Reading isn’t just the Berkshire town that has missed out (4 times) on being awarded city status. Renowned for its annual music festival and IT industry, Reading was where Oscar Wilde was famously incarcerated but is perhaps less well known for its new film studios and connection to King Henry I? It is as a desirable place to live though that is maybe what makes Reading one of the UK’s best-kept secrets.

Reading in the news

Lifestyle and news features recommending Reading as a place to live have been emerging this year in the Sunday Times, The I and Guardian newspapers.

And since Reading is hometown for blog HQ, I couldn’t resist thinking about some of the lifestyle elements that drew us to it and some of of the best bits we have discovered along the way:

Location, location

To find out why Reading’s geographical location has for centuries been key to its success, you might like to visit a rather excellent piece of visual storytelling (designed and written by Equal Studio alongside Reading Museum curatorial staff) on the town’s history at Reading Museum.

The displays tell of Reading’s journey on the banks of the river Thames from the powerful royal Abbey built by King Henry I (where he was buried in 1136), to manufacturing Huntley & Palmer biscuits and Sutton Seeds in the 19th century to its present incarnation of being one of the UK’s leading centres for the IT industry.

There are so many interesting Reading artefacts to see from original stone carved capitals from the 12th century Abbey ruins to a wood-carved newel post from the house at Caversham Court that was saved when it was demolished in 1933. The Huntley & Palmer display is also not to be missed.

In addition to Reading’s fast train link of 25 minutes to London (Elizabeth Line has cut journey times enormously to the West End and the City), one of the additional appeals for me is the blanket of nature that surrounds the town and how the Reading postcode extends out to not only photographic and film-worthy countryside but to beautiful country towns and villages including Pangbourne, Goring and Streatley, Sonning and Henley on Thames.

A hop and a skip north/West of Reading, you come across the joys of the market towns of Wallingford and Watlington in neighbouring South Oxfordshire.

Oxford is 22 miles away and Heathrow is 45 minutes down the M4 with the Reading Rail/Air bus. The West, South West and North are easily accessible too.

With more London firms encouraging employees to return to work in the office, Reading maybe once again holds an appeal for its quick commute and hybrid lifestyle of town and country living.

Top schools and Russell Group University in Reading

The town offers a Russell Group university (recognised for law, estate management and for specializing in climate science) while families are drawn to a wide selection of state schools including UTC an engineering and science secondary school to top grammar and independent schools that include Leighton Park school and The Abbey school (where the novelist Jane Austen was a pupil).

Thames Lido

Thames Lido is a wonderful award-winning conversion of Reading’s Edwardian swimming pool, which is now transformed with treatment rooms, cafe and restaurant. Water for the pool is sustainably heated by hydro electricity supplied by an amazing group of 50 volunteers from nearby Reading Hydro at Caversham Lock on the Thames.

Fanny’s Antiques

Fanny’s Antiques opened in Reading around the same time we moved here from London and has been a useful prop resource for me ever since. With its stewardship now passed from owner Julia Lyons to her daughter Melissa, it remains in very capable hands.

With a mix of vintage and antique stall holders, Fanny’s Antiques is perfectly placed to furnish (sustainably and affordably) all the new nearby flats in the town as well as supply props for productions at Shinfield Film Studios.

Shinfield Film Studios

Shinfield Film and TV Studios opened a couple of years ago and is based at the University of Reading’s Thames Valley Science Park. It is the largest new film and television studio in the UK with a state-of-the-art site that has 18 soundstages, including two of the biggest in the UK at 43,000 sq.ft.

One of the films currently in production at Shinfield is an adaptation of Enid Blyton’s classic The Magic Faraway Tree starring Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield and is due for release in 2026.

Reading creatives

Reading has a large creative community of residents connected to the arts, including the Reading Guild of Artists and Caversham Arts Trail.

One particularly inspiring creative organisation is Jelly who champion the arts in Reading. Suzanne Stallard who studied at Kendrick grammar school before going on to art school, started Jelly when she was 24 years old.

