A brief History of Reading

Reading was founded in the 6th century by Saxon people who had travelled up the Rivers
Thames and Kennet until they came to a place suitable for a camp. Here where it was possible
to ford the River Kennet a permanent settlement grew, becoming Christian with the first
church probably on the site of St Mary´s.

After the Norman conquest the Domesday book shows Reading as a typical small town. The
founding of the Abbey in 1121 changed the fortunes of the town, and the Abbey and the
Wool Trade made the town wealthy. In Tudor times, the dissolution of the abbey and the
decline of wool made the town poorer, despite the efforts of John Kendrick and the building
of the first Oracle. The Civil War in the 1640´s sealed the fate of the wool trade.

In Georgian times, the town became richer once more as a market town on good routes. The
roads were improved and the Kennet was linked by canal to Bristol. Transport became even
more important in Victorian times, with the Great Western Railway passing through the town.
The good transport links helped companies such as Huntley and Palmers and Sutton Seeds to
grow and need more workers, making the town become larger.

The 20th Century saw a gradual change from a landscape of factories where things were
made to a town with a large number of headquarter office blocks and high tech industries.
The M4 motorway was built passing the town, making more good transport links.

'Reading' is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols for the intention of deriving
meaning (reading comprehension) and/or constructing meaning. It is the mastery of basic
cognitive processes to the point where they are automatic so that attention is freed for the
analysis of meaning.

Reading is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and

ideas. Like all language, it is a complex interaction between the text and the reader which is
shaped by the reader’s prior knowledge, experiences, attitude, and language community which
is culturally and socially situated. The reading process requires continuous practices,
development, and refinement.

Readers use a variety of reading strategies to assist with decoding (to translate symbols into
sounds or visual representations of speech) and comprehension. Readers may use morpheme,
semantics, syntax and context clues to identify the meaning of unknown words. Readers
integrate the words they have read into their existing framework of knowledge or schema
(schemata theory).

Other types of reading are not speech based writing systems, such as music notation or
pictograms. The common link is the interpretation of symbols to extract the meaning from
the visual notations.
[edit] Overview

Currently most reading is either of the printed word from ink or toner on paper, such as in a
book, magazine, newspaper, leaflet, or notebook, or of electronic displays, such as computer
displays, television, mobile phones or ereaders. Handwritten text may also be produced using
a graphite pencil or a pen. Short texts may be written or painted on an object.

Often the text relates to the object, such as an address on an envelope, product info on
packaging, or text on a traffic or street sign. A slogan may be painted on a wall. A text may
also be produced by arranging stones of a different color in a wall or road. Short texts like
these are sometimes referred to as environmental print.

Sometimes text or images are in relief, with or without using a color contrast. Words or
images can be carved in stone, wood, or metal; instructions can be printed in relief on the
plastic housing of a home appliance, or a myriad of other examples.

A requirement for reading is a good contrast between letters and background (depending on
colors of letters and background, any pattern or image in the background, and lighting) and a
suitable font size. In the case of a computer screen, not having to scroll horizontally is
important.

The field of visual word recognition studies how people read individual words. [1][2][3] A key
technique in studying how individuals read text is eye tracking. This has revealed that
reading is performed as a series of eye fixations with saccades between them. Humans also
do not appear to fixate on every word in a text, but instead fixate to some words while
apparently filling in the missing information using context. This is possible because human
languages show certain linguistic regularities. [citation needed]

The process of recording information to be read later is writing. In the case of computer
and microfiche storage there is the separate step of displaying the written text. For
humans, reading is usually faster and easier than writing.

Reading is typically an individual activity, although on occasion a person will read out loud for
the benefit of other listeners. Reading aloud for one's own use, for better comprehension, is
a form of intrapersonal communication. Reading to young children is a recommended way to
instill language and expression, and to promote comprehension of text. Before the
reintroduction of separated text in the late Middle Ages, the ability to read silently was
considered rather remarkable. See Alberto Manguel (1996) A History of Reading. New York:
Viking. The relevant chapter (2) is posted online here.

Medium
See also: Writing

Short messages can be put on (and read from) various media (including plastic, wood, stone,
metal, etc.; the text can be written with ink or paint, or it may have been cut out, etc.).
Longer texts such as books, magazines, newspapers, etc. are often available on paper (with
printed text) or in electronic form on a computer storage device. In the latter case it may
be read from an electronic screen (screen reading); sometimes the user prints it to read it
from paper.

Goals of reading

There are multiple principle goals of reading, which are determined by the end the reader
has ordained the activity to obtain. The general goal of reading is the acquisition of meaning
from the ordered arrangement of symbols. For example in an alphabet writing system each
word is a collection of symbols that expresses a term or some meaning, which taken in
conjunction with other words ordered to each other in a predetermined syntax, conveys
some general meaning that the author intends the reader to acquire.

The second goal of reading is the "reading to obtain understanding". The reader wishes to
receive illumination of some discipline or set of facts from the author. The reader usually
approaches a given work with a dissimilitude of understanding compared to that of the
author. He wishes to increase his understanding by coming to terms with the author of a
given book, and subsequently reach an equal level of understanding.

The final goal of reading is "reading to obtain information". The reader attempts to gain
knowledge of facts or knowledge about the author himself. If a reader is reading a book with
the third goal in mind, he may not be as concerned with understanding the arguments and
parts of the book and the way these parts relate to the whole. He may spend less or even no
time reading a book analytically, but simply systematically inspect a book in order to obtain
knowledge.

Reading skills
Main article: Reading skills acquisition

Literacy is the ability to use the symbols of a writing system. To be able to interpret the
information symbols represent, and to be able to re-create those same symbols so that
others can derive the same meaning. Illiteracy is not having the ability to derive meaning
from the symbols used in a writing system.

Dyslexia refers to a cognitive difficulty with reading and writing. The term dyslexia can
refer to two disorders: developmental dyslexia which is a learning disability; alexia or
acquired dyslexia refers to reading difficulties that occur following brain damage.

Major predictors of an individual's ability to read both alphabetic and nonalphabetic scripts
are phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming and verbal IQ.[4]

Skill development

Both the Lexical and the Sub-lexical cognitive processes contribute to how we learn to read.

Sub-lexical reading
Sub-lexical reading,[5][6][7][8] involves teaching reading by associating characters or groups of
characters with sounds or by using Phonics learning and teaching methodology. Sometimes
argued to be in competition with whole language methods.

Lexical reading

Lexical reading[5][6][7][8] involves acquiring words or phrases without attention to the

characters or groups of characters that compose them or by using Whole language learning
and teaching methodology. Sometimes argued to be in competition with phonics methods, and
that the whole language approach tends to impair learning how to spell.

Other methods of teaching and learning to read have developed, and become somewhat
controversial.[9]

Learning to read in a second language, especially in adulthood, may be a different process

than learning to read a native language in childhood.

