Oxford Road is an urban street and major arterial road in Reading, Berkshire, England, Beginning near the town centre at the meeting of St. Mary's Butts/West Street/Broad Street. The road leads west to Pangbourne, continuing eventually to the city of Oxford. The road was previously known as Pangbourne Lane. [1]
Oxford Road has been a principal westward artery from the medieval center of Reading towards Pangbourne and Oxford since its early days. Its transformation has been a reflection of Reading's growth and societal changes over the centuries. Early Beginnings to 19th Century Development. [2]
Initially, Oxford Road was surrounded by open farmlands until the early 19th century. However, the 1800s marked a significant shift, as these agricultural fields gradually gave way to housing. The development began with elegant homes for Reading's affluent, followed by more modest terraced houses for workers of emerging local industries post-1840, coinciding with the railway's arrival. These Georgian and Victorian homes define Oxford Road's historic urban charm. Notably, many of these structures are recognized as listed buildings within the expansive Castle Hill/Russell Street/Oxford Road Conservation Area. A part of this area, particularly from the town center to Reading West railway station, is a segment of Reading's High Street Heritage Action Zone, initiated in September 2019. [2]
The historical tapestry of Oxford Road includes Battle Farm, which predates the 19th-century developments. The farm's name hints at Reading's ancient past, traceable to 871 AD when Vikings established a fortified camp nearby. This area, which later became part of Oxford Road, was farmland owned by Abbess Elveva around the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066. William the Conqueror subsequently annexed this land for Battle Abbey, a connection still commemorated in local names like Battle School and Battle Library. [2]
The 1800s saw Oxford Road and its vicinity evolve from market gardens and sparse properties to a bustling suburb. Prominent families like the Swallows initiated housing developments, attracting wealthy residents. The area's architectural landscape was further enriched by religious structures, such as the 1826 Holy Trinity Church, and by educational institutions like the Oxford Road Board school, established in 1880. [2]
The mid-19th century introduced notable advancements, including one of the world's first commercial photographic studios, established by Fox Talbot, a photography pioneer. Infrastructure also progressed with the construction of the Reading West Bridge in 1847, as part of the Great Western Railway, delineating the Oxford Road's residential and commercial sections. [2]
The 20th century marked Oxford Road as a melting pot of cultures, initially with Eastern European and Russian Jewish immigrants establishing a community and founding the Reading Synagogue in 1900. The post-1950s saw an influx of Irish, Eastern European, and Caribbean settlers, contributing to the area's cultural diversity. This multicultural heritage was formally recognized in 2012 under the 'A World in One Place' initiative. [2]
Most of the road is designated the A329. Reading West railway station is near the eastern end of Oxford Road. Tilehurst railway station is near the western end of the road, serving the Reading suburb of Tilehurst. The road to the northwest becomes Purley Rise at Purley on Thames, leading to Pangbourne. To the east in central Reading, it becomes Broad Street, the main pedestrianised shopping street in Reading.
Travelling from east to west, the road passes the Broad Street Mall shopping centre before crossing the town's Inner Distribution Road on a bridge. Some 500 metres (1,600 ft) further on, Holy Trinity Church is passesd on the right, closely followed by the Oxford Road Community School at 146 Oxford Road. [3] Battle Library is at 420 Oxford Road. [4] The Oxford Road Community Garden is located in Western Elms Avenue, off the Oxford Road. [5]
The entrance to the Battle Hospital (closed in 2005) was located at 344 Oxford Road, where the original gate still stands.
The Chatham Street development off Oxford Road, which is still under construction (as of 2010), offers possible improvement for this part of Reading with a £250 million investment scheme, including new shops, accommodation, services and leisure facilities. [6]
Mike Oldfield's Family lived on Western Elms Avenue, where his Father worked as a General Practitioner. [7]
The first Little Chef Restaurant was opened on Oxford Road in 1958. [8]
The London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in south London, part of Outer London. It covers an area of 87 km2 (33.6 sq mi). It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name; while other urban centres include Coulsdon, Purley, South Norwood, Norbury, New Addington, Selsdon and Thornton Heath. Croydon is mentioned in Domesday Book, and from a small market town has expanded into one of the most populous areas on the fringe of London. The borough is now one of London's leading business, financial and cultural centres, and its influence in entertainment and the arts contribute to its status as a major metropolitan centre. Its population is 390,719, making it the largest London borough and sixteenth largest English district.
