fourth Bear , are also placed in Reading. The BBC Two sitcom Beautiful People , based on the memoirs of Simon Doonan ,
2125-772: Is largely based on Reading. Described with topographical accuracy, it is still possible to follow the steps of the novel's characters in present-day Reading. Reading also appears in the works of Thomas Hardy where it is called 'Aldbrickham'. It features most heavily in his final novel, Jude the Obscure , as the temporary home of Jude Fawley and Sue Bridehead. Oscar Wilde was imprisoned in Reading Gaol from 1895 to 1897. While there, he wrote his letter De Profundis . After his release, he lived in exile in France and wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol , based on his experience of
2210-493: Is named after the 17th-century Oracle workhouse , which once occupied a small part of the site. It provides three storeys of shopping space and boosted the local economy by providing 4,000 jobs. As one of the largest urban areas in the United Kingdom to be without city status , Reading has unsuccessfully bid for city status on four recent occasions – in 2000 to celebrate the new millennium; in 2002 to celebrate
2295-467: Is regulated by the Environment Agency . Reading's water supply is largely derived from underground aquifers , and as a consequence the water is hard . The commercial energy supplier for electricity and gas is at the consumer's choice. SSEN runs the local electricity distribution network, while SGN runs the gas distribution network. A notable part of the local energy infrastructure is
2380-707: Is set in Reading in the late 1990s. The Maiwand Lion in Forbury Gardens , an unofficial symbol of Reading, commemorates the 328 officers of the Royal Berkshire Regiment who died in the Battle of Maiwand in 1880. There are a number of other works of public art in Reading. The Blade , a fourteen-storey building completed in 2009, is 86 m (282 ft) tall and can be seen from the surrounding area. Jacksons Corner with its prominent sign, former home of Jacksons department store, occupies
2465-523: The Battle of Hastings and the Norman conquest of England , William the Conqueror gave land in and around Reading to his foundation of Battle Abbey . In its 1086 Domesday Book listing, the town was explicitly described as a borough . The presence of six mills is recorded: four on land belonging to the king and two on the land given to Battle Abbey. Reading Abbey was founded in 1121 by Henry I , who
2550-499: The Black Death that swept through England in the 14th century, but it is known that the abbot, Henry of Appleford , was one of its victims in 1361, and that nearby Henley lost 60% of its population. The Abbey was largely destroyed in 1538 during Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries . The last abbot , Hugh Faringdon , was subsequently tried and convicted of high treason and hanged, drawn and quartered in front of
2635-609: The Brewery Gut , a particularly narrow stretch of the River Kennet. The layout allows space for outdoor tables, and there is granite stadium-style seating. Two bridges have been installed spanning the Kennet—Cooks Bridge, a straight footbridge which links The Riverside Car Park to House of Fraser , and Delphi Bridge, an ellipse bridge providing access from the Vue cinema to Debenhams . The Free Form Arts Trust were appointed as
Reading Rockets - Misplaced Pages Continue
2720-759: The British Basketball League (Top division of the British Basketball System) as a member franchise for the 2012–13 season but was unsuccessful. In the 2013-14 season the Rockets completed the treble and were Play Off Championship finalists. Rockets’ Ladies won the Division 2 Southern league in 2014. As a stepping stone into the Senior Men's team, the Rockets’ run academies at the John Madejski Academy and
2805-735: The Henley College . The club has squads ranging from developing Under-12s to the Division 1 senior men's side, and coaching staff regularly visit local schools and run satellite clubs as part of the Community Rockets scheme. In 2022, the Rockets applied to join the British Basketball League starting from the 2023–24 season. [REDACTED] Samit Nurazade [REDACTED] Matt Johnson [REDACTED] David Titmuss Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA -sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed. To appear in this section
2890-724: The Next plc (136,000 square feet (12,600 m )) and House of Fraser (150,000 square feet (14,000 m )) chains. A third and larger department store, John Lewis & Partners (formerly Heelas ) is adjacent to the Minster Street entrance but not part of the centre itself. There are also 22 restaurants, cafés and bars along the riverside of the Kennet , and an 11-screen Vue cinema. The Oracle increases Reading's retail footage by one third, and it has attracted some retailers who would otherwise not have located in Reading. The Oracle Riverside area, with its restaurants and bars, spans
2975-537: The River Kennet to boats as far as Newbury . Opposition stopped when it became apparent that the new route benefited the town. After the opening of the Kennet and Avon Canal in 1810, one could go by barge from Reading to the Bristol Channel . From 1714, and probably earlier, the role of county town of Berkshire was shared between Reading and Abingdon . In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries it