There are cases of very young children learning to read without having been taught. [10] Such
was the case with Truman Capote who reportedly taught himself to read and write at the age
of five. There are also accounts of people who taught themselves to read by comparing
street signs or Biblical passages to speech. The novelist Nicholas Delbanco taught himself to
read at age six during a transatlantic crossing by studying a book about boats. [citation needed]

[edit] Methods

Reading is an intensive process in which the eye quickly moves to assimilate text. Very little
is actually seen accurately. It is necessary to understand visual perception and eye movement
in order to understand the reading process. [11]

There are several types and methods of reading, with differing rates that can be attained
for each, for different kinds of material and purposes:

 Subvocalized reading combines sight reading with internal sounding of the words as if
spoken. Advocates of speed reading claim it can be a bad habit that slows reading and
comprehension, but other studies indicate the reverse, particularly with difficult
texts.[12][13]
 Speed reading is a collection of methods for increasing reading speed without an
unacceptable reduction in comprehension or retention. It is closely connected to speed
learning.
 Proofreading is a kind of reading for the purpose of detecting typographical errors.
One can learn to do it rapidly, and professional proofreaders typically acquire the
ability to do so at high rates, faster for some kinds of material than for others, while
 they may largely suspend comprehension while doing so, except when needed to select
among several possible words that a suspected typographic error allows.
 Structure-Proposition-Evaluation (SPE) method, popularized by Mortimer Adler in
How to Read a Book, mainly for non-fiction treatise, in which one reads a writing in
three passes: (1) for the structure of the work, which might be represented by an
outline; (2) for the logical propositions made, organized into chains of inference; and
(3) for evaluation of the merits of the arguments and conclusions. This method
involves suspended judgment of the work or its arguments until they are fully
understood.[citation needed]
 Survey-Question-Read-Recite-Review (SQ3R) method, often taught in public
schools, which involves reading toward being able to teach what is read, and would be
appropriate for instructors preparing to teach material without having to refer to
notes during the lecture.[citation needed]
 Multiple Intelligences-based methods, which draw upon the reader's diverse ways of
thinking and knowing to enrich his or her appreciation of the text. Reading is
fundamentally a linguistic activity: one can basically comprehend a text without
resorting to other intelligences, such as the visual (e.g., mentally "seeing" characters
or events described), auditory (e.g., reading aloud or mentally "hearing" sounds
described), or even the logical intelligence (e.g., considering "what if" scenarios or
predicting how the text will unfold based on context clues). However, most readers
already use several intelligences while reading, and making a habit of doing so in a more
disciplined manner—i.e., constantly, or after every paragraph—can result in more vivid,
memorable experience.[citation needed]
 Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) reading involves presenting the words in a
sentence one word at a time at the same location on the display screen, at a specified
eccentricity. RSVP eliminates inter-word saccades, limits intra-word saccades, and
prevents reader control of fixation times (Legge, Mansfield, & Chung, 2001). RSVP
controls for differences in reader eye movement, and consequently is often used to
measure reading speed in experiments.

Assessment

[edit] Reading rate

The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of
the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page.
(September 2010)
Further information: Speed reading, English language learning and teaching, and Proofreading
Average reading rate in words per minute (wpm) depending on age and measured with
different tests in English, French and German.

Note: the data from Taylor (English) and Landerl (German) are based on texts of increasing
difficulty; other data were obtained when all age groups were reading the same text.

Rates of reading include reading for memorization (fewer than 100 words per minute [wpm]);
reading for learning (100–200 wpm); reading for comprehension (200–400 wpm); and
skimming (400–700 wpm). Reading for comprehension is the essence of the daily reading of
most people. Skimming is for superficially processing large quantities of text at a low level of
comprehension (below 50%).

Advice for choosing the appropriate reading-rate includes reading flexibly, slowing when
concepts are closely presented, and when the material is new, and increasing when the
material is familiar and of thin concept. Speed reading courses and books often encourage
the reader to continually accelerate; comprehension tests lead the reader to believe his or
her comprehension is continually improving; yet, competence-in-reading requires knowing that
skimming is dangerous, as a default habit.[citation needed]

Reading speed requires a long time to reach adult levels. The table to the right shows how
reading-rate varies with age,[14] regardless of the period (1965 to 2005) and the language
(English, French, German). The Taylor values probably are higher, for disregarding students
who failed the comprehension test. The reading test by the French psychologist Pierre
Lefavrais ("L'alouette", published in 1967) tested reading aloud, with a penalty for errors,
and could, therefore, not be a rate greater than 150 wpm. According to Carver (1990),
children's reading speed increases throughout the school years. On average, from grade 2 to
college, reading rate increases 14 standard-length words per minute each year (where one
standard-length word is defined as six characters in text, including punctuation and spaces).

Types of tests

 Sight word reading: reading words of increasing difficulty until they become unable to
read or understand the words presented to them. Difficulty is manipulated by using
words that have more letters or syllables, are less common and have more complicated
spelling-sound relationships.[citation needed]
 Nonword reading: reading lists of pronounceable nonsense words out loud. The
difficulty is increased by using longer words, and also by using words with more
complex spelling or sound sequences.[citation needed]
 Reading comprehension: a passage is presented to the reader, which they must read
either silently or out loud. Then a series of questions are presented that test the
reader's comprehension of this passage.
 Reading fluency: the rate with which individuals can name words.
 Reading accuracy: the ability to correctly name a word on a page.

Some tests incorporate several of the above components at once. For instance, the Nelson-
Denny Reading Test scores readers both on the speed with which they can read a passage,
and also their ability to accurately answer questions about this passage. [citation needed] Recent
research has questioned the validity of the Nelson-Denny Reading Test, especially with
regard to the identification of reading disabilities. [15]

Effects

Lighting

Reading from paper and from some screens requires more lighting than many other activities.
Therefore, the possibility of doing this comfortably in cafés, restaurants, buses, at bus
stops or in parks greatly varies depending on available lighting and time of day. Starting in
the 1950s, many offices and classrooms were over-illuminated. Since about 1990, there has
been a movement to create reading environments with appropriate lighting levels
(approximately 600 to 800 lux).[citation needed]

Reading from screens which produce their own light is less dependent on external light,
except that this may be easier with little external light. For controlling what is on the screen
(scrolling, turning the page, etc.), a touch screen or keyboard illumination further reduces
the dependency on external light.[citation needed]

History

The history of reading dates back to the invention of writing in Mesopotamia during the 4th
millennium BC. Although reading print text is now an important way for the general population
to access information, this has not always been the case. With some exceptions, only a small
percentage of the population in many countries was considered literate before the Industrial
Revolution. Some of the pre-modern societies with generally high literacy rates included
classical Athens and the Islamic Caliphate.[16] In the latter case, the widespread adoption of
paper and the emergence of the Maktab and Madrasah educational institutions played a
fundamental role.[17][verification needed]

Alhazen gave, in his work Book of Optics (1021), the earliest description of the two ways in
which we perceive the written word:[18][verification needed]

"For when a literate person glances at the form abjad written on a piece of paper, he will
immediately perceive it to be abjad [a word denoting the Arabic alphabet] because of his
recognition of the form. Thus from his perception that the 'a' comes first and the 'd' last,
or from his perception of the configuration of the total form, he perceives that it is abjad.
Similarly, when he sees the written name of Allah, be He exalted, he perceives by
recognition, at the moment of glancing at it, that it is Allah's name. And it is so with all well-
known written words which have appeared many times before the eye: a literate person
immediately perceives what the word is by recognition, without the need to inspect the
letters in it one by one. The case is different when a literate person notices a strange word
which he has not come upon beforehand or the like of which he has not already read. For he
will perceive such a word only after inspecting its letters one by one and discerning their
meanings; then he will perceive the meaning of the word."
—The Book of Optics, II, 3 [23]
References

