The City of Reading, Berkshire:

Reading is traditionally accepted as being Saxon for "(Place of) Readda's People", the name may be Celtic Rhydd-Inge or "Ford over the River" which fits the town's topography rather well. Reading holds several Royal Charters permitting parliament to be held there during times of plague or rebellion in London. Founded in the 8th century, Reading grew rich through the medieval and Tudor periods thanks to a booming trade in cloth. The economy of the town is historically most famous for the '3Bs' of Biscuits, Beer and Bulbs (of which only Beer has survived though the brewery is scheduled to close by 2010). In recent years Information Technology and insurance have replaced these traditional businesses, being home to Oracle and Microsoft. As such it isn't an obvious travel destination in its own right, but if you happen to be here on business there is plenty to see and do.

Reading is at the heart of an attractive area of the Thames Valley, sitting across the confluence of the Thames and Kennet rivers amid green rolling hills, thatched cottages and pubs. It is surrounded by numerous small towns and villages such as Henley, Pangbourne and Sonning, many of great age and beauty. Much of it is now part of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with the Cotswolds being easily reachable. It is a long inhabited and well domesticated area that sits at the junction of several major transport routes, both rail and road. As such, Reading serves as a major hub for commuter traffic into and out of London. Despite its size and population, Reading is not a city. To become a city in the UK you need a royal charter. To gain a charter the town used to have to contain a cathedral and due to Reading having such a large abbey a cathedral was never built there. Despite the law changing in 1889, Reading has still not received its much deserved city status.

The Abbey of Reading, dedicated to the Virgin and St. John the Evangelist, was founded by King Henry I in June 1121. The Abbey's Inner Gateway is one of the few remnants of this once great house still standing today. It was the original home of the Abbey School and was attended by Jane Austen. There are some ruins of the Abbey's chapter house and associated features in the Forbury Gardens, where the largest lion in the World stands as a memorial to the Royal Berkshire Regiment killed at the Battle of Maiwand in the Afgan Wars. Reading has become more famous recently as the local football team was promoted to the Premier League (and then down again!), in part at least thanks to benefactor, John Madejski, who built the Madejski Stadium located south of the town. The centre has been transformed over the past 10 years with a modern shopping centre called The Oracle. It is a growing town/city with offices and new housing continuously being built.

Reading is also home to the jail in which Oscar Wilde was imprisoned for homosexuality and where he composed his famous ballad. These days it is mainly a remand prison for young offenders.