Reading is a town in southern England on the Thames and Kennet rivers. It’s famous for the Reading Festival, an outdoor rock music festival held every year. The town center is densely packed with shops and riverside restaurants. The Reading Museum houses historical and Victorian artifacts of the Bayeux Tapestry. The ruins of Reading Abbey, built in the 12th century, are located next to Forbury Gardens, a Victorian garden.
Reading as a community was first documented in the eighth century when the town was known as Readingum. The Readings, an Anglo-Saxon tribe whose name means “Reada’s People ” in Old English, inspired the name. The name Reada is said to signify “The Red One ” in English.
The University of Reading was created as an extension institution of the University of Oxford in the nineteenth century. A large number of students travel from all over the world to pursue higher education in this university. Student accommodation Reading ensures every student gets an ideal balance between academics, co-curriculum, and pleasant social life. Therefore, they offer the best housing for everyone during their academic journey.
What are some of the most exciting tourist destinations to explore here?
The town is located on the Thames, at the very end of the Kennet and Avon Canal, and was once home to an abbey, the ruins of which may be seen in the Forbury Gardens. Oscar Wilde was imprisoned at Reading Gaol from 1895 and 1897 after being found guilty of homosexual offenses, and when in exile in France, he wrote the Ballad of Reading Gaol.
Forbury Gardens
Forbury Gardens is a lovely public park on the exteriors of the former Reading Abbey, a few blocks east of the railway station.
The space was left open right after the abbey dissolved in the late sixteenth century. It was later used during the English Civil War and for military training during the Napoleonic Wars.
Abbey Ruins
The remnants of Reading Abbey, established by Henry I in 1121, are mingled with more recent buildings on the southeast boundary of Forbury Gardens. The abbey was abolished, along with all other monasteries in Britain and Ireland, during Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538. The final abbot, Hugh Cook Faringdon, was withdrawn from his position and hanged.
Despite the fact that the complex has been abandoned for about 500 years, one can enter the shell of the medieval chapter house.
Museum of English Rural Life
This museum, run by the University of Reading, is located near the town center at the back of the London Road campus.
The attraction was built in 1951 as a result of the historic ties of the university, and it has undergone extensive renovations before reopening in 2016. The galleries depict more than 250 years of English rural life and are filled with hand tools, clothing, plows, historic cattle pictures, carts, and steam and diesel-powered tractors.
Avon and Kennet Canal Walk
Reading is located at the end of the Kennet and Avon Canal, which runs for 87 miles from Bristol across the West Country. Between 1718 and 1810, this lengthy waterway was built primarily to transport coal and stone from Somerset to London.
Another way to get to know Reading is to walk along the canal towpath, which is lined with chestnut trees. In summer, the waterway is bustling with swans and geese, and the towpath leads you past the former jail. Here, one can find a gate that has a passage from Oscar Wilde’s “Ballad of Reading Gaol.”
Wellington Country Park
The 8th Duke and Duchess of Wellington constructed a large outdoor recreation park in the countryside of Hampshire, seven miles from Reading, in 1974.
The park features 350 acres of hardwood and softwood forest, four nature walks, a fallow and red deer habitat. The park also boasts a 35-acre lake with a cafe on its bank, and there’s plenty for kids to do throughout the summer.
A sneak peek at the University’s academic excellence
The University of Reading is one of the most prestigious universities in the world, ranking among the top 1% of all universities worldwide. It is a prestigious university known for academic excellence, research opportunities, and a promising learning environment. As far as the departments are concerned, the job prospects are excellent. They provide exceptional opportunities, 100 percent student satisfaction and other important amenities.
In terms of UCAS points, league rankings, and grades, the courses are well-known when compared to other universities with equal merit and distinction.
Furthermore, as an undergraduate or postgraduate student here, one has the golden opportunity to network with notable technological companies and get flexible study options as well as competence in industrial knowledge.
