Reading is a large, historic university and minster town in Berkshire, South East England. It is in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway. Reading is 70 miles (110 km) east of Bristol, 24 miles (39 km) south of Oxford, 40 miles (64 km) west of London, 14 miles (23 km) north of Basingstoke, 12 miles (19 km) south-west of Maidenhead and 15 miles (24 km) east of Newbury.
Reading Abbey is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Henry I in 1121 "for the salvation of my soul, and the souls of King William, my father, and of King William, my brother, and Queen Maud, my wife, and all my ancestors and successors". In its heyday the abbey was one of Europe's largest royal monasteries. The traditions of the Abbey are continued today by the neighbouring St James's Church, which is partly built using stones of the Abbey ruins.
Berkshire is a county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by the Queen as the Royal County of Berkshire in 1957 because of the presence of Windsor Castle, and letters patent were issued in 1974. Berkshire is a county of historic origin, a ceremonial county and a non-metropolitan county without a county council. The county town is Reading.
The University of West London (UWL) is a public university in the United Kingdom which has campuses in Ealing and Brentford in Greater London, as well as in Reading, Berkshire. The university has roots back to 1860, when the Lady Byron School was founded, which later became Ealing College of Higher Education. In 1992, it became a university and 18 years later it was renamed the University of West London.
Tilehurst is a suburb of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It lies to the west of the centre of Reading, and extends from the River Thames in the north to the A4 road in the south. The suburb is partly within the boundaries of the Borough of Reading and partly in the district of West Berkshire. The part within West Berkshire forms part of the civil parish of Tilehurst, which also includes the northern part of Calcot and a small rural area west of the suburb. The part within the Borough of Reading includes the Reading electoral ward of Tilehurst, together with parts of Kentwood and Norcot wards.
Ascot is a small town in East Berkshire, England, 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Windsor, 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Bracknell and 25 miles (40 km) west of London. It is most notable as the location of Ascot Racecourse, home of the Royal Ascot meeting, and is reportedly one of the most valuable towns in England when taking into account the average house price. It is also one of the most expensive towns in Britain to rent a property. The town comprises three areas: Ascot itself, North Ascot and South Ascot. It is in the civil parish of Sunninghill and Ascot.
Bradfield is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. Aside from farms and a smaller amount of woodland its main settlements are Bradfield Southend, its medieval-founded nucleus and the hamlet of Tutts Clump.
Reading West is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Alok Sharma, a Conservative.
Theale is a large village and civil parish in West Berkshire, England, 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Reading and 10 miles east of Thatcham.
Holybrook is a civil parish, forming a contiguous part of Reading in West Berkshire and is a mixture of urban, suburban land with watercourses and flood meadows in Berkshire, England. The parish takes its name from the Holy Brook, a watercourse which forms its southern boundary and which is a corollary of the River Kennet. Its main settlements are part of Calcot those commonly known as Beansheaf Farm and Fords Farm, Holybrook and occasionally considered part of Calcot or Southcote which overlaps with this area.
Pangbourne is a large village and civil parish on the River Thames in the English county of Berkshire. Pangbourne has its own shops, schools, a railway station on the Great Western Line and a parish hall. Outside its grouped developed area is an independent school, Pangbourne College.
Calcot, or Calcot Row, is a suburb west of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Calcot straddles the historic A4 Bath Road and is between ex-hamlet Horncastle and Junction 12 of the M4 motorway. The suburb of Tilehurst is to the north, taking up the hills above the place; the populous village of Theale is west, across the motorway. Its named neighbourhoods include Beansheaf Farm and Fords Farm mainly of the early 21st century in its south.
Southcote is a suburb of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Located to the south-west of Reading town centre, Southcote has a population of about 8,500. The settlement lies primarily between the London-to-Bath road and the River Kennet.
Sulham is a village and civil parish in West Berkshire, England. The larger village of Tidmarsh is adjacent to Sulham on the west side and of Tilehurst on the east side.
Theale railway station serves the village of Theale, Berkshire, England. It is 41 miles 22 chains (66.43 km) measured from London Paddington.
Beech Hill is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It is in the south east of the West Berkshire district and bounds Hampshire and Wokingham district. The Foudry Brook, a tributary of the Kennet, and the Reading–Basingstoke railway line, run through the north of the parish.
Shinfield is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire, just south of Reading. It contains 4,313 acres (17.45 km2) and is administered by the unitary authority of Wokingham District. Shinfield Park is the northern part of the parish, becoming physically separated when the M4 motorway was constructed in 1971.
Theale Green School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form with academy status, located in the village of Theale, Berkshire, England.
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.
Hosehill Lake is a 23.6-hectare (58-acre) Local Nature Reserve west of Reading in Berkshire. It is owned by West Berkshire Council and managed by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust.
