 | Situated in the county of Bershire in England, Reading can be found at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, halfway between London and Oxford. The town has an estimated population of around 144,000 and is perhaps the most important business centre in southeast England outside Greater London.
Reading is sometimes called the 'capital of the Thames Valley' and is home to the headquarters of some major British companies and the UK offices of some major international firms.
There are some notable names and characters associated with Reading, including Oscar Wilde, who was imprisoned at HM Prison Reading between 1895 and 1897, during which time he wrote De Profundis, while Thomas Hardy painted used the town as the basis for his fictional Aldbrickham in the1895 novel Jude the Obscure.
Famous sons of this town include comedians Lenny Henry and Ricky Gervais, presenter Chris Tarrant, and actress Kate Winslet, while in years gone by Charles Dickens was asked to stand as MP for Reading but declined.
These days Reading is a tourist and shoppers delight with attractions including The Oracle shopping centre, the Broad Street Mall, the Museum of Reading, which has great interactive galleries, and Reading Town Hall, which is a display of Victorian gothic architecture.
Postcodes for Reading begin with the letters RG and as well as Reading itself the RG postcode includes Bracknell, Henley-On-Thames, Wokingham, Basingstoke, Hook, Crowthorne, Thatcham, Hungerford, Whitchurch, Tadley and Newbury. |
