So, This is Reading
Note: These are my first impressions of Reading, that I've now finished and am posting 4 years later.
When we move to England this year, Reading or London are the only serious contenders for where we will live. London, because of jobs, and because...it's London! And Reading because Steve's employer has a satellite office there.
When I visit my Mum, I usually make a stop in London for a night to enjoy the city since I'm traveling through Heathrow anyways. On my last trip back (Summer 2013), I also booked a night in Reading to see for myself if I'd like to live there.
Of course I checked out several pubs, but I had a good walk around too to get a sense of the town and hit some highlights based on my research as a complete newcomer. It seems Reading has a very mixed reputation and I took the opportunity to talk to a few locals about their thoughts on their home.
The George Hotel
10-12 King St.
When looking for an interesting hotel that was in the town centre, I found The George. Run by Mercure Hotels, it has a history dating back to 1423 and is believed to be the oldest building in Reading. It was a busy coaching inn in the 18thC linking London to the West Country. It has a less clear relationship to Charles Dickens, but nonetheless names its executive rooms after some of his novels and displays an unusual "Dickens Chair" in pride of place in the lobby.
I ended up in the Martin Chuzzlewit room that, based on reviews, is much like the others with wonky floors and dated (in a bad way) furniture. To find any room in the hotel, one must navigate a maze of stairs and passageways, but I get a kick out of old buildings and how they've been carved up over the years, so it suited me fine. The courtyard is small but hints at an earlier time with its cobblestones and seclusion from the busy high street. It's not hard to picture a coach and horses pulling through.
Town Centre
After checking in and freshening up a bit, I went out for a big walk, covering most of the centre of town, particularly the eastern part. I walked up the main pedestrian shopping street (which reminded me a bit of central Ipswich) and peeked in at the huge modern Oracle shopping centre. It's got every chain store imaginable, and while the outdoor area which is lined with restaurants spanning the river Kennet is nice, unfortunately I think every restaurant is also part of a chain. This is the commercial aspect of Reading that I ran up against over and over.
The Reading train station is just a few streets north of here and looked pretty busy. Reading is part of the commuter corridor stretching west of London and this is one of its major entry/exit points. It was partly under construction which bodes well for future growth.
Note: the station revamp is now complete, and the upgrade opened by the Queen on July 17, 2014.
Reading Town Hall
Blagrave St.
On a nearby street heading back south from the station (the train tracks seem to mark the northern border of the centre of town), I stopped to admire a really cool looking building with red and grey bricks in the Victorian Gothic Style. In fact, this is the old Reading Town Hall which now houses the Museum of Reading and is open to the public for free. I'm glad I stopped in. It had an informative short video (confirming Reading's very industrial past) narrated by Kenneth Branagh who spent his formative years here, a display about the Reading Festival's history, a mention of Jane Austen's one year of schooling here (at the Abbey Gateway), and an impressive reproduction of the Bayeux Tapestry, all 70 metres of it, ringing the walls of two rooms on the first floor.
Forbury Gardens & Abbey Ruins
From here I wandered over to Forbury Gardens which was having a summer festival with stalls for food and crafts. This walled Victorian ornamental garden is a lovely feature of the town centre: large lawns, maturing trees, flower beds, statues and even a bandstand. I exited through the Abbey Gateway and spied the 12thC Abbey ruins - regrettably closed to the public as a stone fell on someone's head or at least threatened to.
Oscar Wilde Memorial Walk
Just south is the River Kennet with barges and a really cool walkway (Chestnut Walk) next to Her Majesty's Prison which is now dedicated to Oscar Wilde. He was imprisoned at Reading Gaol (thus his famous Ballad) for part of his two-year hard-labour sentence after being found guilty of gross indecency in 1895. The walkway is quiet and serene and has a gate in his image.
As I've been furiously researching Reading and where we might rent initially, I've come across many comments and articles about Reading's identity. It is something Readingensians wrangle with, to be sure. As an outsider, I may have got this completely wrong, but I think its missing identity stems from two aspects of its character: the fact that it is such a transportation hub, and its quickness to embrace the new.
Reading's location is central to so many places that it's hard not to have your mind somewhere else. The railway station is one of the country's busiest outside London. It's early history had it as a stop for coaches with horses on their way from London to the spa town of Bath. Then when the railway came through town, the famous biscuit company, Huntley & Palmers, capitalised on this new form of mobility and hawked biscuit to commuters. Reading is still most often seen as simply a commuter town as London's Paddington Station is a mere 30 minutes away by train.
Pubs and Restaurants
Back of Beyond, Lyndhurst Ale House (closed), The Eldon Arms, London Street Brasserie
To get a taste of the town and its people, I checked out several pubs and a great restaurant on the Kennet. I had a few chats with waiters and bar regulars
Reading residents bemoan their lack of historical identity and its seemingly low priority among town planners. Its is a hub of chain stores and restaurants and this attracts many visitors with fewer brand name stores near them. The Oracle squishes so many chains into a small area, it's a convenient destination for visitors, and a blight to any charm and character the town hangs on to elsewhere.
Reading used to be known by the 3 Bs: Beer, Bulbs and Biscuits. These industries have all moved away decades ago. The next 2 Bs, banks (insurance) and bytes (IT companies) are the modern businesses dominating Reading these days.