Notes

1. ^ Cornelissen PL, Kringelbach ML, Ellis AW, Whitney C, Holiday IE, Hansen PC (2009).
"Activation of the left inferior frontal gyrus in the first 200 ms of reading: evidence
from magnetoencephalography (MEG)". PLoS ONE 4 (4): e5359.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0005359. PMID 19396362.
2. ^ Wheat KL, Cornelissen PL, Frost SJ, Hansen PC (April 2010). "During visual word
recognition, phonology is accessed within 100 ms and may be mediated by a speech
production code: evidence from magnetoencephalography". The Journal of
neuroscience 30 (15): 5229–33. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4448-09.2010.
PMID 20392945.
3. ^ Nation K (December 2009). "Form-meaning links in the development of visual word
recognition". Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B,
Biological sciences 364 (1536): 3665–74. doi:10.1098/rstb.2009.0119. PMID 19933139.
4. ^ Powell D, Stainthorp R, Stuart M, Garwood H, Quinlan P (September 2007). "An
experimental comparison between rival theories of rapid automatized naming
performance and its relationship to reading". Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
98 (1): 46–68. doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2007.04.003. PMID 17555762.
5. ^ a b Borowsky R, Esopenko C, Cummine J, Sarty GE (2007). "Neural representations of
visual words and objects: a functional MRI study on the modularity of reading and
object processing". Brain Topogr 20 (2): 89–96. doi:10.1007/s10548-007-0034-1.
PMID 17929158.
6. ^ a b Borowsky R, Cummine J, Owen WJ, Friesen CK, Shih F, Sarty GE (2006). "FMRI
of ventral and dorsal processing streams in basic reading processes: insular sensitivity
to phonology". Brain Topogr 18 (4): 233–9. doi:10.1007/s10548-006-0001-2.
PMID 16845597.
7. ^ a b Sanabria Díaz G, Torres Mdel R, Iglesias J, et al. (November 2009). "Changes in
reading strategies in school-age children". Span J Psychol 12 (2): 441–53.
PMID 19899646.
8. ^ a b Chan ST, Tang SW, Tang KW, Lee WK, Lo SS, Kwong KK (November 2009).
"Hierarchical coding of characters in the ventral and dorsal visual streams of Chinese
language processing". Neuroimage 48 (2): 423–35.
doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.06.078. PMID 19591947.
9. ^ Feitelson, Dina (1988). Facts and Fads in Beginning Reading: A Cross-Language
Perspective. Norwood, New Jersey, United States: Ablex. ISBN 0-89391-507-
6.[page  needed]
10. ^ Hughes, Diana; Stainthorp, Rhona (1999). Learning from children who read at an
early age. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-17495-3.[page  needed]
11. ^ Hunziker, Hans-Werner (2006) (in German). Im Auge des Lesers foveale und
periphere Wahrnehmung: vom Buchstabieren zur Lesefreude (In the eye of the
reader: foveal and peripheral perception - from letter recognition to the joy of
reading). Transmedia Zurich. ISBN 978-3-7266-0068-6.[page  needed]
12. ^ Moidel, Steve. Speed Reading for Business. Hauppauge, NY: Barron's Educational.
pp. 23–24. ISBN 9780764104015.
 13. ^ Rayner, Keith (1995). The Psychology of Reading. Pollatsek, Alexander. London:
Routledge. pp. 192–194. ISBN 9780805818727.
14. ^ Im Auge des Lesers, foveale und periphere Wahrnehmung: vom Buchstabieren zur
Lesefreude(2006), ppgs. 117.
15. ^ Coleman C, Lindstrom J, Nelson J, Lindstrom W, Gregg KN (2010). "Passageless
comprehension on the Nelson-Denny reading test: well above chance for university
students". J Learn Disabil 43 (3): 244–9. doi:10.1177/0022219409345017.
PMID 19933897.
16. ^ Andrew J. Coulson. Delivering Education. Hoover Institution. p. 117.
http://media.hoover.org/documents/0817928928_105.pdf. Retrieved 2008-11-22
17. ^ Edmund Burke (June 2009). "Islam at the Center: Technological Complexes and the
Roots of Modernity". Journal of World History (University of Hawaii Press) 20 (2):
165–186 [178–82]. doi:10.1353/jwh.0.0045
18. ^ Kennedy, Alan; Radach, R.; Heller, D.; Pynte, J. (2000). Reading as a Perceptual
Process. Elsevier. p. ii. ISBN 0080436420

Bibliography

 Carver, Ronald P. (1990). Reading rate: a review of research and theory . Boston:
Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-162420-X.
 Legge GE, Mansfield JS, Chung ST (March 2001). "Psychophysics of reading. XX.
Linking letter recognition to reading speed in central and peripheral vision". Vision
Research 41 (6): 725–43. doi:10.1016/S0042-6989(00)00295-9. PMID 11248262.

Further reading

 Bainbridge, Joyce; Malicky, Grace (2000). Constructing meaning: balancing elementary

