Parole Town Reading

A linear walk through central Reading exploring how Reading welcomed 1000 Prisoners of War during the latter part of the Napoleonic Wars (1805-1814). 

Type of Walk
Guided tour - learning something new / more talking and less walking

More detail
During the latter part of the Napoleonic Wars, Reading was home to nearly 1000 high-ranking POWs on 'parole', whereby prisoners were not incarcerated in the town's gaol, but instead were housed with host families and in local inns, which had to be privately paid for. Prisoners included men, women and children and came from a whole host of belligerent nations, such as France, Spain, Denmark, Norway and The Netherlands. A small number of servants even came from Java. Come and hear how these people were accepted by the townsfolk into the local community and were never perceived as enemies.    

Walk length / difficulty / accessibility
1 km / 0.5 miles / 2 hours / easy / wheelchair accessible

Ticket price
£3

About the walk leader
John Nixon is a local amateur historian and author of the book, 'The Gentlemen Danes', that tells the story of the biggest group of POWs to come to Reading; the Danes and Norwegians. He is currently researching the remaining prisoners that includes the most senior French prisoner ever to come to Britain, and a whole garrison of Dutch military officers captured on the other side of the world in Indonesia.

Getting there
​Reading Minster is close to many town centre bus routes and a 10 minute walk from the ​station. 
W3W https://what3words.com/potato.poems.smiles