3060-536: The central branch of the library was relocated to a new building on King's Road in 1985. The Reading Museum opened in 1883 in the town's municipal buildings . It contains galleries relating to the history of Reading and to the excavations of Calleva Atrebatum , together with a full-size bowdlerised replica of the Bayeux Tapestry , an art collection, and galleries relating to Huntley and Palmers . The Museum of English Rural Life , in East Reading ,
3145-628: The first Battle of Reading , King Ethelred and his brother Alfred the Great attempted unsuccessfully to breach the Danes' defences. The battle is described in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , and that account provides the earliest known written record of the existence of Reading. The Danes remained in Reading until late in 871, when they retreated to their winter quarters in London . After
3230-496: The 20th century, annexing Caversham across the River Thames in Oxfordshire in 1911, as well as most of Tilehurst to the west at the same time. Compared to many other English towns and cities, Reading suffered little physical damage during either of the two world wars that afflicted the 20th century, although many citizens were killed or injured in the conflicts. One significant air raid occurred on 10 February 1943, when
3315-541: The Abbey Church. By 1525, Reading was the largest town in Berkshire and the tenth largest town in England when measured by taxable wealth reported in tax returns. By 1611, it had a population of over 5,000 and had grown rich on its trade in cloth, as instanced by the fortune made by local merchant John Kendrick . Reading played a role during the English Civil War . Despite its fortifications, it had
3400-825: The Bulmershe College of Higher Education , a teacher training college , in 1989, becoming Bulmershe Court Campus . The Henley Management College , situated in Buckinghamshire and about 10 miles (16 km) from Reading, was taken over in 2008, becoming Greenlands Campus . The University of West London maintains a presence in the town for its higher education students, principally in nursing , but has now divested itself of its previous ownership of Reading College and its further education students. The Reading Borough Libraries service dates back to 1877. Initially housed in Reading Town Hall ,
3485-532: The Debenhams department store from its previous location on Broad Street into the centre. This in turn allowed for the redevelopment of the old Debenhams site as phase III of The Oracle, linked to phase I by a bridge over Minster Street. Phase III provided The Oracle with a direct link to Broad Street , and was opened in May 2000 by The Princess Royal . The centre contains 90 shops, including department stores from
Reading Rockets - Misplaced Pages Continue
3570-596: The Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II ; in 2012 for the Diamond Jubilee ; and in 2022 to mark the Platinum Jubilee . Local government for the borough is provided by Reading Borough Council , which has been a unitary authority providing all local government functions since 1998. There are no civil parishes in the borough. Some of the built-up area's outer suburbs are outside
3655-466: The Greater Reading area. Reading has over 100 parks and playgrounds, including 5 miles (8 km) of riverside paths. In the town centre is Forbury Gardens , a public park built on the site of the outer court of Reading Abbey . The largest public park in Reading is Prospect Park , an estate in west Reading previously owned by Frances Kendrick but acquired by Reading Corporation in 1901. This
3740-557: The National Basketball League was rebranded as the English Basketball League , and once again was restructured with a new format, with Rockets finishing in second place in the new EBL Division 1. In the following season the Rockets finished third and were runners-up to Worthing Thunder in both the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. The club completed its most successful season ever in 2008-09, going undefeated to win all four national championships. The club applied to join
3825-647: The Reading Electric Supply Company Limited, then from 1933 by the Reading Corporation until the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The dialling code for fixed-line telephones in Reading is 0118. BT provides fixed-line telephone coverage throughout the town and ADSL broadband internet connection to most areas. Parts of Reading are cabled by Virgin Media , supplying cable television, telephone and broadband internet connections. Hyperoptic also has
3910-538: The United Kingdom offices of foreign multinationals, as well as being a major retail centre. Whilst located close enough to London to be sometimes regarded as part of the London commuter belt , Reading is a net inward destination for commuters. During the morning peak period, there are some 30,000 inward arrivals in the town, compared to 24,000 departures. Major companies Microsoft , Oracle and Hibu (formerly Yell Group) have their headquarters in Reading. The insurance company Prudential has an administration centre in
3995-799: The Warren. Reading has a local newspaper, the Reading Chronicle , published on Thursdays. The town's other local newspaper, the Reading Post , ceased publication on paper in December 2014, in order to transition to an online only format under the title getreading . As of 2018, getreading joined the InYourArea local news network. A local publishing company, the Two Rivers Press , has published over 70 book titles, many on