language arts. Toronto Canada: Harcourt. ISBN 0-7747-3660-7.
 Banai K, Hornickel J, Skoe E, Nicol T, Zecker S, Kraus N (November 2009). "Reading
and subcortical auditory function". Cerebral cortex 19 (11): 2699–707.
doi:10.1093/cercor/bhp024. PMID 19293398.
 Bulling, Andreas; Ward, Jamie A.; Gellersen, Hans; Tröster, Gerhard (2008). Robust
Recognition of Reading Activity in Transit Using Wearable Electrooculography .
Springer Berlin / Heidelberg. pp. 19–37. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-79576-6_2.
ISBN 978-3-540-79575-9.
 Burke, Peter; Briggs, Asa (2002). A social history of the media: from Gutenberg to the
Internet. Cambridge, UK: Polity. ISBN 0-7456-2375-1.
 Castles A, Coltheart M, Wilson K, Valpied J, Wedgwood J (September 2009). "The
genesis of reading ability: what helps children learn letter-sound correspondences?".
Journal of experimental child psychology 104 (1): 68–88.
doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2008.12.003. PMID 19268301.
 Devlin JT, Jamison HL, Gonnerman LM, Matthews PM (June 2006). "The role of the
posterior fusiform gyrus in reading". Journal of cognitive neuroscience 18 (6): 911–22.
doi:10.1162/jocn.2006.18.6.911. PMID 16839299.
 Fiez JA, Petersen SE (February 1998). "Neuroimaging studies of word reading".
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 95
(3): 914–21. doi:10.1073/pnas.95.3.914. PMID 9448259.
 Fiez JA, Tranel D, Seager-Frerichs D, Damasio H (May 2006). "Specific reading and
phonological processing deficits are associated with damage to the left frontal
operculum". Cortex 42 (4): 624–43. doi:10.1016/S0010-9452(08)70399-X.
PMID 16881271.
 Gibson CJ, Gruen JR (2008). "The human lexinome: genes of language and reading".
Journal of communication disorders 41 (5): 409–20.
doi:10.1016/j.jcomdis.2008.03.003. PMID 18466916.
 Gipe, Joan P. (1998). Multiple Paths to Literacy: Corrective Reading Techniques for
Classroom Teachers. Merrill Pub Co. ISBN 0-13-785080-8.
 Heim S, Friederici AD (November 2003). "Phonological processing in language
production: time course of brain activity". Neuroreport 14 (16): 2031–3.
doi:10.1097/01.wnr.0000091133.75061.2d (inactive 2010-08-31). PMID 14600492.
 National Endowment for the Arts (June 2004). "Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary
Reading in America" (pdf)
 Noble KG, McCandliss BD (October 2005). "Reading development and impairment:
behavioral, social, and neurobiological factors". Journal of developmental and
behavioral pediatrics 26 (5): 370–8. PMID 16222178.
http://journals.lww.com/jrnldbp/pages/articleviewer.aspx?
year=2005&issue=10000&article=00006&type=abstract.
 Ricketts J, Bishop DV, Nation K (October 2009). "Orthographic facilitation in oral
vocabulary acquisition". Quarterly journal of experimental psychology 62 (10): 1948–
66. doi:10.1080/17470210802696104. PMID 19301209.
 Sahin NT, Pinker S, Cash SS, Schomer D, Halgren E (October 2009). "Sequential
processing of lexical, grammatical, and phonological information within Broca's area".
Science 326 (5951): 445–9. doi:10.1126/science.1174481. PMID 19833971.
 Shaywitz SE, Shaywitz BA (2008). "Paying attention to reading: the neurobiology of
reading and dyslexia". Development and Psychopathology 20 (4): 1329–49.
doi:10.1017/S0954579408000631. PMID 18838044.
 Pugh KR, Mencl WE, Jenner AR, et al. (2001). "Neurobiological studies of reading and
reading disability". Journal of Communication Disorders 34 (6): 479–92.
doi:10.1016/S0021-9924(01)00060-0. PMID 11725860.
 Shaywitz SE, Escobar MD, Shaywitz BA, Fletcher JM, Makuch R (January 1992).
"Evidence that dyslexia may represent the lower tail of a normal distribution of
reading ability". The New England Journal of Medicine 326 (3): 145–50.
doi:10.1056/NEJM199201163260301. PMID 1727544.
 Tan LH, Spinks JA, Eden GF, Perfetti CA, Siok WT (June 2005). "Reading depends on
writing, in Chinese". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United
States of America 102 (24): 8781–5. doi:10.1073/pnas.0503523102. PMID 15939871.
 Turkeltaub PE, Flowers DL, Lyon LG, Eden GF (December 2008). "Development of
ventral stream representations for single letters". Annals of the New York Academy
of Sciences 1145: 13–29. doi:10.1196/annals.1416.026. PMID 19076386.
  Valdois S, Habib M, Cohen L (May 2008). "[The reader brain: natural and cultural
story]" (in French). Revue neurologique 164 (Suppl 3): S77–82. doi:10.1016/S0035-
3787(08)73295-8. PMID 18675051.

Reading, Berkshire

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Jump to: navigation, search

Coordinates:

Reading

St. Lawrence's Church, Reading Town Centre

Reading

  Reading shown within Berkshire

Population borough 143,096 (2001)

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

Reading (pronounced /ˈrɛdɪŋ/ ( listen) RED-ing) is a large town in England, located at the
confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line
railway and the M4 motorway, some 40 miles (64 km) west of London. For ceremonial
purposes it is in the Royal County of Berkshire and has served as the county town since 1867.
[1]

Reading was an important national centre in the medieval period, as the site of an important
monastery with strong royal connections. Today it remains a commercial centre, with links to
information technology and insurance. Reading also hosts two universities, a large student
population, and is home to one of England's biggest music festivals.

[edit] History

[edit] Beginnings

St Mary's church was founded by the 9th century

The settlement was founded at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet in the
8th century as Readingum. The name probably comes from the Readingas, an Anglo-Saxon
tribe whose name means "Reada's People" in Old English,[2] or (less probably) the Celtic
Rhydd-Inge, "Ford over the River". The name of the settlement was derived from an earlier
folk, or tribal, name. Anglo-Saxon names ending in -ingas originally referred not to a place
but to a people, in this case specifically the descendants or followers of a man named Reada,
literally "The Red One."[3][4]

In late 870 an army of Danes invaded the then kingdom of Wessex and set up camp at
Reading. On 4 January 871, the first Battle of Reading took place, when an army lead by 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 this account provides
the earliest known written record of the existence of the town of Reading. The Danes
remained in Reading until late in 871, when they retreated to winter quarters in London. [5][6]

After 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, with four on land belonging to the king and two on the land given to Battle Abbey. [6]

[edit] Time of the Abbey

Reading Abbey was founded in 1121

Reading Abbey was founded by Henry I in 1121, and he is buried within the Abbey grounds.
As part of his endowments, he gave the abbey his lands within Reading, along with land at
Cholsey. He also arranged for the land previously owned by Battle Abbey to be transferred
to Reading Abbey, in return for some of his land at Appledram in Sussex.[6][7]

The foundation of Reading Abbey led to the town becoming a place of pilgrimage and
enhanced the town's prosperity. However the relationship between already established
borough's burgesses and the Abbey was to prove strained at times. 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. However disputes continued over the
Abbey's powers to raise taxes and appoint the Guild's officers. Even the title of the Guild's
first officer was open to dispute, with the Guild and, on occasion, the King referring to him
as the Mayor, whilst the Abbey continued to call him the Guild Warden. [7]

It is not known exactly how badly Reading was affected by the Black Death that swept
through England in the 14th century. But it is known that the abbot of Reading Abbey, Henry
of Appleford, was one of its victims in 1361, and that nearby Henley lost 60% of its
population.[8]

In 1487, Henry VII granted a further charter that went further than previous charters,
although still leaving the appointment of the Mayor/Warden in the hands of the Abbey. This
charter, and a subsequent judicial arbitration in 1499, confirmed the Guild as a body
corporate in perpetuity.[9]
[edit] Dissolution and war

The Abbey was largely destroyed in 1538 during Henry VIII's dissolution of the
monasteries. The last abbot, Hugh Cook Faringdon, was subsequently tried and convicted of
high treason and hanged, drawn and quartered in front of the Abbey Church. The dissolution
initially saw the Mayor appointed by the King's officers administering the dismemberment of
the abbey properties. However in 1542 Henry VIII granted the Guild a new charter that
permitted the burgesses to elect the Mayor. [9][10]

By 1525, Reading was the largest town in Berkshire, and tax returns show that Reading was
the 10th largest town in England, based on taxable wealth. By 1611, Reading had a population
of over 5000 and had grown rich on its trade in cloth, as instanced by the fortune made by
local merchant John Kendrick.[8]

At this time, Reading had mostly traditional timber framed houses, a few examples of which
still exist in Castle Street, Market Place and other places. Often the front ground floor of
the house was given over to retail activities, with family and lodgers living in the rooms
behind and above.[11]

The town played an important role during the English Civil War; it changed hands a number of
times. Despite its fortifications, it had a Royalist garrison imposed on it in 1642. The
subsequent Siege of Reading by the Parliamentary forces succeeded in April 1643. However,
the taxes levied on the town by the garrison badly damaged its cloth trade, and it did not
recover.[12]

Reading played a significant role during the Revolution of 1688, with the second Battle of
Reading being the only substantial military action of the campaign. James II had stationed an
advance guard of 600, largely Irish Catholic, troops in Reading to stop the march of
William's army towards London. Seeing these troops as an occupying force, the people of
Reading sent a messenger to William, at Hungerford, to ask for help. On Sunday 9 December
William dispatched a relief force of about 250 Dutch troops to the town. Warned in advance
of the Royalist positions in the town they attacked from an unexpected direction, and forced
the Irish troops to retreat in confusion. This defeat of James' Irish troops by an inferior
force, together the willingness of the people of Reading to support William, convinced James
of the insecurity of his position and he fled the country. [6][13]
[edit] 18th century

Henry Addington, Viscount Sidmouth

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. 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 it establish its
location on the major coaching routes from London to Oxford and the west country. 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.

