Reading’s Three Conservation Areas Walkabout; The Mount, Redland Rd & Alexandra Rd
Heritage Open Days 2022
Sat 10 Sep, 10:00 & Fri 16 Sep, 10:00
Guided Walk through 3 Conservation areas. History is inextricably tied up with Huntley & Palmers Biscuits heyday & Reading’s rapid growth in Industry & Innovation in the Victorian period. From farms to the smart ‘des-res’ of the time & so much more!
The 4th Joint Reading Civic Society & Terry’s Reading Walkabouts collaboration, covering the History of these 3 close Conservation Areas .
The housing along the roads did not exist until the rapid growth from the 1840s of Huntley & Palmers and other major industries. H+P by 1910 had become the biggest biscuit factory in the World. From farms & Orchards to smart ‘des-res’ of the time and mansions where Reading's big names lived, high on the hill clear of the smells and pollution of Reading's industries. The layout was based on London’s fashionable Queens Park development. It still contains Listed buildings, important institutions, stories and so much more!
Meet on Christchurch Rd, at the bus stop opposite the Queens Head, this is an easy downhill walk which finishes at the Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) for a cuppa, light refreshments & toilets.
NB End point is 1 mile from town centre. No toilets are on route. You can get a bus nearby to get back into Reading Town centre if you need it.
Please arrive 10 mins early for signing in and safety brief etc.
Accompanied children are welcome
This is a Free Event, although It will be possible to donate to Terry’s Reading Walkabouts two 2022 local charities – 1st - PACT - Parents And Children Together - has been building and strengthening families since 1911 and the 2nd - Royal Berks Charity are here to Support the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust. Although you are under no obligation whatsoever to do so.
