Reading Walk: Town Centre【4K】

Located in the county of Berkshire, and around 40 miles west of London, is the town of Reading.

Recorded history of Reading goes back to the 8th century AD when the settlement of 'Readingum' was founded by the Saxons at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet. The name is believed to be derived from 'Readingas', an Anglo-Saxon tribe whose name means 'Reada's people' in Old English.

Reading fell into Viking rule in January of 871 after the First Battle of Reading. They remained there until later on that year at which point they retreated to their winter quarters in London.

In 1121 Reading Abbey was founded by Henry I, who would end up being buried in the abbey grounds. The abbey was mostly destroyed centuries later, in 1538, as part of Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries. The last abbot, Hugh Cook Farringdon, was tried and convicted of high treason and subsequently hanged, drawn and quartered in front of the abbey church.

By the 16th century Reading had become the largest town in Berkshire. It would go on to become a key industrial town. From as early as the 17th century it had grown rich on its trade in cloth. Other industries around this time included the manufacture of silk, guns, tobacco pipes, bricks and tiles. The cloth industry in particular suffered a setback as a consequence of Reading's role in the Civil War. The Siege of Reading in 1643 saw the Royalist garrison in the town being surrendered to the Parliamentarians.

The Second Battle of Reading took place in 1688 as part of the Glorious Revolution - where William of Orange overthrew James II to claim the throne. The battle itself turned out to be little more than a skirmish on Broad Street, but a decisive victory nevertheless, as James subsequently fled to France. William was crowned William III, King of England, Scotland and Ireland the following year, thus making him the last person to successfully invade England by force of arms.

During the 19th century Reading saw rapid expansion as a manufacturing town. The Kennet and Avon Canal opened in 1810 linking Reading to Bristol. The first railway line would follow in 1841 courtesy of Great Western Railway. In 1875 Reading Town Hall was completed. It should be noted that it no longer serves as an administrative centre. Instead it houses Reading Museum, a concert hall and various function rooms.

The UK's first Little Chef restaurant opened in 1958 on Oxford Road here in Reading. It was the brainchild of caravan manufacturer Sam Alper who had been inspired by American diners. Little Chef would go on to become a thriving chain of roadside restaurants across the country for decades, right up until 2018 when company went defunct.

Since 1971 Reading has hosted the Reading Festival - one of the biggest annual outdoor music events in the country. Although predominantly a rock festival, it has since branched out into other genres including punk, alternative and hip-hop. In 1999 it began hosting the festival concurrently with Leeds over the August bank holiday, from which point on it has effectively merged into the Reading and Leeds Festivals.

The town has been represented in sport by Reading Football Club since 1871 when they were founded. Famous people from Reading include Mike Oldfield, Ricky Gervais, Jeremy Kyle and Kate Winslet.

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Filmed: 30th May 2021

Link to the walk on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/7Km5MXU57QpKKAVb7

Filmed on a Sony FDR-AX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Sony ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Queens Walk
0:14 Oxford Road
2:12 Broad Street
6:33 King Street
7:27 Duke Street
8:21 High Bridge
8:35 River Kennet
8:43 High Bridge
8:56 London Street
9:04 Yield Hall Place
9:13 Oracle Riverside
12:36 Bridge Street
14:46 St Mary's Butts
14:59 Reading Minster
15:09 St Mary's Butts
16:59 West Street
18:24 Friar Street
22:32 Town Hall Square
23:29 Market Place
24:47 The Forbury
25:50 Forbury Gardens
25:55 The Forbury
26:52 Reading Abbey Gateway
27:29 The Blade
27:39 Abbey Street