Reading Area Guide

Reading

Reading is a large town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, midway between London and Swindon off the M4 motorway. It is one of the contenders for the title of the largest town in England, and is the largest settlement in the Home Counties in terms of population. For ceremonial purposes it is in the Royal County of Berkshire and has served as the county town since 1867. It is also home to one of England's biggest music festivals.

Reading was an important national centre in the medieval period, as the site of an important monastery with strong royal connections, but suffered economic damage during the 17th century from which it took a long time to recover. Today it is again an important commercial centre, with strong links to information technology and insurance. It is also a university town, with two universities and a large student population.

Reading is one of the UK's top ten retail destinations and truly is a shoppers paradise. The Town boasts two impressive shopping centres, The Oracle with extensive high street names, restaurants with pavement cafes and cinema complex and Broad Street Mall, both within walking distance of each other.

Beautiful landscapes are in abundance in Berkshire the scenery around Reading is some of the best you will find anywhere in the South from pretty Thamesidevillages with traditional country pubs to the inspiring beauty of the Chilterns.

Climate information

Reading Property Market

Like many major towns and cities in the South East, Reading has gone through a recent boom in residential development. Much of this development has been focussed on brown field sites in thecentre, with apartment living in chic high-rises becoming ever popular withsingletons andyounger couples.

Other development on the edge of town - at Kennet Island,West Village, and Tamesis Reach offers more varietyand the very bestin modern designaimed at family living.

The latest, rapid expansionn ofbuildingadds to the town's traditional offer of red brick terrace, 1930's bay frontedsemi's and impressive array of Victorian and Edwardian villas.

The 435-home development on the former Battle Hospital site in Portman Road is proving extremely popular with first-time buyers looking to take advantage of cut-price deals.

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Council tax

The average council tax charges for April 2008to March 2009 are listed below based on a household of two adults. The tax bands are based on the value of your property in 1991.

The average council tax per household in Reading council is £1,190.29.

Useful Links

• Reading City Council

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