From 1714, and probably earlier, the role of county town for Berkshire was shared between
Reading and Abingdon. The Assize and Quarter Sessions courts met in both towns, with the
Lenten Assizes traditional held in Reading and the Summer Assizes in Abingdon. The county
gaol was at Reading, but both had a house of correction, also known as a Bridewell, that held
prisoners from various parts of the county.[14]

Towards the end of the century, Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, lived at Bulmershe
Court, in what is now the Reading suburb of Woodley. Although he moved to Richmond when
he was appointed prime minister, he retained his local connections. He donated to the town
of Reading the four acres (16,000 m²) of land that is today the Royal Berkshire Hospital,
and his name is commemorated in the town's Sidmouth Street and Addington Road.[15][16]
[edit] 19th century

The Maiwand lion in Forbury Gardens, an unofficial symbol of Reading, commemorates the
Battle of Maiwand in 1880

In 1801, the population of Reading was about 9,400. During the 19th century, the town grew
rapidly as a manufacturing centre. 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. In 1836 the Reading Borough
Police were founded. 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 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). 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.[17]

In 1851 the population was 21,500. The Summer Assizes were moved from Abingdon to
Reading in 1867, effectively making Reading the sole county town of Berkshire, a decision
that was officially approved by the privy council in 1869.[18] The town became a county
borough under the Local Government Act 1888. By 1900, the population was 59,000—large
sections of the housing in Reading are terraced, reflecting its 19th century growth. The town
has been famous for the "Three Bs" of beer (from 1785 dominated by the Simonds'
Brewery), bulbs (1807–1976, Suttons Seeds), and biscuits (1822–1977, Huntley and Palmers).
In the 19th century the town also made 'Reading Sauce', described as a sharp sauce
flavoured with onions, spices, and herbs, very much like Worcestershire Sauce.

[edit] 20th century and beyond

A trolleybus at the Three Tuns terminus, c.1966. The Three Tuns is now the terminus for
the number 17 bus
The town continued to expand in the 20th century, annexing Caversham across the River
Thames in Oxfordshire in 1911. 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. Miles Aircraft in Woodley was an important local firm from the 1930s
to 1950s. 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.

At the end of 1966 the Yield Hall multi-storey car park was opened, providing covered space
for 522 cars. It was noted that the ramps were arranged to segregate up-traffic from
down-traffic, with "one-way circulation" through most of the building. [19]

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. It provides three
storeys of shopping and boosted the local economy by providing 4,000 jobs. Reading has
pedestrianised Broad Street.

[edit] Governance

Borough of Reading

Geography

Status: Unitary, Borough

Region: South East England

Ceremonial Berkshire
County:

Area: Ranked 318th

- Total 40.40 km²

Admin. HQ: Reading

ONS code: 00MC

Demographics

Population:
Ranked 125th
- Total
145,700
(2008 est.)
3607 / km²
- Density

86.82% White
5.21% Asian
Ethnicity (2001 4.14% Black
Census data): 2.38% Mixed
0.73% Other
0.72% Chinese.

Politics

http://www.reading.gov.uk/

Leadership: Leader & Cabinet

Tory/Lib Dem
Executive: coalition (council
NOC)
 Mayor of Councillor Gul
Reading Khan[20]

[edit] Local government

Reading has had some degree of local government autonomy since 1253 when the local
merchant guild was granted a royal charter. Over the years since then the town has been run
by a borough corporation, as a county borough, and as a district of Berkshire. 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.[21]

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 a new town hall
by inserting an upper floor into the refectory of the Hospitium of St John, the former
hospitium of Reading Abbey. This was to remain the site of Reading's civic administration,
through the successive re-buildings that eventually created today's Town Hall, for some 400
years up to the 1970s. In 1975, Reading Borough Council moved to the new Civic Centre.[22][23]
[24][25]

Following the 2010 local election, Tory and Lib Dem councillors agreed to form a coalition to
replace the previous Labour minority administration.[26]

[edit] City status

Reading is one of the largest urban areas in the UK that does not benefit from city status.
The borough council has bid for city status on several occasions, but these bids have been
unsuccessful. The application for city status is politically controversial, with some groups of
residents strongly opposed, while others support the bid. [27][28]

[edit] Boundaries

Since 1887, the borough has included the former villages of Southcote and Whitley and small
parts of Earley and Tilehurst.[29] By 1911, it also encompassed the Oxfordshire village of
Caversham and still more of Tilehurst.[30] A small area of Mapledurham parish was added in
1977. An attempt to take over a small area of Eye and Dunsden parish in Oxfordshire was
rejected because of strong local opposition in 1997. [30]

Reading's municipal boundaries are particularly old and constrained and do not include several
of the town's suburbs. Proposals occasionally surface to expand the borough to include
these. 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.[31] 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. [32]

[edit] Town twinning

Reading is twinned with:[33]

 Düsseldorf, Germany (since 1947, officially since 1988) [34]

 Clonmel, Ireland (since 1994)
 San Francisco Libre, Nicaragua (since 1994)
 Speightstown, Barbados (since 2003)

[edit] National government

Reading has elected at least one Member of Parliament to every Parliament since 1295.
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.

Currently, Reading and its surrounding area is divided between the parliamentary
constituencies of Reading East and Reading West. The whole of the town is within the multi-
member South East England European constituency.

[edit] Geography

Reading is 41 miles (66 km) due west of central London, 30 miles (48 km) southeast of
Oxford, 70 miles (110 km) east of Bristol, and 50 miles (80 km) north of the English south
coast. 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. 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.
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.

Outside the central area, the floors of the valleys containing the two rivers remain largely
unimproved floodplain, subject to occasional flooding. In the 2007 United Kingdom Floods [35]
no properties were affected by flooding from the Thames and only four properties were
affected by flooding from the River Kennet.[36]

Apart from the M4 looping to the south there is only one road across the Kennet floodplain.
All other routes between the three built-up areas are in the central area, which is a cause of
road congestion there.

Reading has its own subregional catchment area, incorporating the suburban districts of
Earley and Woodley and the surrounding towns of Wokingham, Bracknell, Henley-on-Thames
and Twyford, plus large villages such as Pangbourne, Theale, Winnersh, Burghfield and
Shiplake.

[edit] 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. 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. This urban area is itself a
component of the Reading/Wokingham Urban Area and the most populous UK town without
city status.[28][37]

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.[30]

[edit] 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. 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. The borough itself is unparished,
and the wards used to elect the borough councillors generally ignore the accepted suburbs
and use invented ward names.
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

[edit] Institutions

[edit] Religion

St Mary's Church Tower, chequered with flint and stone.

Reading Abbey

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. 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. He was buried there, as were parts of
Empress Matilda, William of Poitiers, Constance of York, and Princess Isabella of Cornwall,
among others. The abbey was one of the pilgrimage centres of medieval England, it held over
230 relics including the hand of St. James. The abbey was largely destroyed in 1538 during
the dissolution of the monasteries and Henry VIII had the abbot, Hugh Cook Faringdon,
hanged.