Reading is a town in Berkshire, England. Most of its built-up area lies within the Borough of Reading, although some outer suburbs are parts of neighbouring unitary authority areas. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers Thames and Kennet, Reading is 40 miles (64 km) east of Swindon, 25 miles (40 km) south of Oxford, 40 miles (64 km) west of London and 16 miles (26 km) north of Basingstoke.
Chatham is a town located within the Medway unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Kent, England. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Gillingham, Rochester, Strood and Rainham.
Purley is an area of the London Borough of Croydon in London, England, 11.7 miles (18.8 km) south of Charing Cross, with a history going back at least 800 years. It was originally granted as an estate from holdings at Sanderstead and until as a district of Surrey and then, with neighbouring Coulsdon, as an urban district that became an electoral ward of the London Borough of Croydon, becoming part of the ceremonial county of London, in 1965. In 2018 the Purley ward was divided into two: Purley and Woodcote, and Purley Oaks and Riddlesdown.
West Berkshire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Berkshire, England. It is administered from Newbury by West Berkshire Council.
Tilehurst is a suburb of the town of Reading in the county of Berkshire, England. It lies to the west of the centre of Reading; it extends from the River Thames in the north to the A4 road in the south.
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 village and civil parish in the West Berkshire unitary area of the county of Berkshire, England. It is 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Reading and 10 miles (16 km) east of Thatcham. The compact parish is bounded to the south and south-east by the Kennet & Avon Canal, to the north by a golf course, to the east by the M4 motorway and to the west by the A340 road.
Pangbourne is a village and civil parish on the River Thames in Berkshire, England. Pangbourne has its own shops, schools, a railway station on the Great Western main line and a village hall. Outside its grouped developed area is an independent school, Pangbourne College.
Purley on Thames is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. Purley is centred 3 miles (4.8 km) north-west of Reading, 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Pangbourne, and 22 miles (35 km) south-east of Oxford. Historically, Purley comprised three separate manors and associated settlements. In the centre there is an historic area named variously Lething or Burley (Domesday) which accommodated traders and craftsmen alongside the main Reading to Oxford road.
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.
Tidmarsh is a village in West Berkshire, England. Its development is mainly residential and agricultural, and is centred on the A340 road between Pangbourne and Theale. The rural area is bounded by the M4 motorway to the south. It is centred 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of Pangbourne, 5.5 miles (8.9 km) west of Reading and 40 miles (64 km) west of London.
Tilehurst railway station serves the suburb and former village of Tilehurst, west of Reading, Berkshire, England. The station is on the extreme northern edge of Tilehurst and at a much lower level than most of that suburb. The railway line and station occupy a strip of land between the A329 road and the River Thames, with the up relief platform on an embankment above the river bank.
Norcot is an area of the suburb of Tilehurst in the town of Reading, in the county of Berkshire, England. It is also an electoral ward of the Borough of Reading.
West Reading is a suburb of the town of Reading in the county of Berkshire, England. The area is served by Reading West railway station and has been served by it since 1906.
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.
Coley is an electoral ward of the Borough of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. Until the 2022 Reading Borough Council election, it was known as Minster ward and had slightly different boundaries.
The following is a timeline of the history of Reading, the county town of Berkshire in England.
Reading West and Mid Berkshire, initially called simply Mid Berkshire, is a proposed constituency in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was formed as a result of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies and subsumes parts of the Newbury, Wokingham, and, soon to be former, Reading West constituencies. It will be first contested at the next general election.
Media related to Oxford Road, Reading at Wikimedia Commons
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