Utilities

Street Paving

Fire Brigade

Gas

Water

Refuse

Funerals

Utilities

Utilities are the services that are brought to your house. The first and most important of these is a clean source of water. Up until 1862 diseases caused by mixing clean and dirty water occurred in Reading.

Paving and lighting the streets was the next priority. Lighting was at first through oil lamps, before the gas works were started. Gas was supplied to homes as well as the street lights.

Other services were the fire brigade and refuse collection both started in Georgian times. New cemeteries had to be started in Victorian times, with the growing size of the town.