The mediaeval borough of Reading was served by three parish churches. Besides Reading
Minster, these were St Giles' and St Laurence's churches, both of which are still in use as
Anglican churches. 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. 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. 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.

Reading also has several places of worship of other religions. These include the Central
Reading Mosque, a mosque in Waylen Street close to the town centre, and the Mahayana
Buddhist Centre "Shantideva".[38][39]

[edit] Education

University of Reading War Memorial clock tower

Reading School, founded in 1125, is the tenth oldest school in England. It is based in
Victorian buildings designed by Alfred Waterhouse on Erleigh Road. There are six other
state secondary schools and 37 state primary schools within the borough, together with a
number of private and independent schools and nurseries.[40]

Besides mainstream schools the Reading area has a Steiner-Waldorf school and an active
Education Otherwise home schooling network.[citation needed] Reading College provides further
education in the town, with over 8,500 local learners on over 900 courses. [41]
The University of Reading was established in 1892 as an affiliate of Oxford University, and
moved to its London Road Campus in 1904. Reading was chartered as an independent
university in 1926 and moved onto its new Whiteknights Campus in 1947. It took over the
Bulmershe teacher training college in 1982, 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. All four campuses are still in use,
although Whiteknights is by far the largest.

The Thames Valley University, soon to be renamed 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.[42]

[edit] Libraries and museums

Reading Town Hall now houses the Museum of Reading

The Reading Borough Public Library service dates back to 1877. Initially housed in Reading
Town Hall, the central branch of the library relocated in 1985 to a new building on King's
Road. It 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 rooms adjacent to the public library. The museum
remains in the Town Hall, parts of which date back to 1786. It 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 and Palmers.

The Museum of English Rural Life, in Redlands Road, is a museum dedicated to recording the
changing face of farming and the countryside in England. It houses designated collections of
national importance that span the full range of objects, archives, photographs, film and
books. It is owned and run by the University of Reading. [43][44]

On the University of Reading's Whiteknights Campus can be found the Ure Museum of Greek
Archaeology and Cole Museum of Zoology, together with the Harris Botanic Gardens. 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.

[edit] Healthcare

The new entrance block for the Royal Berkshire Hospital

The principal National Health Service (NHS) hospital in Reading is the Royal Berkshire
Hospital, founded in 1839 and much enlarged and rebuilt since. 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. 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. [45][46]

Reading has two private hospitals, the Berkshire Independent Hospital in Coley Park and the
Dunedin Hospital situated on the main A4 Bath Road.[47][48]

[edit] Economy

Reading is an important commercial centre in Southern England and is often referred to as

the commercial capital of the Thames Valley. The town hosts the headquarters of British
companies and the UK offices of foreign multinationals, as well as being a major retail
centre.[49]

[edit] Industry

Prudential's administrative centre

The Oracle Corporation campus

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. Whilst both these companies have been swallowed by other groups, their
respective descendents in Fujitsu and Hewlett-Packard both still have local operations. More
recently Microsoft and Oracle have established multi-building campuses in the town. Other
technology companies with a significant presence in the town include Agilent Technologies,
Audio & Design (Recording) Ltd, Bang & Olufsen, Cisco, Comptel, DediPower Managed Hosting,
Ericsson, Harris Corporation, Intel, Nvidia, Sage, Sagem Orga, SGI, Symantec, Symbol
Technologies, Verizon Business, Virgin Media, Websense, Xansa (now Steria), and Xerox.

The financial company ING Direct has its headquarters in Reading, as does the directories
company Yell Group and the natural gas major BG Group. The insurance company Prudential
has an administration centre in the town, whilst PepsiCo and Holiday Inn have offices. As
with most major cities, Reading also has offices of the big 4 accounting firms Deloitte,
KPMG, Ernst and Young, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

These companies are distributed around Reading, including in business parks just inside or
outside the borough boundary. Prudential and Yell, together with most of the accountancy
companies, have their offices in central Reading. Thames Valley Business Park is home to the
Microsoft and Oracle campuses, as well as BG Group and ING Direct. GreenPark Business
Park is home to Symantec and Cisco, whilst the nearby Reading International Business Park is
home to Verizon Business. Winnersh Triangle Business Park is home to technology companies,
whilst Arlington Business Park is home to KPMG, Nvidia and PepsiCo. [50]

[edit] Retail

Broad Street
The Riverside level at The Oracle

Union Street known locally as Smelly Alley

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. The secondary catchment area (the area where the
centre attracts 10% or more of generated expenditure) also includes Ascot, Bracknell,
Sandhurst, Camberley, Didcot, Farnborough, Fleet, High Wycombe, Maidenhead, Newbury,
Slough, Tadley, Thatcham, Wallingford and Windsor. In 2007 an independent poll placed
Reading as one of the top ten retail destinations in the UK. [51][52]

The principal town centre shopping area is around Broad Street, which was pedestrianised in
1995.[53] Broad Street is anchored at its east and west ends respectively by The Oracle and
Broad Street Mall enclosed shopping centres. In 2007 14.4 million people visited the covered
part of the Oracle shopping centre.[54]

There are three major department stores in Reading: John Lewis Reading (formerly known as
Heelas),[55] Debenhams and House of Fraser. There are also branches of chain stores,
including Bhs, Boots, fcuk, H&M, Marks and Spencers, Thorntons, Next, Primark and W H
Smith. The booksellers Waterstone's have two branches in Reading. Their Broad Street
branch is of interest, as it is a conversion of a nonconformist chapel dating from 1707.[56]

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,[57][58] due to the former presence of many open-fronted fishmongers and
butchers. The occupancy has shifted towards major retail chains, although a few of
independent shops, including a fishmonger and butcher remain. [59]

Unlike many English cities, Reading has no indoor market hall. There is a street market at
Hosier Street in the town centre, open from Wednesday to Saturday, with 60 stalls selling a
mixture of food, flowers and plants, cultural goods, and household goods. A farmers' market
operates on two Saturdays a month at the cattle market. [60][61]

Other than the markets, Marks and Spencers, a few small supermarket branches, and a few
speciality shops, food retail has largely deserted the town centre. Large branches of Tesco,
Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Iceland and Waitrose supermarket chains can be found in
suburban and edge of town locations.

[edit] Utilities

The wind turbine at GreenPark produces enough green electricity for around 1000 homes

Mains water and sewerage services are supplied by Thames Water Utilities Limited, a private
sector water supply company. Water abstraction and disposal is regulated by the
Environment Agency. Reading's water supply is largely derived from underground aquifers,
and as a consequence the water is hard.[62][63][64]

The commercial energy supplier for electricity and gas is at the consumer's choice. Southern
Electric runs the local electricity distribution network, while Scotia Gas Networks runs the
gas distribution network. 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. It was constructed in November 2005 just outside the borders of the borough in the
civil parish of Shinfield and is owned by Ecotricity. This turbine can be seen from a large
part of Reading, as well as from 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 homes. [65]

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. The dialling code for fixed-
line telephones is 0118.
Mobile phone service is available throughout the town, from all the UK licensed network
operators and using the GSM and UMTS standards.

[edit] Transport

Reading's location in the Thames Valley to the west of London has made the town an
important location in the nation's transport system.