4080-412: The arts agency, with responsibility for the appointment and contractual arrangements with artists. Specially commissioned artworks include the Crystal Beacon, a reflective translucent prism by Welsh artist John Gingell that tops off the multistory car park. The overall centre design concept was created by Haskoll & Co ., London. They were called in to design a "retail for leisure" concept, linking
4165-508: The borough boundaries in West Berkshire and Wokingham . These outer suburbs belong to civil parishes, in some cases with their own town status. Reading has elected at least one Member of Parliament to every Parliament since 1295. Since the 2024 general election , the borough of Reading has been divided between the parliamentary constituencies of Reading Central , Reading West and Mid Berkshire (which also covers part of West Berkshire), and Earley and Woodley (which also covers part of
4250-502: The borough of Reading in 1977. The borough council became a unitary authority in 1998, when the county council was abolished under the Banham Review , which saw the borough council take over county-level functions, effectively restoring the council to the powers it had held when Reading was a county borough prior to 1974. As part of those reforms, the Local Government Commission had initially recommended expanding Reading's boundaries to include Earley, Tilehurst parish, Purley on Thames and
4335-454: The borough of Wokingham). Reading is the site of venues for both the Crown Court , administering criminal justice, and the County Court , responsible for civil cases. Lesser matters are dealt with in a local magistrates' court . Reading was an ancient borough , being described as a borough by the time of the Domesday Book in 1086. The borough was initially controlled by Reading Abbey as its manorial owner. The town gradually gained
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#17327934956704420-409: The borough. Today, navigation is predominantly for purposes of leisure: private and hire boats dominate traffic, while scheduled boat services operate on the Thames from wharves on the Reading side of the river near Caversham Bridge . The Oracle, Reading The Oracle is a large indoor shopping and leisure mall on the banks of the River Kennet in Reading , Berkshire , England. Partly on
4505-422: The campaign. 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. Reading's trade benefited from better designed turnpike roads which helped it establish its location on the major coaching routes from London to Oxford and the West Country . In 1723, despite considerable local opposition, the Kennet Navigation opened
4590-421: The corner of Kings Road and High Street, just south of the Market Place. Reading has six Grade I listed buildings, 22 Grade II* and 853 Grade II buildings, in a wide variety of architectural styles that range from the medieval to the 21st century. The Grade I listed buildings are Reading Abbey , the Abbey Gateway , Greyfriars Church , St Laurence's Church , Reading Minster , and the barn at Chazey Farmhouse on
4675-456: The eight-team NBL Conference as the second-tier. Subsequently, Division 2 became Division 1 where the Rockets found themselves. The Rockets remained in Division 1 for just one season, finishing second and beating Oxford in the Championship Final, thus winning promotion to the NBL Conference. In the 2001-02 season they finished seventh in the NBL Conference. In the following season, the Rockets continued their rise, finishing in third place. In 2003,
4760-472: The execution of Charles Wooldridge , carried out in Reading Gaol whilst he was imprisoned there. In March 2021, street artist Banksy claimed responsibility for a painting on the wall of the jail. It depicted an inmate escaping with bedsheets and a typewriter, said to resemble Oscar Wilde . Reading was the location of the world's first commercial studio for photograph printing, which was set up by William Henry Fox Talbot in 1844. Ricky Gervais , who
4845-439: The first clear evidence for Reading as a settlement dates from the 8th century, when the town came to be known as Readingas . The name probably comes from the Readingas , an Anglo-Saxon tribe whose name means Reada's People in Old English (the Anglo-Saxons often had the same name for a place and its inhabitants). In late 870, an army of Danes invaded the kingdom of Wessex and set up camp at Reading. On 4 January 871, in
4930-484: The mid-1980s. Reading College has provided further education in Reading since 1955, with over 8,500 local learners on over 900 courses. English language schools in Reading include Gateway Languages, the English Language Centre, ELC London Street and Eurospeak Language School . The University of Reading was established in 1892 as an affiliate of Oxford University . It moved to its London Road Campus in 1904 and to its new Whiteknights Campus in 1947. It took over
5015-462: The name of the local rugby team Redingensians , based in Sonning , and of former members of Reading School . Jane Austen attended Reading Ladies Boarding School , based in the Abbey Gateway , in 1784–1786. 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 . The fictional Belford Regis of her eponymous novel, first published in 1835,
5100-406: The north bank of the Thames from Oxfordshire (except the Caversham Park area, which was transferred to the parish of Eye and Dunsden ), and most of the parish of Tilehurst (including the main village at Tilehurst Triangle and the area around the parish church at Churchend) to the west. Local government was reformed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 , which saw Reading redesignated as