When we move to England this year, Reading or London are the only serious contenders for where we will live. London, because of jobs, and because...it's London! And Reading because Steve's employer has a satellite office there.
When I visit my Mum, I usually make a stop in London for a night to enjoy the city since I'm traveling through Heathrow anyways. On my last trip back (Summer 2013), I also booked a night in Reading to see for myself if I'd like to live there.
Of course I checked out several pubs, but I had a good walk around too to get a sense of the town and hit some highlights based on my research as a complete newcomer. It seems Reading has a very mixed reputation and I took the opportunity to talk to a few locals about their thoughts on their home.
The George Hotel
10-12 King St.
When looking for an interesting hotel that was in the town centre, I found The George. Run by Mercure Hotels, it has a history dating back to 1423 and is believed to be the oldest building in Reading. It was a busy coaching inn in the 18thC linking London to the West Country. It has a less clear relationship to Charles Dickens, but nonetheless names its executive rooms after some of his novels and displays an unusual "Dickens Chair" in pride of place in the lobby.
I ended up in the Martin Chuzzlewit room that, based on reviews, is much like the others with wonky floors and dated (in a bad way) furniture. To find any room in the hotel, one must navigate a maze of stairs and passageways, but I get a kick out of old buildings and how they've been carved up over the years, so it suited me fine. The courtyard is small but hints at an earlier time with its cobblestones and seclusion from the busy high street. It's not hard to picture a coach and horses pulling through.
Town Centre
After checking in and freshening up a bit, I went out for a big walk, covering most of the centre of town, particularly the eastern part. I walked up the main pedestrian shopping street (which reminded me a bit of central Ipswich) and peeked in at the huge modern Oracle shopping centre. It's got every chain store imaginable, and while the outdoor area which is lined with restaurants spanning the river Kennet is nice, unfortunately I think every restaurant is also part of a chain. This is the commercial aspect of Reading that I ran up against over and over.
The Reading train station is just a few streets north of here and looked pretty busy. Reading is part of the commuter corridor stretching west of London and this is one of its major entry/exit points. It was partly under construction which bodes well for future growth.
Note: the station revamp is now complete, and the upgrade opened by the Queen on July 17, 2014.
Reading Town Hall
Blagrave St.
On a nearby street heading back south from the station (the train tracks seem to mark the northern border of the centre of town), I stopped to admire a really cool looking building with red and grey bricks in the Victorian Gothic Style. In fact, this is the old Reading Town Hall which now houses the Museum of Reading and is open to the public for free. I'm glad I stopped in. It had an informative short video (confirming Reading's very industrial past) narrated by Kenneth Branagh who spent his formative years here, a display about the Reading Festival's history, a mention of Jane Austen's one year of schooling here (at the Abbey Gateway), and an impressive reproduction of the Bayeux Tapestry, all 70 metres of it, ringing the walls of two rooms on the first floor.
Forbury Gardens & Abbey Ruins
From here I wandered over to Forbury Gardens which was having a summer festival with stalls for food and crafts. This walled Victorian ornamental garden is a lovely feature of the town centre: large lawns, maturing trees, flower beds, statues and even a bandstand. I exited through the Abbey Gateway and spied the 12thC Abbey ruins - regrettably closed to the public as a stone fell on someone's head or at least threatened to.
Oscar Wilde Memorial Walk
Just south is the River Kennet with barges and a really cool walkway (Chestnut Walk) next to Her Majesty's Prison which is now dedicated to Oscar Wilde. He was imprisoned at Reading Gaol (thus his famous Ballad) for part of his two-year hard-labour sentence after being found guilty of gross indecency in 1895. The walkway is quiet and serene and has a gate in his image.
As I've been furiously researching Reading and where we might rent initially, I've come across many comments and articles about Reading's identity. It is something Readingensians wrangle with, to be sure. As an outsider, I may have got this completely wrong, but I think its missing identity stems from two aspects of its character: the fact that it is such a transportation hub, and its quickness to embrace the new.
Reading's location is central to so many places that it's hard not to have your mind somewhere else. The railway station is one of the country's busiest outside London. It's early history had it as a stop for coaches with horses on their way from London to the spa town of Bath. Then when the railway came through town, the famous biscuit company, Huntley & Palmers, capitalised on this new form of mobility and hawked biscuit to commuters. Reading is still most often seen as simply a commuter town as London's Paddington Station is a mere 30 minutes away by train.
Pubs and Restaurants
Back of Beyond, Lyndhurst Ale House (closed), The Eldon Arms, London Street Brasserie
To get a taste of the town and its people, I checked out several pubs and a great restaurant on the Kennet. I had a few chats with waiters and bar regulars
Reading residents bemoan their lack of historical identity and its seemingly low priority among town planners. Its is a hub of chain stores and restaurants and this attracts many visitors with fewer brand name stores near them. The Oracle squishes so many chains into a small area, it's a convenient destination for visitors, and a blight to any charm and character the town hangs on to elsewhere.
Reading used to be known by the 3 Bs: Beer, Bulbs and Biscuits. These industries have all moved away decades ago. The next 2 Bs, banks (insurance) and bytes (IT companies) are the modern businesses dominating Reading these days.
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