[edit] River transport

High Bridge on the River Kennet

The town grew up as a river port at the confluence of the Thames and Kennet. Both of these
rivers are navigable, and the locks of Caversham Lock, Blake's Lock, County Lock, Fobney
Lock and Southcote Lock are all within the borough. Today navigation is exclusively leisure
oriented, with private and hire boats dominating traffic.

Scheduled boat services operate on the Thames, operating from wharves on the Reading side
of the river near Caversham Bridge. Salters Steamers operate a summer daily service from
just downstream of the bridge to Henley-on-Thames, taking around two hours in each
direction and calling at the riverside villages of Sonning and Shiplake. Thames River Cruises
operate 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.[66][67]

[edit] Road transport

Reading Bridge on the River Thames

Reading was a major staging point on the old Bath Road (A4) from London to Bath and Bristol.
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). Other main roads serving Reading include the A33 from Basingstoke, the A327 from
Farnborough, the A329 from Bracknell to Thame, the A4074 to Oxford, and the A4155 to
Henley-on-Thames.

Within Reading there is the Inner Distribution road (IDR), a ring road for local traffic
movements. 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 A33 relief road,
which runs past the Madejski Stadium and Green Park Business complex. National Express
Coaches run out of Calcot, just off the M4 at junction 12.

The Thames is crossed by both Reading and Caversham road bridges, while several road
bridges cross the Kennet. 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.[68]

[edit] Rail transport

Reading station buildings. The original GWR building is now a pub (The Three Guineas): the
main facilities are in the newer building to the right.

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.
Plans have been agreed to rebuild Reading station, with grade separation of some conflicting
traffic flows and extra platforms, to relieve severe congestion at this station. [69]

Railway lines link Reading to both Paddington and Waterloo stations in London. The route to
Paddington offers both non-stop (taking around 30 minutes) and stopping services, whilst
that to Waterloo offers only a stopping service. Inter-city services also link Reading to
Swindon, Bristol, Cardiff and South Wales, Exeter, Plymouth and South West England,
Birmingham and the North of England, and Southampton and Bournemouth. Local services link
Reading to Oxford, Newbury, Basingstoke, Bracknell, Guildford and Gatwick Airport.

Other stations in the Reading area are Reading West, Tilehurst and Earley, but all serve
local trains only. A new Reading GreenPark railway station is planned.
[edit] Air transport

RailAir coaches in Reading awaiting their departure to Heathrow Airport

There have been two airfields in Reading, one at Coley Park[70] and one at Woodley, but these
have both closed. Today Reading is within reach of several international airports.

The nearest airport is London Heathrow, which is 25 miles (40 km) away by road. An express
bus service named RailAir links Reading with Heathrow, or the airport can be accessed by
changing at Hayes and Harlington railway station from the local rail service to Paddington to
the Heathrow Connect rail service.

London Gatwick is 60 miles (97 km) away by road and is served by direct trains from Reading.
London Luton is also 60 miles (97 km) away by road, whilst London Stansted is 90 miles (140
km) away; both can be reached by rail by changing stations in central London. The airport at
London City can also be reached by a combination of rail services.

Away from London, Southampton Airport and Birmingham Airport are both served by direct
trains from Reading and can be faster to reach than the more distant of the London
airports. Southampton is 45 miles (72 km) away by road, whilst Birmingham is 92 miles (148
km) distant.

[edit] Local public transport

A bus running on Reading Buses route number 17

Local public transport is largely road-based, and can be affected by peak hour congestion in
the borough. A 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 services

  Thames Travel: Reading - Arborfield - Bracknell - Wokingham; Reading - Wallingford -
Oxford services
 Arriva: Reading - High Wycombe services
 Newbury Buses: Reading - Newbury services
 Fleet Buzz: Reading - Fleet - Aldershot service[71]
 Motts Travel: Reading - Nettlebed - Watlington - Stokenchurch service[72]
 Courtney Coaches: Reading - Winnersh - Wokingham - Bracknell service, Sundays and
Bank Holidays only [73]

[edit] Culture

The Town Hall, Reading

[edit] Music

The NME/Radio 1 tent at the 2005 Reading Festival

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.
Since 1999, Reading has been twinned with a simultaneous festival in Leeds, with the same
acts appearing at both festivals on different days. In 2005, the main festival spawned the
Reading Fringe Festival. Set up by a group of musicians, promoters, film-makers and artists,
and now in its 6th year, to help showcase acts and performers in the towns venues in the
runnup to the main festival.

For some twenty years up until 2006, Reading was also known for its WOMAD festival.
However the event eventually outgrew its Rivermead site. As of 2007, amid much
controversy,[74] the event relocated to Wiltshire in the form of Womad Charlton Park.[74][75][76]
The Head of Culture, Chris Smith - tasked with keeping WOMAD in Reading - was on holiday
at the time of the announcement that WOMAD was to move. He later took a senior job with
WOMAD.[77]
Perhaps the most notable home-grown artist is Mike Oldfield of Tubular Bells fame.
Slowdive, The Cooper Temple Clause, Stuart Price, Morning Runner, My Luminaries, Does It
Offend You, Yeah?, OK Tokyo, Dan Le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip, Pete & The Pirates,
SixNationState, Pure Reason Revolution, Exit Ten, Sylosis, Malefice, The Arusha Accord,
Bennet and Mr Fogg have had some degree of success.Left-field experimental pop band
Lemon Kittens also started life here in the late '70s, and 60s folk/blues legend turned
avant-gardist Mike Cooper also. David Byron, first and most famous singer of hard rock band
Uriah Heep lived his last years in Reading before he died in 1985. The Chemical Brothers
attended Reading Blue Coat school. Lead singer of 'odd-pop' group The Hoosiers Irwin
Sparkes is from Woodley. He supports Reading FC and in the music video for The Hoosiers'
song 'Goodbye Mr. A', he can be seen playing as the team on a football game.

Reading plays host to semi-professional and amateur choirs and choral societies. Reading
Festival Chorus has celebrated its 60th anniversary. 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.

Reading has several orchestras. The long-established Reading Symphony Orchestra (RSO)[78]
is one of the town's amateur orchestras, led by a professional conductor and leader. It
presents four main concerts a year, and is often engaged to work in collaboration with other
musical organisations and for private functions. The Aldworth Philharmonic Orchestra (APO),
[79]
founded in 2002 and named after Richard Aldworth, the founder of Reading Blue Coat
School, rehearses and plays most of its concerts at the school. APO's remit is to be as
innovative as possible, giving 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' and education projects, and championing the music of talented
young composers. Reading Youth Orchestra (RYO) provides an opportunity for younger
musicians.

[edit] Theatre

Reading theatre venues include The Hexagon and 21 South Street, which are professional
venues supported by Reading Borough Council. The Hexagon is a multi-purpose venue in the
heart of Reading that provides rock, pop, comedy, classical music and dance as well as
theatre. Recent performances have included Reel Big Fish and their mix of ska-punk as well
as comedy from Russell Howard.[80] South Street presents performing arts from both the
professional and community sectors, including fringe theatre, comedy, music, dance and live
literature.[81]

Amateur theatre venues in Reading include Progress Theatre,[82] a self-governing, self-

funding theatre group and registered charity founded in 1947 that operates and maintains
its own 97-seat theatre.[83] 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.[84]
Golden Globe and Oscar winning actress Kate Winslet was born and raised in Reading. Her
husband, award winning director Sam Mendes who she is now separated from was also born,
though not raised in Reading.

