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Reading's central district is home to a great selection of bars and pubs, comedy clubs, live music venues, theatres and museums, and not forgetting a casino, all right in the centre and within 500 metres of each other.
- Things to do in the town centre - Visit Reading
The River Kennet flows through the heart of Reading and is...
- Things to do in the town centre - Visit Reading
Reading is 42 miles (68 km) north of the English south coast. The centre of Reading is on a low ridge between the River Thames and River Kennet, close to their confluence, reflecting the town's history as a river port.
- Thames Lido, a destination in its own right alongside the Thames. Make a day of it with a massage, swim, cocktails and tapas!
- Reading Museum is a great child-friendly museum with star exhibit, the 70 metre-long Bayeux Tapestry replica.
- Reading Abbey Ruins is 900 years old. The burial place of King Henry I was once one of Europe’s largest medieval buildings.
- The MERL, or Museum of English Rural Life, is an award-winning, family-friendly museum of food, farming and the countryside.
- Population and Households
- Ethnicity
- Economy, Employment and Skills
- Housing
- Deprivation
- Health
- Crime
- Transport and Travel to Work
Currently 174,200 residents and 67,700 households (ONS Census 2021) live within the Reading borough boundary, while around 233,000 people live in Reading’s greater urban area (Local Transport Plan 2011-2026). The population has increased by 11.9% since 2011, while the number of household has risen by 7.6% (ONS Census 2021). Reading has a generally ...
Reading has a very diverse population, with 46.5% now belonging to a Black and Minority Ethnic community, the joint second highest proportion in the South East after Slough and with Oxford (2021 Census, Office for National Statistics), and up from 35% in 2011. All ethnic groups have increased since 2011 apart from British, Irish and Black Caribbean...
Over the last 20 years, Reading has developed from an economy based on trading and manufacturing into a centre for leading edge information communication technology (ICT) companies and is now one of the largest insurance and business service centres in the country. Reading is now a major retail centre, with a significant evening economy. Pre-COVID,...
Reading’s continued success has further increased demand for housing, resulting in higher than national average prices, with the median house price now around 3 times higher in 2023 than 2000 (ONS house price statistics for small areas, 1995 – 2020). Because of this, the property market has become increasingly inaccessible to those on low incomes, ...
Although the pace of change in Reading has been rapid, there is a clear mismatch between outstanding economic success and the level of benefits to local people, leaving a significant gap between Reading’s most and least prosperous neighbourhoods. Reading has, within a small geographic area, some of the most affluent and the most deprived neighbourh...
In general terms, Reading tends to score better than the national average for most health measures, although this hides problems amongst particular communities. 1. Life expectancy is 6.8 years lower for men and 7.8 years lower for women in the most deprived areas of Reading than in the least deprived areas (Public Health England 2018-20) 2. For fur...
Crime and the fear of crime have become more significant issues as Reading’s evening economy has grown over recent years. However, Reading has a fairly average crime rate, when compared our most similar group of Community Safety Partnerships. 1. 19,068 crimes were reported in 2021/22, or 110 crimes per 1000 population, an 11% increase on the previo...
Reading is a major population and employment centre within the South East, benefiting from close proximity to London and Heathrow, and with excellent links to national road and rail networks as well as to Heathrow Airport. Such connectivity is represented by Reading’s status as a regional transport hub and international gateway. Reading is a major ...
Make your visit to Reading simple and easy with our maps, brochures and guides, including the Reading town centre pocket map.
The River Kennet flows through the heart of Reading and is worth exploring from the Abbey walls to the Oracle Riverside. Forbury Gardens is the town centre's green lung. It's great for picnics, bandstand concerts and re-living key moments in Reading's turbulent history.
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Reading is a large, historic town in Berkshire in the South East of England. It is one of the largest towns without city status in the United Kingdom with just under 235,000 inhabitants. Map. Directions.
