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Our Lady and St Anne's Roman Catholic Church, Caversham, Reading: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Caversham1.jpgAuthor: Andrew Smith
Human habitation in the Reading area goes back to the 8th century. It had been given town status by 1086. The town developed around Reading Abbey, founded by Henry I in 1121 but today in ruins.
Modern Reading is an important commercial center in the Thames Valley. Its industries include information technology and insurance, and is home to the University of Reading. Although close to London, Reading holds its own as an inward destination for commuters. Major companies operating here include Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco and Agilent Technologies.
Forbury Gardens, Reading, England: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Forbury_Gardens,_Reading_-_Berkshire.jpgAuthor: BaldBoris
Reading is the biggest "town" in the United Kingdom without city status. It has so far applied twice for it, the first in 2000 in conjunction with the new millennium celebrations, and the second in 2002 in conjunction with the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Both bids were unsuccessful.
Reading has submitted a third bid in May 2011, with the final decision expected in the spring of 2012, in conjunction with the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Its application is made difficult by concerns of neighboring borough of Wokingham, which fears that Reading will expand and annex its towns of Woodley and Earley.
Visiting Reading
The M4 motorway connects Reading with London, about an hour away.Places of Interest in Reading
- Cole Museum of Zoology: Museum of the School of Biological Sciences of the University of Reading. Among its exhibits include the skeletons of a male Indian circus elephant, a 5-meter Reticulated sython and a False Killer Whale.
- Forbury Gardens: Public park on the outer court of Reading Abbey. The Maiwand Lion statue, the unofficial symbol of Reading, is located here.
- Harris Garden: Botanical garden on the Whiteknights Campus of the University of Reading.
- Museum of Berkshire Aviation: A small museum with displays of old aircrafts.
- Museum of English Rural Life: Located in East Reading, this museum offers a glimpse into the English countryside and the evolution for farming methods employed there.
- Museum of Reading: Museum with displays describing the history of Reading.
- The Blade: Tallest building in Reading completed in 2009.
- Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology: Museum, part of the University of Reading, displays artifacts on Greek and Greco-Roman civilisations in the Mediterranean region.
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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.
While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.
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