Kellys_Berks_Bucks&Oxon_1911_0157.jpg

d ir e c t o r y

.]

B E R K S H IR E .

READING.

155

The -Palm er Park,” presented by the late George
£900; the view from this spot is very extensive, com­
manding a beautiful prospect over part of Oxfordshire : Palmer esq. of the firm of Huntley and Palm ers, covers
the H orticultural Society’s shows are held in these an area of about 50 acres of land in the eastern suburb
of the borough, and is used as a public recreation
grounds.
The Thames Side Promenade, extending from Caver- ground. Mr. Palm er also gave, at an earlier date, a
sham Bridge for a m ile along the riv e r, is furnished large recreation ground in the K in g’s Meadow, which is
with seats and bandstands, and is greatly Tesorted to by extensively used for cricket, football and other out-door
games.
the inhabitants and visitors.
A t Bob’s Mount, overlooking the Katesgrove clay-pitr
A bronze statue of His late Majesty K in g Edward V II.
presented to the town by Martin J. Sutton esq. and a Roman amphora was found, and on the same spot
standing in the open space facing the G. W. R. station, flint instruments were disinterred by the late Lieut.-C ol.
was unveiled by H.R.H. Prince Christian of Schleswig C. Cooper K in g F .G .S . During the construction of the
Holstein K .G ., G .C .V .O ., P.C. 3rd December, 1902. sewage works, bones of an enormous wild ox, standing
The figure, modelled by Mr. George E. Wade, represents 16 hands high, other rem ains of smaller animals, frag­
the K ing in field-marshal’s uniform holding the sceptre ments of fossil oysters and pieces of ancient ware and
and orb, and stands on a pedestal of red and blue glass were discovered along Plumm ery Ditch.
The soil here principally consists of alternate layers
granite.
The Royal Berkshire Hospital, in London road, opened of clays and sands of m any colors, with flint pebbles ;
May 27th, 1839, is an extensive building of stone in the the clays are made into tiles and drain-pipes, and th e
Domestic Classic style, with a noble projecting portico sands are mixed with the clays in brick making.
The ancient civil parishes of St. G iles, St. Laurenceof six Ionic columns, supporting a pediment, adorned
with the Royal Arm s ; two wings, added in 1882, com ­ and St. Mary have been am algamated and now form the
civil
parish of Reading. The area is 5,788 acres of land
prise operating room, library, museum, chapel, with
stained windows, laundry, servants’ dormitories and and 98 of water ; rateable value, £438,029 ; the popula­
dwellings for private n u rses; an additional wing, to tion in 1911 was 75,214.
comprise an eye theatre, children’s ward and casualty
The population in the undermentioned former civil
ward, is now (1911) in course of erection. There is a parishes was in : —
Convalescent Fund for discharged patients, administered
1891.
1901.
by the Board of M anagem ent; the hospital is supported
38,114*
St. Giles ................ 31,640
by voluntary contributions raised in the county and has
St. Laurence
4*534
4,857!'
160 b ed s: the number of in-patients treated in 19x0 was
St. Mary
23,880
29,246$
2,004, and of casual and out-patients, 12,278.
Under the provisions of the “ Divided Parishes A ct,’r
The Provident Dispensary, in Chain street, was estab­ by Local Government Board Order 23,869, dated March
lished in 1802, and has considerable •funded property; 24, 1889, 2,157 persons were transferred from Tileh u rsi
it had in 1910 16,303 members, 623 of these being to St. Mary, Reading, and those portions of Burghfield,
admitted free, and these latter receive attendance and Earley and Shinfield civil parishes within the borough
medicine for four months on the nomination of any added to St. Giles, Reading.
* Including 216 in the Royal Berks Hospital,
governor.
The Helena Nursing Home, Brownlow road,.opened in
f Including 229 in H.M. Prison.
1878, is intended for poor ladies suffering from incurable
J Including 27 officers and 402 inm ates in the W ork­
maladies and needing care and nursing, especially such house and 285 m ilitary and 93 other occupants in th e
as are in the later stages of illness, homeless, and w ith ­ Barracks.
out relations able to nurse or support them . Cases of