Reading is also home to The Rep College. Established in 1997 it is based at The Rising Sun
Arts Centre in Silver Street. It is a professional training college for actors and produces 14
public shows each year.[85]

[edit] Arts

Reading has a history of grassroots arts movements. 21 South Street, previously a school
and an unemployment (dole) office, was temporarily occupied by artists in the late 1980s, and
this action eventually led to its becoming a Council run Art Centre. Similarly, an occupation of
the condemned former Huntley and Palmer's building in 1989 took place by a collective of
artists, calling it the Biscuit Base, in an attempt to put pressure on Reading Borough Council
to provide more art space. This action did not secure it as art space, but did eventually lead
to it being recognised by the council as a historic building. The facade was reprieved from
demolition and converted to housing. in 1990, participants in the failed Biscuit Base action
occupied a former temperance house in Silver Street which became the town's independent
art centre The Rising Sun.[86]

[edit] Media

Reading has three local newspapers.

 The Reading Chronicle is published weekly, on Thursdays.

 The Reading Midweek is published weekly, on Wednesdays.
 The Reading Evening Post is a newspaper published on Wednesday and Fridays.

Three local radio stations broadcast from Reading: BBC Radio Berkshire, Reading 107 FM and
Heart Berkshire. 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.

Local television news programmes are the BBC's South Today and ITV's Meridian Tonight.

The local Blah Blah magazine[87] provides free monthly arts and entertainment listings.

[edit] Sports

The Reading Half Marathon climbing Russell Street in West Reading in 2004
The Madejski Stadium, during a game against Swansea in 2008

The Reading Half Marathon is held on the streets of Reading in March of each year, with as
many as 16,000 competitors from elite to fun runners. [88]

Reading is the home of Reading Football Club, an association football club nicknamed The
Royals, who were formed in 1871. Formerly based at Elm Park, the club plays at the 24,500
capacity Madejski Stadium in the south of the town near the M4 motorway. The stadium is
named after chairman John Madejski, who has owned the club since 1991. Reading FC won
promotion to the top flight for the first time in 2006 as Football League Championship
champions with a national record of 106 points. They finished eighth in their first season as
a top division club (just missing out on a UEFA Cup place) but were relegated the following
season. The club's current manager is Brian McDermott.

Reading is a centre for rugby union football in the area, with the Aviva Premiership team
London Irish as tenants at the Madejski Stadium. 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. The town hosts several other football variants, such as Gaelic football's St. Anthony's
GAA, Australian rules football team Reading Kangaroos, and American football team
Berkshire Renegades.

The sport of field hockey is represented by Reading Hockey Club, who play in the Men's
Premier Division and the Women's Division One of English Hockey League. The Reading
Rockets are a basketball club that play in the English Basketball League.

Like many Thames-side towns, Reading has rowing clubs, representing both town and
university. The local Redgrave-Pinsent Rowing Lake provides training facilities, although much
rowing is also conducted on the river itself. Dorney Lake, some 27 km (17 mi) to the east of
Reading, provides a full international competition venue and will host the rowing events of the
2012 Summer Olympics. There are also several sailing lakes to the south and southwest of
the town, the largest being Theale Lake (home of Burghfield Sailing Club) 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.

Britain's first-ever triathlon was held outside Reading at Kirtons's Farm in Pingewood in
June 1983. The Reading International Triathlon was revived by Banana Leisure along with one
of the original Race Directors in 1994 and 1995. Thames Valley Triathletes who are based in
the town, is Britain's oldest triathlon club with origins in the 1984 event at nearby Heckfield
when a relay team raced under the name "Reading Triathlon Club". The British Triathlon
Association was also formed at the town's former "Mall" health club in December 1982.

Reading's Palmer Park also hosted the UK's first-ever outdoor Aerobics display; pre-dating
the more famous Hyde Park (London) event by a year.

Reading-born Richard Burns became the first Englishman to win the World Rally
Championship, in 2001.[89]

The town is home to Reading Greyhound Racing and there is a velodrome at Palmer Park
where many of Britain's junior champions train and race.

The town is home to the Reading Racers motorcycle speedway team. The sport came to
Reading in 1968 at Tilehurst Stadium but this closed and the site was redeveloped. The team
took a year off whilst the current venue was built. This venue is also due to close at the end
of 2008 and another year off is anticipated as another new venue is built. The history of
Reading Racer has recently (2008) been set out in a book by Arnie Gibbons. [90]

[edit] Literature

Reading Gaol, one time home to Oscar Wilde

The Abbey Gateway, where Jane Austen went to school

See also: List of residents of Reading, Berkshire

Reading's best known literary connection is with Oscar Wilde, who was imprisoned in Reading
Gaol from 1895 to 1897. While he was there he wrote De Profundis, which was published in
1905. After his release he lived in exile in France and wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol,
based on his experience of an execution carried out in Reading Gaol whilst he was imprisoned
there. This was first published in 1898 under the pseudonym C.3.3, Wilde's erstwhile cell
number.

Several authors have written about Reading. Thomas Hardy painted a rather disparaging
picture of the town, lightly disguised as Aldbrickham, in his 1895 novel Jude the Obscure.
Jerome K. Jerome also did not warm to the town on his famous journey up the Thames in
Three Men in a Boat (1888). He does, however, recognise the historical significance of
Reading. Jasper Fforde set his series of Jack Spratt literary crime novels in this town. The
comic novel A Melon for Ecstasy by John Fortune and John Wells is set in and around
Reading.

Other authors lived in and around Reading. Jane Austen attended Reading Ladies Boarding
School, based in the Abbey Gateway, in 1784-86. 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. Thomas Noon Talfourd, the judge and dramatist was born in Reading
and later became MP for the town.

T. E. Lawrence lost the first draft of his Seven Pillars of Wisdom at Reading railway station.
Charles Dickens was asked to stand as MP for Reading, but declined. He became president of
the Reading Athenaeum. In his novel Bleak House, Esther Summerson goes to school in
Reading. His great-granddaughter Monica Dickens died in Reading in 1992.

[edit] Other

A Reading edition of Monopoly is available (see Localized versions of the Monopoly 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 and 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. Frequently, after concluding an interview with someone in the UK,
especially if the guest was harmlessly eccentric, 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."

Reading is the location of the musical comedy television show Beautiful People, which is a
fictional adaptation of the writings of Simon Doonan who grew up in the town.

In 1974, the BBC filmed The Family in Reading. The show, considered to one of the first
reality television shows, followed the lives of the Wilkins family. [91]

The roadside chain of restaurants Little Chef began in the town back in 1958. Its first
branch was a small eleven-seater venue.[92]

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. This turned
Whitley into a household name for the duration of the series. His film Cemetery Junction
although filmed elsewhere in the UK, is based in 1970s Reading and is named after a busy
junction in East Reading.

Reading in Pennsylvania and Reading in Massachusetts are both named after Reading.

In a 2007 poll by Readers Digest, Reading was named the worst place in Britain to live for
families. However the methodology of the survey was questioned by some of the locals, with
only three towns of population greater than 40,000 included amongst the "winners". [93]

It was reported that Reading has 127 different spoken languages within its population, and
therefore (for its population size) unrivalled in the world with regards to number of
languages spoken in one town.[94]

[edit] See also

Berkshire portal

 List of people from Reading, Berkshire

[edit] References

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