Saxons and Vikings

Middle Ages

Tudors

Stuarts and Civil War

Georgian

Victorian

20th Century

Georgian Reading (1714-1837)

In the Seventeenth century, Reading became a wealthy trading town. All kinds of goods were brought into the town from the surrounding countryside and taken down the Thames to London. On their return, the barges would bring other goods which would then be on sale in the local markets. All this activity made the town busy and wealthy.

New developments in transport began to make Reading a transport centre. The River Kennet was made able to take boats to Newbury, which although the town was worried about the loss of money that this might mean, made the town richer. Turnpike roads were opened, which improved the roads although money had to be paid (a toll) to be able to travel along the road. Later, in 1810, the Kennet and Avon Canal was opened, which meant that goods could be easily transported to Bristol and Bath through Reading.

Reading began to become a centre of new industries. Brewing began to grow, with Simonds becoming the largest brewer in the town. The roads in the town were paved for the first time, and in 1785 the town hall was knocked down and a new hall built.

St Mary's Castle Street was built, in the nineteenth century, and houses made of Bath Stone and with slates began to appear in areas of the town. New schools began to be opened, one of which was attended by Jane Austen. The first Theatre was opened in Reading in 1788.

The nineteenth century began with the battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo. For the first years of the century the was real fear of a new invasion, and the local people were banded into local army units called militia. The war also saw many prisoners coming through the town, some of whom were Catholic, and so services were held for them in the town.

New Acts of Parliament had an effect on the way the town was run. The Reform Acts changed who voted for members of parliament and for the Council which ran the town. The Poor Law changed the way that poor people were looked after, and Greyfriars church was used as a workhouse. The Reading Police Force was founded.