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l6

HEADING D IRECTORS— 1914.

R eadin g was form erly dependent on the country around for its trade,
and being situated in the midst of an agricultural district, the supplies
o f the neighbouring population are still chiefly drawn from th e tow n .
A s a m anufacturing place its chief business is to be found in biscuit
m aking, iron foundries and engine w orks, and extensive printing and
lithographic w orks ; and in seed grow in g, m alting and brew ing ; the sale
o f corn, cattle and flour is also carried on upon an extensive scale ;
there are b oa t buildin g establishm ents and p ottery and b rick w orks,
and rope, m ats, tw ine, sacks, brushes, broom handles, b room stocks
and staves are made.
T h e large biscuit factory o f Messrs. H un tley and Palm ers L im ited, in
the K in g ’s road, covers m any acres, and is the m ost extensive establish­
ment of th e kind in the k in g d o m ; m ore than 6,000 hands m eet
w ith continuous em ploym ent in m aking the celebrated “ R eading biscuits ”
and preparing and packing them for the hom e trade and for exportation ;
attached to the factory are reading-room s w ith a w ell-stocked library.
T h e R oya l Seed establishm ent o f Messrs. Sutton and Sons, w hose head
quarters are here, occupies m ore than 10,000 acres o f land in various
parts of the U n ited K in gdom and on the continent, w herever the soil
and circum stances are m ost favourable to seed -fa rm in g; there is an
experim ental farm of 110 acres on the London road, and flow er seed
grounds and a fine range o f glass houses on land adjoining the railw ays ;
there are also extensive trial grounds situated at Southcote, at the
w estern end of the tow n ; the principal entrance to the business premises
is in the M arket place ; here a large hom e and foreign trade is carried
on b y a staff of nearly 500 clerks and warehousem en ; a reading room
and library, for th e use of the members of the establishm ent, also form s
part o f th e premises. A t the top of L on don street are the tin works
o f Messrs. H untley, B oorn e and Stevens L im ited, w here plain and
ornam ental tin boxes of all descriptions are made b y o v e r 800 w ork ­
people. A m on g the brew eries those of H . and G. Sim onds Lim ited,
D ym ore B row n and Son L im ited, Messrs. B lan dy, H aw kins and Co.
and Fergusons L im ited, are perhaps the m ost extensive ; and the oldest
and n o t least famous o f R eading m anufactures is its w ell-know n “ sauce,"’
m ade b y Messrs. Cocks for nearly a century. P e tty ’ s L im ited and
W ym an and Son Lim ited have extensive prin tin g and lithograp hic w orks
in th e tow n.
T h e F orhu ry Pleasure Grounds, fronting the ancient gateway of the
abbey, is the property o f the C orp ora tion ; a Russian gun, presented by
the G overnm ent to the authorities of the tow n , occupies an elevated
position in the g ro u n d s : here also is a colossal lion, of cast iron , on a
pedestal, erected in 1886 as a mem orial to 1 1 officers and 317 n on -com ­
m issioned officers and men of th e 2nd B attalion, 66th Berkshire R e g i­
m ent, w h o fell in th e battle o f M aiw and, 27th July, 1880, and during
the A fgh a n w ar 1879-80: the pedestal, placed in 1884 on a foundation
of. concrete, is 23ft. 2 iin . in len gth , 8ft. 7in. in breadth and 12ft. 6 in.
h igh-; th e pedestal was origin a lly encased in terra cotta , b u t this having
been seriously affected b y the w eather, was replaced in 1910 b y a P o r t­
land stone casing to w hich are attached bronze tablets bearing the
names and in scriptions previously recorded on th e terra cotta surface ;
the cost (about £600) was defrayed b y p u b lic su b scrip tion : th e lion ,
w hich w as n ot erected u ntil 1886, is said to b e the largest erect statue
o f th e kind in th e w orld , it b ein g th ree tim es the size o f life and w eigh ­
in g 16 t o n s : from th e forepa w to th e top o f the mane it measures 1 3 ft .: