Hills Meadow

Reading Hydro is a micro hydroelectric scheme in Reading, England. It is located on the River Thames, at the upstream end of View Island and using the head of water provided by the weir at Caversham Lock. With a drop of about 1.4 metres (4 ft 7 in) and an average water flow of 37 cubic metres (1,300 cu ft) per second, it can generate 46 kilowatts (62 hp) of electricity with its twin archimedes screw turbines.The scheme is owned and operated by the Reading Hydro CBS, a community benefit society that was founded in 2017, after some years of preparation. By 2018, planning permission had been granted and construction plans developed. Investment was raised through share offers to the local community, and the scheme was officially opened on 13 August 2021.The turbine house has been decorated on two sides with a mural by Commando Jugendstil, entitled Community Energym, and representing the Reading Hydro community and the sustainable power the project will generate. A third side contains a rendition of Warming Stripes, a visual representations of the change in global temperature over the past 100+ years originally created by Professor Ed Hawkins of Reading University.Although the weir already had a fish pass, this was found to be too steep for many species of fish. As part of the approvals process for the hydro scheme, a new fish pass has been constructed on View Island in the form of a stream that crosses the island on a more natural sinuous course. Both the turbine house and the fish pass are readily accessible by the public footpath, locally known as The Clappers, that crosses over both the lock and weir, and gives access to View Island.

Caversham Lock is a lock and main weir on the River Thames in England at Reading, Berkshire. Both the lock and main weir are connected to De Bohun Island (colloquially known as Lock Island). The Thames Navigation Commissioners built the original lock in 1778. Additional sluices north of View Island and Heron Island form the whole weir complex. A footbridge passes over all three islands to connect Lower Caversham to Reading via a route other than George Street and Reading Bridge. The weir is upstream of the lock and in the mid-channel. Kings Meadow, Reading, and buildings comprising homes and office blocks adjoin to the south of the lock itself. The island contains a typical lock-keeper's house, a crane depot, small boatyard, and large boathouse owned by the Environment Agency for occasional use by that authority and police in river patrol and maintenance of boats. The head of water provided by the weir is used by Reading Hydro to generate up to 46 kW of electricity.

The Thames Lido, formerly known as the King's Meadow swimming pool , is an open-air swimming pool or lido located in King's Meadow in Reading, Berkshire. It was first opened to the public in 1903 as the Ladies Swimming Bath and is believed to be the oldest surviving outdoor municipal pool of a similar early Edwardian era. In August 2004, as a result of a campaign, the building was awarded Grade II listed building status. It re-opened in 2017 after three years of restoration.

View Island is a small island near Caversham Lock, on the River Thames at Reading, Berkshire in England.View Island forms part of a series of riverside open spaces, managed by Reading Borough Council, that stretch along one or other side of the River Thames throughout its passage through Reading. From west to east these are Thameside Promenade, Caversham Court, Christchurch Meadows, Hills Meadow, View Island and King's Meadow.The island was a derelict boatyard when Reading Borough Council took it over in 1998 and restored it. It is a quiet, relaxing island with grassy paths and seating. It is set out as a small park containing several wooden chain-saw carved sculptures, although all but one having rotted away. It connects to Caversham via Heron Island, which has private riverside housing and is connected by road to Lower Caversham.A body was found on View Island in February 2011.In 2021, the new Reading Hydro community owned hydro-electric power plant opened at the upstream end of the island. At the same time a new and more natural fish pass stream was constructed, snaking through View Island.

Reading Bridge is a road bridge over the River Thames at Reading in the English county of Berkshire. The bridge links the centre of Reading on the south bank with the Lower Caversham area of the cross-river suburb, and former village, of Caversham on the north bank. It crosses the river a short way above Caversham Lock. The current bridge is the first on the site, and was built in 1923 as part of the political accommodation when Reading absorbed Caversham. Before then the only road crossing between the two places was at the much more historic Caversham Bridge site some half mile upstream.

Christchurch Meadows is a park in Reading, Berkshire, England, located next to the River Thames. It stretches along the north (Caversham) side of the river, between Caversham Bridge and Reading Bridge, and is linked to the south (Reading) bank by the Christchurch Bridge, a pedestrian and cycle bridge built in 2015. The name of the meadow derives from Christ Church in Oxford, whose dean owned 25 acres (10 ha) of farmland in Reading.Christchurch Meadows form part of a series of riverside open spaces, managed by Reading Borough Council, that stretch along one or other side of the River Thames throughout its passage through Reading. From west to east these are Thameside Promenade, Caversham Court, Christchurch Meadows, Hills Meadow, View Island and King's Meadow.The park takes the form of a grass meadow along the river's edge, with specimen trees and shrubs along the bank. At the eastern end there is a fenced children’s play area, with a paddling/boating pool and picnic tables, and a number of sports pitches. A distinctive line of Lombardy poplars edges the eastern boundary. At the western end, the Caversham War Memorial and the Reading University Boat Club can be found.A metalled footpath and cycleway runs along the river bank and provides an alternative to the formal route of the Thames Path long distance footpath, which runs along the built-up southern bank of the river between Reading and Caversham bridges. A second metalled footpath and cycleway connects the northern end of Christchurch Bridge with Gosbrook Road in Caversham, and intersects with the riverside path.

Heron Island is a small island near Caversham Lock, on the north bank of the River Thames at Reading, Berkshire in England. The island has private riverside housing and is connected by road to Lower Caversham. It also connects by footpath to View Island just upstream, relaxing island set out as a small park with grassy paths and seating, a pond, and several wooden chain-saw carved sculptures. This in turn connects via a weir to De Bohun Island, where Caversham Lock is located, and on to the south bank of the River Thames.

Christchurch Bridge, originally known as the Reading Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge, is a pedestrian and cycle bridge over the River Thames at Reading in the English county of Berkshire. The bridge links the centre of Reading on the south bank with the cross-river suburb, and former village, of Caversham on the north bank. It crosses the river some 200 metres (660 ft) above Reading Bridge, and immediately downstream of Fry's Island.

Reading Central is a constituency in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was formed as a result of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies. It subsumes parts of the former Reading West and Reading East constituencies but, unlike them, the whole of the new constituency will be within the Borough of Reading. It will be first contested in the 2024 general election.

King's Meadow is a park in Reading, Berkshire, England, located next to the River Thames. It stretches from the Coal Woodland (so-called because it used to be the site of a coal heap ) to King's Meadow Road near Reading Bridge. The Thames Path long distance footpath runs through the length of King's Meadow, which is visible from the railway when entering or leaving Reading railway station from the eastern side.King's Meadow forms part of a series of riverside open spaces, managed by Reading Borough Council, that stretch along one or other side of the River Thames throughout its passage through Reading. From west to east these are Thameside Promenade, Caversham Court, Christchurch Meadows, Hills Meadow, View Island and King's Meadow.

The siege of Reading was an eleven-day blockade of Reading, Berkshire, during the First English Civil War. Reading had been garrisoned by the Royalists in November 1642, and held 3,300 soldiers under the command of Sir Arthur Aston. On 14 April 1643, Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex brought a Parliamentarian army of 19,000 men to lay siege to the town, and began bombarding the town two days later. During the siege, Aston was wounded and command of the garrison passed to Richard Feilding. On 25 April, Feilding requested a truce in order to negotiate the town's surrender. Despite a relief force commanded by King Charles I and Prince Rupert arriving the following day, Feilding held to the truce, and Essex's army was able to repel the relieving army. The surrender terms were agreed on 26 April, and the next day the Royalists left the town for Oxford.

St James's Church is a Roman Catholic church situated in the centre of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. The church is located next to Reading Abbey ruins, between the Forbury Gardens and Reading Gaol. St James's Church continues the traditions of Reading Abbey in the post-Reformation era. Its founder was James Wheble, who owned land in the area at that time. The church was designed by the architect A. W. N. Pugin and is one of his first church designs. Parts of the church were built using stones from the Abbey ruins.The design of the church is Norman, a style not normally associated with Pugin, and was probably influenced by the proximity of the Abbey ruins. The exterior of the building is of flint, with ashlar dressings and a Roman tile roof. Construction started in 1837 and the church opened on 5 August 1840. In 1925, the south aisle and the ambulatory round the apse were added. In 1962, the church was further extended by a north aisle into which was relocated the baptistery. The church is a Grade II listed building.St James's Church, along with St William of York's Church, forms a joint parish within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth. The current parish priest (since February 2010) is Canon John O'Shea. Sunday masses are well-attended often with standing room only; the parish boasts a large number of nationalities among its regular congregation. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Archbishop of Westminster from 2000 to 2009, was baptised in St James's and served at the altar there regularly as a boy.