5185-451: The north-western parts of Earley , and the eastern end of the parish of Tilehurst . When elected county councils were established in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888 , Reading was considered large enough for its existing borough council to provide county-level services, and so Reading was made a county borough , independent from Berkshire County Council . The borough boundaries were enlarged again in 1911 to take in Caversham on
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#17327934956705270-453: The other four McIlroy Park , Blundells Copse , Lousehill Copse and Round Copse all in Tilehurst The principal National Health Service (NHS) hospital in Reading is the Royal Berkshire Hospital , founded in 1839 and much enlarged and rebuilt since. A second major NHS general hospital , the Battle Hospital , closed in 2005. Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust runs a NHS hospital, Prospect Park Hospital, which specialises in
5355-410: The parish of Theale . The government decided to make no change to Reading's boundaries, leaving them as they had been since last reviewed in 1911. Shortly after the 1974 reforms came into effect, a more limited review of the borough's boundaries north of the Thames was carried out, which saw the Caversham Park area and part of the parish of Mapledurham on the western side of Caversham transferred into
5440-522: The parishes of St Giles and St Mary . The part of St Giles' parish outside the borough was known as the hamlet of Whitley , and the part of St Mary's parish outside the borough was known as the tithing of Southcote . The borough was reformed in 1836 to become a municipal borough under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 , which standardised how most boroughs operated across the country. The borough boundaries, which had not been changed since 1560, were enlarged in 1887 to take in Southcote, Whitley,
5525-419: The parts of the parishes of Shinfield , Burghfield and Theale north of the M4 motorway , but it was ultimately decided to leave Reading's boundaries unchanged. Reading's boundaries south of the Thames therefore have not changed since 1911, despite the urban area having now expanded well beyond the borough boundaries. Cross-boundary working between the borough council and the neighbouring councils which cover
5610-427: The presence of a 2 megawatt (peak) Enercon wind turbine at Green Park Business Park , with the potential to produce 2.7 million kWh of electricity a year, enough to power over a thousand homes. Additionally, Reading Hydro runs a micro hydroelectric power station on the Thames. Reading had its own power station in Vastern Road from 1895 to the 1960s. The power station was initially owned and operated by
5695-438: The provision of care for people with mental health and learning disabilities. Reading has three private hospitals: the Berkshire Independent Hospital in Coley Park , the Dunedin Hospital situated on the main A4 Bath Road, and the Circle Hospital at Kennet Island. Mains water and sewerage services are provided by Thames Water Utilities Limited , a private sector water supply company, whilst water abstraction and disposal
5780-416: The site of a 17th-century workhouse of the same name , it was developed and is owned by a joint venture of Hammerson and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority . The Oracle takes its name from the 17th century Oracle workhouse built by funds from a local man, John Kendrick . This once occupied a small part of the site now occupied by the shopping centre. In 1997, the property developer Hammerson acquired
5865-448: The site to a heritage trail around the town. The Oracle also provides two large car parks providing 2300 spaces. In line with other car parks in central Reading, charges are comparatively high, especially for long term parkers. In 2002 Reading was named eighth best town centre in the country. In 2007 the Oracle centre was ranked 16th in a league table of best performing retail centres in the UK compiled by economic analyst Experian . In
5950-444: The sole county town of Berkshire, a decision that was officially approved by the privy council in 1869. The town became county borough under the Local Government Act 1888 . In the 19th and 20th centuries, the town's three largest industries were known as the Three Bs : beer (1785–2010, H & G Simonds ), bulbs (1837–1974, Suttons Seeds ), and biscuits (1822–1976, Huntley and Palmers ). The town continued to expand in
6035-545: The story of Reading's two rivers. The Museum of Berkshire Aviation has a collection of aircraft and other artefacts relating to the aircraft industry in the town. Reading's location in the Thames Valley to the west of London has made the town a significant element in the nation's transport system. The town grew up as a river port at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Kennet . Both of these rivers are navigable, and Caversham Lock , Blake's Lock , County Lock , Fobney Lock and Southcote Lock are all within
6120-467: The suburban and adjoining rural areas is sometimes criticised, particularly over matters such as transport and school catchment areas. Prior to the 16th century, civic administration for the town of Reading was situated in the Yield Hall , a guild hall situated by the River Kennet near today's Yield Hall Lane. After a brief stay in what later became Greyfriars Church , the town council created
