Reading is a town and borough in Berkshire, England. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers Thames and Kennet. Reading is 40 miles (64 km) east of Swindon, 24 miles (39 km) south of Oxford, 40 miles (64 km) west of London and 16 miles (26 km) north of Basingstoke.
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 historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II 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.
Caversham is a suburb of Reading, England, located directly north of the town centre across the River Thames. Caversham rises from the River Thames, lying on flood plain and the lowest reaches of the Chiltern Hills. Two road bridges, including Caversham Bridge, and two footbridges join Caversham to the rest of Reading. Named areas within the suburb include Emmer Green, Lower Caversham, Caversham Heights and Caversham Park Village. Notable landmarks include Caversham Court, a public park and former country house; Caversham Lakes; and part of the Thames Path national trail.
Hugh Faringdon,, earlier known as Hugh Cook, later as Hugh Cook alias Faringdon and Hugh Cook of Faringdon, was a Benedictine monk who presided as the last Abbot of Reading Abbey in the English town of Reading. At the dissolution of the monasteries under King Henry VIII of England, Faringdon was accused of high treason and executed. He was declared a martyr and beatified by the Catholic Church in 1895.
Sonning is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England, on the River Thames, east of Reading. The village was described by Jerome K. Jerome in his book Three Men in a Boat as "the most fairy-like little nook on the whole river".
Caversham Lock is a lock and main weir on the River Thames in England at Reading, Berkshire. Both the lock and main weir are connected to De Bohun Island. The Thames Navigation Commissioners built the original lock in 1778. Additional sluices north of View Island and Heron Island form the whole weir complex. A footbridge passes over all three islands to connect Lower Caversham to Reading via a route other than George Street and Reading Bridge.
Henry of Essex or Henry de Essex was an Anglo-Norman nobleman who was feudal baron of Rayleigh in Essex and of Haughley in Suffolk. He served as one of the royal constables during the reigns of Kings Stephen and Henry II by right of his second wife, which office included the duty of bearing the royal standard to indicate the location of the king when on campaign or in battle. In 1163 he was convicted as a traitor, having been defeated in trial by battle, and took the habit of a monk, spending his last years at Reading Abbey.
Caversham Bridge is a bridge across the River Thames between Caversham and the town centre of Reading. The bridge is situated on the reach above Caversham Lock, carrying the A4155 road across the river and also providing pedestrian access to the adjacent mid-river Pipers Island.
Remenham is a village and civil parish on the Berkshire bank of the River Thames opposite Henley-on-Thames in southern England. It is particularly well known for the steep approach, known as Remenham Hill or White Hill, into Henley.
Caversham Heights is a residential area within Caversham in the English Royal County of Berkshire. Today Caversham is a northern suburb of the larger town of Reading. The name Caversham Heights traditionally refers to that part of Caversham situated on higher ground to the west of central Caversham, straddling the Woodcote Road (A4074). Since 2022, Caversham Heights has also been the name of a local government ward that extends to the Thames in the south, and across Hemdean Bottom to St. Barnabas Road in the east.
View Island is a small island near Caversham Lock, on the River Thames at Reading, Berkshire in England.
The Flag of Berkshire is the flag of the historic county of Berkshire in England. The flag was registered with the Flag Institute as the flag of the county in March 2017. The flag was adopted after the design was submitted by a number of county-based bodies as well as the Lord Lieutenant of the county. Prior to adoption, a banner of the arms of the former Berkshire County Council had been occasionally used to represent the county.
Caversham Court is a public garden and was a mansion located on the north bank of the River Thames in Caversham, a suburb of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. The park lies within the St Peter's conservation area. The park is listed as Grade II in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.
King's Meadow is a park in Reading, Berkshire, England, located next to the River Thames. It stretches from the Coal Woodland to King's Meadow Road near Reading Bridge. The Thames Path long distance footpath runs through the length of King's Meadow, which is visible from the railway when entering or leaving Reading railway station from the eastern side.
MVSeymour Castle is a river boat sailing for Thames River Cruises of Reading, England as the MV Devon Belle. She is registered by National Historic Ships on the National Register of Historic Vessels, certificate number 1955, and is one of the surviving "Little ships of Dunkirk" from the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940.
Occupation at the site of Reading may date back to the Roman period, possibly as either a trading port on the River Thames, or as an intersection on the Roman road connecting London with Calleva Atrebatum near Silchester.
The following is a timeline of the history of Reading, the county town of Berkshire in England.
Thames is an electoral ward of the Borough of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It includes areas on both sides of both the River Thames and the River Kennet, to the north and east of the centre of Reading on the south bank, and to the east of the centre of Caversham on the north bank. It should not be confused with the ward of the same name that existed prior to the 2022 Reading Borough Council election, with which it has no area in common.
Christchurch Meadows is a park in Reading, Berkshire, England, located next to the River Thames. It stretches along the north (Caversham) side of the river, between Caversham Bridge and Reading Bridge, and is linked to the south (Reading) bank by the Christchurch Bridge, a pedestrian and cycle bridge built in 2015. The name of the meadow derives from Christ Church in Oxford, whose dean owned 25 acres (10 ha) of farmland in Reading.
