Reading
Industrial town and administrative centre of Reading unitary authority, in south England, at the confluence of the rivers Thames and Kennet, 61 km/38 mi west of London; population (2001) 134,200. It has a large number of high-technology industries and is also an agricultural and horticultural centre, with seed-testing grounds.
History
A Danish encampment in 871, by the time of the Domesday survey of 1086 ‘Radynges’ had 30 religious houses and a population of about 500. The Benedictine abbey was founded in 1121 and consecrated in 1164. During the English Civil War the town changed hands several times. In the 16th century the cloth industry thrived, and trade with London took place via the River Thames. During the 18th century the town's prosperity was based on malting and sailcloth, but the rail connections to London (1840) and Bristol (1841) encouraged trade and promoted expansion. The Huntley and Palmer Biscuit Company began to expand rapidly because of the new trade routes and the invention of airtight boxes for transport, as did the Sutton Seed company. By the middle of the 19th century the economy was based on biscuits, bulbs, and beer. The town's university was first established in 1892 as a college affiliated to the University of Oxford, but by 1926 had gained independent university status. The city needed to be extensively rebuilt after World War II bombing.
Features The ruins of the 12th-century Benedictine abbey remain, and Henry I is buried here. Museums in Reading include the Museum of English Rural Life and the Museum of Reading, which includes Roman and Saxon relics and a full-size Victorian reproduction of the Bayeux Tapestry. Reading also hosts an annual festival of rock and pop music that attracts visitors from all over Europe. |
Reading
| Industrial town and administrative headquarters of Berks County, east Pennsylvania, USA, on the Schuylkill River, 72 km/45 mi northwest of Philadelphia; population (2000) 81,200. Textiles, machinery, and special steels are manufactured. Coal-mining in the area is in decline. Albright (1856) and Alvernia (1958) colleges are in the town. |
| Reading was laid out in 1748. It was an early iron- and steel-making centre, connected by canal and rail to nearby anthracite mines. The poet Wallace Stevens was born here. The Daniel Boone homestead is 11 km/7 mi to the southeast, near Birdsboro. |
reading
| In order to avoid the difficulties posed by a multilingual society, such as the European Community, extensive use is made of picture-based instructions and signposts. Fire exits and road signs are good examples. |
Reading
| Unitary authority in southern England, created in 1998 from part of the county of Berkshire. |
Features situated where the River Thames meets Kennet, Chiltern Hills to the north and the North Downs to the south, major agricultural and horticultural site, hosts an annual pop music festival |
Industries high-technology industries, boats, engineering, printing, electronics, agriculture |
Population (2001) 143,100 |
Famous people archbishop of Canterbury William Laud |