6205-426: The topic of local history and art. Three local radio stations broadcast from Reading: BBC Radio Berkshire , Heart South and Greatest Hits Radio Berkshire and North Hampshire . Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC South and ITV Meridian , BBC London & ITV London can also be received. Reading has one local television station, That's Thames Valley , which broadcasts local news throughout
6290-445: The town centre as one of the first phases of the redevelopment. Hammerson's strategy was to create a combination of big-name retailers at the new centre, including a number of international retail banners fairly new to Britain. The merchandise mix had a strong emphasis on fashion and is slightly higher-end than the average for Reading's main street shops. Peter Cole, the development director for Hammerson said "We were looking to bring in
6375-422: The town. PepsiCo and Wrigley have offices. Global pharmaceutical giant Bayer Life Sciences relocated to Reading's Green Park Business Park in 2016. Reading has a significant historical involvement in the information technology industry, largely as a result of the early presence in the town of sites of International Computers Limited and Digital Equipment Corporation . Other technology companies with
6460-405: The valleys containing the two rivers remain largely unimproved floodplain . Apart from the M4 curving to the south there is only one road across the Kennet flood plain. All other routes between the three built-up areas are in the central area. Like the rest of the United Kingdom, Reading has a maritime climate , with limited seasonal temperature ranges and generally moderate rainfall throughout
6545-586: The west between the two rivers into the foothills of the Berkshire Downs as far as Calcot , Tilehurst and Purley ; to the south and south-east on the south side of the River Kennet as far as Whitley Wood and Lower Earley and as far north of the Thames into the Chiltern Hills as far as Caversham Heights , Emmer Green and Caversham Park Village . Outside the central area, the floors of
6630-584: The year. The nearest official Met Office weather station is located at the Reading University Atmospheric Observatory on the Whiteknights Campus , which has recorded atmospheric measurements and meteorological observations since 1970. The local absolute maximum temperature of 37.6 °C (99.7 °F) was recorded on 19 July 2022 and the local absolute minimum temperature of −14.5 °C (5.9 °F)
6715-665: Was also known for its WOMAD Festival until it moved to Charlton Park in Malmesbury , Wiltshire . The Reading Beer Festival was first held in 1994 and has now grown to one of the largest beer festivals in the United Kingdom. It is held at King's Meadow for the five days immediately preceding the May Day bank holiday every year. Reading also holds Reading Pride , an annual LGBT festival in Kings Meadow. The Frank Matcham -designed Royal County Theatre, built in 1895,
6800-416: Was located on the south side of Friar Street. It burned down in 1937. Within the town hall is a 700-seat concert hall that houses a Father Willis organ. Reading theatre venues include The Hexagon and South Street Arts Centre. Reading Repertory Theatre is based at Reading College : its Royal Patron is Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh . Amateur theatre venues in Reading include Progress Theatre ,
6885-641: Was one of the southern termini of the Hatfield and Reading Turnpike that allowed travellers from the north to continue their journey to the west without going through the congestion of London. During the 19th century, the town grew rapidly as a manufacturing centre. 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 Summer Assizes were moved from Abingdon to Reading in 1867, effectively making Reading
6970-701: Was recorded in January 1982. In mid-2018, the area covered by the Borough of Reading had 174,820 inhabitants and a population density of 4,327 per square kilometre (11,207/sq mi). Meanwhile, the wider urban area had a population of 318,014 in the 2011 census , ranking 23rd in the United Kingdom. This grew to an estimated 337,108 by mid-2018. According to the 2011 census, 74.8% of the borough's population were described as White (65.3% White British ), 9.1% as South Asian , 6.7% as Black , 3.9% Mixed , 4.5% as Chinese and 0.9% as other ethnic group . In 2010, it
7055-540: Was reported that Reading had 150 different spoken languages within its population. Reading has a large Polish community, which dates back over 30 years, and in October 2006 the Reading Chronicle printed 5,000 copies of a Polish edition called the Kronika Reading . Reading is a commercial centre in the Thames Valley and Southern England . The town hosts the headquarters of several British companies and
7140-476: Was the largest town in Berkshire, and tenth in England for taxable wealth. The town was seriously affected by the English Civil War , with a major siege and loss of trade, but played a pivotal role in the Glorious Revolution , whose only significant military action was fought on its streets. The 18th century saw the beginning of a major ironworks in the town and the growth of the brewing trade for which Reading
7225-534: Was to become famous. The 19th century saw the coming of the Great Western Railway and the development of the town's brewing, baking and seed growing businesses, and the town grew rapidly as a manufacturing centre. Reading is also the county town of Berkshire. Occupation at the site of Reading may date back to the Roman period , possibly in the form of a trading port for Calleva Atrebatum . However,
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