The population in the Municipal wards in 1901 was : —
infectious and mental disorders are ineligible. Patients Abbey, 4,857; B attle, 9,625; Castle, 5,309; Church,.
pay from £2 10s. m onthly in advance, and are received 7,110 ; East, 9,758; Katesgrove, 4,708; M inster, 8,278;
in the^ first instance for three months. A ll applications Redlands, 6,372; Victoria, 6,596; and W est, 9,604—
for admission m ust be made to the Ladv-in-charge, who total, 72,217.
will furnish the applicant with a copy of the rules, forms
The population of the ecclesiastical parishes in 1901
of application, and forms of medical certificates required. w a s :— St. Mary, 14,811; St. Giles’ with St. L u k e,
The different almshouses in Reading were some time 15,721; St. Laurence, 3,732; Christ Church, W h itley,
since consolidated under the approval of the Charity 1 6 , 3 7 9 ; Grey Friars, 4,856; Holy T rinity, 7,284; St.
Commissioners, the old houses were then vacated and John the Evangelist, 6,256; St. George, Tileh urst,
the almspeople removed to new buildings of red brick ' 3,420; St. Bartholomew, Earley, 7,988.
with stone dressings in the Gothic style, on the south j
By a Provisional Order of the Local G overnm ent
side of Castle street, erected in 1864-65, from designs Board parts of the parishes of Caversham . Theale and
by Mr. W illiam Henry Woodman, a r ch ite ct; these con- I Tilehurst were in 1911 added to the borough.
sist of two rows of houses on either side of a roadway, |
W H IT L E Y is a hamlet of the parish of St. Giles, and
each row being divided into four separate blocks ; and 1
now included in the extended borough. Southcot House
they are available in all for 32 inmates, either men or i
is a large and ancient edifice, built by John Blagrave,
women, viz. :— 16 for the general charities and 16 for !
the mathem atician, to whose fam ily, for more than tw o
the church charities.
centuries, Southcot belonged.
The charities for distribution in St. Giles’ parish are ! The area of the Parliam entary borough is 2,441
about £45 yea rly; St. Laurence, £281 yearly, and St. '
acres; the population in 1911 was 63,310; the num ber
MaT . ¿ 56 -'
of electors on the Parliamentary register in 1911
The Reading Municipal Church Charities produced
ir , 222.
«
(in 1902) a net income of £2,742 4s. 3d.
St.
The general Municipal charities amount to £1,086 j Parish C lerk s:— St. Mary’s, W alter L o n g ;
Laurence,
G.
F
o
x
e
ll;
G
rey
Friars,
A
lfred
Jas.
D
arlin
g;
y e a rly ; Simeon’s charity of £4.000, in Consols, the ;
interest of which, now £ 1 1 1 yearly, is applied in cloth­ St. Giles’, John J. Law rence; St. John the Evangelist,
Alfred G. North.
ing children of Sunday schools.
O FFICIA L ESTABLISH M ENTS. , LO CAL INSTITUTIONS &c.
Delivery.
Delivery
Post, M. 0 ., T.
Telephonic Express Delivery Office, 99
by letter
Broad street, -Edward W illiam James Arman, head
carriers
postmaster
L in e s o f R o a d & C h ie f P l a c e s f r o m
comDelivery
Delivery.
w h ic h M a il s a r e R e c e iv e d .
mences
to
at
callers
Delivery
Bracknell,
Oxford,
Abingdon,
W
antage,
by letter
Faringdon, London, Guildford, GodL in e s o f R o a d & C h ie f P l a c e s f r o m
carriers
aiming, Richmond, Basinsrstoke,New­
Delivery
com­
w h ic h M a il s a r e R e c e iv e d .
bury, &c. Bath, Bristol, Birmingham,
to
mences
Windsor, Henley, Slough, Maiden­
callers
at
head, Twickenham, Swindon, Chipp.m.
p.m
London, West & South-West of England
a.m.
a m.
penham, Cheltenham & < •loucester...
345
3.45
7.0
South Wales &c. (night m ail) ...........
7.0
Bath, Bristol, Maidenhead, Henley, Chel­
8.40
London & North Mail...............................
8.40
tenham,
Gloucester,
Windsor,
Slougb,
London, Beenham.Theale,Goring.PangNewbury, Hungerford, rangbourne,
bourne, Wokingham,Staines, Walling­
Wokingham, Wallingford, Oxford,
ford,
Southampton,
Portsmouth,
Abingdon,Richmond,Staines,T\vickenBasingstoke, Windsor, Ascot, Maiden­
ham, Birmingham, Bracknell, Kingston,
head, Slough, Oxford, Bristol, Rich­
Ascot, Bournemouth, Southampton,
p.m.
mond, Twickenham, Henley & Newp.m.
Si-uth West of England & London ...
7.0
7.0
12.45
bury (day mail) ...................................
I2-4S