Reading History
This section of the site provides a history of the growth of Reading. If there is an event or time in the History of Reading that you wish to write about, then please click on “Submit News” and it will get published in this section.
The content in this section was kindly provided by Tim Lambert http://www.localhistories.org/reading.html. If you are a Reading based historian and want your work here instead, please contact us. This is what our site is all about: content for the people of reading, by the people of Reading!
The Beginning
Reading began life as a Saxon settlement. Reading was originally called Reada ingas, which means the people of Reada. Reada was a Saxon leader who settled in the area with his tribe in the 6th century. Read more…
The Middle Ages
The Normans built a wooden castle in Reading. It was later replaced by a stone castle. The king demolished the castle in 1152, fearing it might fall into the hands of his enemies. Read more…
16th Century
In the early 16th century manufacturing cloth was still the mainstay of Reading’s economy. A writer said ‘The town stands chiefly by clothing’. Read more…
17th Century
Reading underwent a major change in the 17th century. For centuries the wool trade had been the main industry. In the 17th century it declined and by the early 18th century was no longer a major industry in the town. Read more…
18th Century
In the early 18th century a writer said ‘the town of Reading contains about 900 houses (which would give it a population of about 4,500), large streets, but ordinary buildings wherein is the greatest market for corn in England. Read more…
19th Century
Another major in Reading industry was iron founding, making such things as agricultural machinery. Brick and tile making remained important but the works now made flowerpots as well. Industry benefited from the railway, which linked Reading to London in 1840 and Bristol in 1841. Read more…
20th Century
In 1909 Reading gained its first cinemas. In 1911 the boundaries were extended again to include Caversham and Tilehurst. In 1920 the first council houses were built in Shinfield Road. Read more…
21st Century
Reading has continued to expand into the 21st Century. The town is the largest town that does not have City Status, with a population of 250,000 including the suburbs. A poll in 2002 found that Reading was the eighth best town centre in the country. Read more…
