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Reading (/ ˈrɛdɪŋ / ⓘ RED-ing) [2] 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.
The earliest map of Reading, published in 1611 by John Speed. By 1525, Reading was the largest town in Berkshire, and tax returns show that Reading was the 10th largest town in England followed closely by Colchester and Leicester, based on taxable wealth.
Reading (pronounced: "Redding") is a large town in Berkshire in England. [3] It is the largest settlement in Berkshire. It is home to about 230,000 people. Reading is found in South East England, between London and Bristol. The River Thames goes through the town. Reading replaced Abingdon as the county town of Berkshire in 1867.
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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 sp...
Reading theatre venues include the Hexagon and South Street Arts Centre, 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. Performances have included Reel Big Fish and their mix of ska-punk as...
Reading has a history of grassroots arts movements. The unoccupied 21 South Street, previously a school and an unemployment (dole) office, was temporarily squatted by artists in March 1985 and this action eventually led to its becoming a council run arts centre. Similarly, an occupation of the condemned former Huntley & Palmersbuilding in 1989 took...
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...
When Ricky Gervais (born in 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 fil...
The county has an area of 1,263 km 2 (488 sq mi) and a population of 911,403. The population is concentrated in the east, the area closest to Greater London, which includes the county's largest towns: Reading (174,224), Slough (164,793), Bracknell (113,205), and Maidenhead (70,374).
The following is a timeline of the history of Reading, the county town of Berkshire in England. Events. Early history, Normans and Medieval periods. 8th century – Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain: The settlement of "Readingum" is founded by Anglo-Saxons, probably of the Readingas tribe, at the confluence of the Rivers Thames and Kennet. [1]
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4 days ago · Reading, town and unitary authority, geographic and historic county of Berkshire, southern England, 38 miles (61 km) west of London. It is an important junction of railways running west from London and south from the Midlands, and the Kennet and Avon Canal (to Bath and Bristol) and the River Thames.
