Reading, England

{| border=1 cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" align="right" width=300\n|-\n!colspan=2 align=center bgcolor="#ff9999"|Borough of Reading\n|-\n|colspan=2 align=center|\n|-\n!colspan=2 bgcolor="#ff9999"|Geography\n|-\n|width="45%"|Status:||Unitary, Borough\n|-\n|Region:||South East England\n|-\n|Ceremonial County:||Berkshire\n|-\n|Area:
- Total||Ranked 318th
40.40 km²\n|-\n|Admin. HQ:||Reading\n|-\n|ONS code:||00MC\n|-\n!colspan=2 bgcolor="#ff9999"|Demographics\n|-\n|Population:
- Total (2002 est.)
- Density||Ranked 113th
144,393
3,574 / km²\n|-\n|Ethnicity:||86.8% White
5.2% S.Asian
4.1% Afro-Carib.\n|-\n!colspan=2 bgcolor="#ff9999"|Politics\n|-\n|colspan=2 align=center|Reading Borough Council
http://www.reading.gov.uk/\n|-\n|Leadership:||Leader & Cabinet\n|-\n|Executive:||Labour\n|-\n|MPs:||Jane Griffiths, Martin Salter\n|} \nReading (pronounced to rhyme with bedding) is a town and unitary authority in Berkshire in England. The town is at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, halfway between London and Oxford. Although the largest town in Berkshire over many centuries, it had to wait until the 1974 County change to become the official county town of Berkshire (when the much smaller town of Abingdon moved to Oxfordshire). The town and surrounding area became a unitary authority area in 1998 when Berkshire County Council was abolished. The borough council has made several applications for city status, but as of 2004 these have all been rejected. The borough limits now include the former villages of Tilehurst, Calcot, Southcote, Whitley, Caversham, but exclude several settlements which are still part of the urban area. These settlements include Woodley, Earley and Lower Earley which form part of Wokingham unitary authority.

History and industry

The settlement was founded at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet in the eighth century as Readingum. The name is most likely from the Anglo-Saxon for "(Place of) Readda's People", or (less probably) the Celtic Rhydd-Inge, "Ford over the River". It was occupied by the Vikings in 871 but had recovered sufficiently by its 1086 listing to contain around 600 people and be made a designated borough. The town saw much pilgrimage in mediaeval times, see Reading Abbey, below. By the end of the sixteenth century Reading was the largest town in Berkshire, home to over 3,000 people. The town played an important role during the English Civil War; it changed hands a number of times, and despite its fortifications the longest siege was only ten days in April 1643. Reading was also the only site of significant fighting in England during the Glorious Revolution of 1688. In 1801, the population of Reading was about 9,400. During the nineteenth century Reading grew rapidly as a manufacturing centre. From 1832 the town returned two Members of Parliament. A town council was introduced in 1839. The railway arrived in 1841, with a second system connecting in 1849. In 1851 the population was 21,500. The town was given county borough status in 1887. By 1900 the population was 59,000 - large sections of the housing in Reading are terraced, reflecting its nineteenth century growth. The town has been famous for beer (1785-1980, India Pale Ale was invented in Reading), bulbs (1807-1976, plant), and biscuit (1822-1977) production, the "Three Bs". In the nineteenth century the town also made 'Reading Sauce'. 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 smear of 1920s semi-detached properties and the 1950s expansion that joined Woodley, Earley and Tilehurst into Reading. The Lower Earley development started in the 1970s, although part of Wokingham district, was the largest private housing development of its time in Europe. This extended the urban area of Reading right up to the M4 motorway, which acts as the southern boundary to the town. Further recent housing developments have substantially increased the number of modern commuter houses in the surrounding parts of Reading, and 'out-of-town' shopping hypermarkets. Large employers in the area now include information and communication technology (ICT) giants like Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and Oracle as well as the finance firm the Prudential and Gillette, who market shaving products.

Institutions

Reading Abbey was founded by Henry I in 1121. He was buried there as were part of Empress Maud, Prince William the Count of Poitiers, Princess 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 destoyed in 1538 during the dissolution and Henry VIII had the abbot, Hugh Cook Faringdon, hanged. 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. The University of Reading was established in 1892, affiliated to Oxford University. It was chartered as an independent university in 1926. Reading F.C, formerly based at Elm Park, have since 1998 been in their new 24,084 capacity all-seater Madejski Stadium. The football club is nicknamed the Royals (previously known as the Biscuitmen). There used to be a prison in Reading. Oscar Wilde wrote "The Ballad of Reading Gaol"; he was imprisoned there from 1895 to 1897. The former prison is now used as a remand centre. Another writer, Thomas Hardy, painted a rather disparaging picture of the town in his novel Jude the Obscure, in which it is called Aldbrickham.

Notable Reading people

Notable persons from Reading include:\n* rally driver Richard Burns\n* expert computer programmer Jeff Minter\n* composer and artist Mike Oldfield\n* judge Thomas Noon Talfourd\n* comedian Ricky Gervais\n* actress Kate Winslet Historical figures associated with Reading were:\n* William Henry Fox Talbot set up shop in Baker St in 1843/1844, where he remained for three years.

External links

• Reading Borough Council\n*University of Reading\n*Reading travel guide at Wikitravel

\n Reading