Other creatives from Reading include the actress Kate Winslet (whose first wedding party was held at still one of our favourite restaurants, The Crooked Billet), Ricky Gervais who named his film Cemetery Junction, after the location of one of Reading’s rather sadly dilapidated Victorian cemeteries, Kenneth Branagh, musician Mike Oldfield and Paddington Bear author Michael Bond.

Green space and sports facilities

Within striking distance of the town are several parks, nature reserves and riverside walks. Rowing and canoe clubs on both the town and Caversham sides of the river with tennis courts, rugby, hockey and football clubs.

Reading now has almost an embarrassment of (much-needed) new swimming pools. From public pools Palmer Park and The Rivermead to the renovation of the 1908 outdoor Kings Meadow pool into what is now the fabulous Thames Lido.

As a family we have loved the traditional cricket clubs in pretty locations. In particular, Kidmore End Cricket Club, which is beautifully framed by woods and fields on the South Oxfordshire border. There are evocative pavilions and early 20th century village halls all over which can be hired for all sorts of events. I once did a photographic shoot at Mapledurham village hall on Vintage Style for The Saturday Express magazine with Karen Kennedy owner of Indigo Rye who kindly did hair and make-up.

In the town itself is one of Reading’s best-kept secrets. We learnt about the Harris Garden on the University of Reading campus in lockdown on the Edible Reading blog.

Museum of English Rural Life

The Museum of English Rural Life is a real gem of a museum not only because of its subject matter but because of how the items are displayed. The museum is owned and managed by the University of Reading for visitors, with programmes for school children and university students.

There’s a delightful cafe (The Guardian newspaper have voted the MERL cafe as one of their favourite UK cafes this year) with tables both indoors and outside in the garden where there is a small play area with wooden tractor and community flower and vegetable beds. As you sit in the cafe, you can hear from the last showroom the recording of a rainstorm which is interspersed with the hooting of an owl. The combination of which is completely beguiling!

A group of volunteer knitters further decorate this area with humorous crochet farm animals and bunting. Make sure you visit the gift shop with its delightfully curated countryside selection of gifts.

Reading real estate

With its fast commute to London, Reading still offers family homes in a variety of period styles. One of the big things for us was the decent size of gardens available. A huge amount of flats continue to be built in the town centre, some of which are more attractive than others but they are certainly convenient for non car town centre/commuting to London life.

Reading culture

There is a variety of culture in Reading and its surrounding areas. Perhaps you will have seen country houses such as Mapledurham, Englefield House and National Trust Basildon Park which have featured in film and TV series.

• Jelly is an award-winning arts charity that works on all sorts of projects across the town
• The Biscuit Factory is a well-designed arts cinema
• Reading Rep I love the sound of forthcoming production of A Christmas Carol set in Victorian Reading’s Huntley and Palmer biscuit factory
• Progress Theatre self-governing/funded theatre productions and jazz performances
• Hexagon Theatre comedy, music, ballet, theatre, panto. The theatre has been granted levelling-up money for a new studio theatre
• South Street arts centre for comedy, poetry and music
• The Rising Sun arts centre for comedy, dance, cinema, music, drama and poetry
• The Abbey Ruins where King Henry I is buried
• the new owner of Reading prison has plans for a hotel, museum and art gallery in the prison
• Riverside Caversham Court gardens with tea kiosk
• Reading Museum brilliant exhibition of Reading’s history
• St Bartholomew’s, Lower Basildon the local medieval church to National Trust Basildon Park
• Edible Reading Reading’s food blog bible
• Reading Football club
• Reading Library – £8.6 million levelling up money has been granted for a new library

There are many other places to seek out (such as the Mill Theatre/dinner venue in Sonning) but I hope this gives you an introduction to some of what’s on offer in Reading.

It’s also good to remind myself of some of the inspiring things that are going on in and around the town!

Thank you

Thank you so much for reading this. If you would like to subscribe for no cost, advert-free posts, then please use the blue subscribe button at the end of a post. You will then receive an email alert, usually once a month for the next visually inspired post. Posts will mostly feature interior style (including plenty of antiques and vintage), to garden or heritage themes.

Charis x