vealing Reading’s PRUDENTIAL INSURANCE COMPANY, KINGS ROAD Hidden History Take a closer look at YOUR RUPERT SQUARE local heritage... Orts Road & Newtown

KENNETSIDE Pen & ink drawings of local landmarks by Kate Lockhart, commissioned as part of the Happy Museum project and added to Reading Museum’s permanent art collection in 2013 Visit Reading Museum at the Town Hall on Blagrave Street (behind Marks & Spencers) Admission is FREE! Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday - 10am to 4pm Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays - 11am to 4pm (Closed on Mondays except on Bank Holidays and during school half-terms) www.readingmuseum.org.uk

‘Revealing Our Hidden History’ is supported by Reading Neighbourhood Action Groups (NAGs). Funded by the Happy Museum project. Researched and compiled with the assistance of local residents. This leaflet is printed onto FSC Paper. The demanding standards of the FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council)® mean that every sheet of paper can be traced back to its source ensuring the responsible husbandry of forests. The Early History of the Orts Road Roman: and Newtown area: Reading’s proximity to the land- The fast flowing waters of the rivers Thames and Kennet meet at the locked town of Silchester has led to eastern end of Reading, shaping natural gravel terraces upon which early the conclusion that Reading served as nomadic people found dry land and established primitive an inland port for the Romans. The dwellings. Rivers Thames and Kennet must have been a trade route for Archaeological excavations in the area have unearthed the imported goods evidence of human activity dating back to this excavated there. Mesolithic period, over 7000 years ago. For instance a flint axe-head dredged During dredging and at Kennetmouth, possibly used as a bridging work to the tool for making shelters or canoes. Kennet in 1880 a regular layer of Roman pottery was located adjacent to the gasworks. Even earlier implements and animal Other evidence to suggest that the Romans remains have been excavated in the were trading along the rivers at Reading includes wider area, including the fossil of a 2nd century AD coin and a small greyware jar, both found on the site a jaw bone of a young mammoth. of the Dreadnought Inn at Kennetmouth. These date from the Ice Age, over 10,000 years ago. Saxon Tribes:

The two river courses, Little is known about the life of Germanic Saxon clans which occupied forged by the Ice Age, the region after Roman withdrawal from Britain in the early 5th provided fresh water, reeds for century. By the beginning of the 6th thatching and an abundance of fish for later Stone Age century, the followers of a man settlers. Building materials, wild animals and food called Reada (the Red) had plants could also be found in the surrounding settled. They were known as meadows and woodland. the Readingas and this is how Reading gets its name. A polished stone axe-head of about 4,000 years old, found near to the Some 6th century site of the present day gasworks, cremation urns buried in an derives from the more early Saxon cemetery site technologically advanced overlooking Kennetmouth, have Neolithic period. By this been found. As well as human time stone tools were remains these contain rings, pendants, being used to clear belt fittings and buckles. These are the trees, process food remnants of the small community which lived and prepare animal skins. relatively peacefully in the area until Viking raids reached the Thames Valley late in the In the Bronze Age, farming 9th century. communities were settling in the area. People deliberately placed bronze axes and The Anglo Saxon Chronicle records the Viking’s spears into the rivers at Kennetmouth, perhaps arrival and encampment at Reading in 871AD. as offerings to water gods. By the Iron Age, Fierce battles with the Saxons ensued with the the territory was disputed between two Danes gaining the upper hand, eventually tribes, the Atrebates and the Catuvellauni. reaching Wallingford. Throughout the 10th Iron Age coins of both have been found century the Danes established more in Reading. The Atrebates’ stronghold permanent footholds at Silchester, about 10 miles South West and by 1017 Reading of Reading, was taken over by Roman was in the possession forces soon after the invasion of 43AD. of the Danish chief, Tovi the Proud.

2 3 The Normans: There is other evidence of the great Abbey in the vicinity of Orts The Domesday Book shows Road. Opposite the cemetery that there were fours mills gates is the Abbot Cooke pub. working on the Kennet in In 1890 medieval burials were 1086. Coins minted in uncovered in the pub grounds. Reading during the reign It is thought this was part of of Edward the Confessor Reading Abbey’s leper hospital. also give an indication that during the Saxon In 1539 the Abbey was period Reading had dissolved and its property grown as a trading centre. including the Orts land was confiscated There was a market and a church, both on by the king. The town was slow to recover the site of the present day St Marys Butts. from the economic and cultural devastation brought about by the Abbey’s closure. It was to its natural The Abbey: resources; its rivers and farmland that the townspeople looked for renewed prosperity. Soon a new and infinitely greater place of worship was to rise up, The area that makes up the Orts Road changing the town’s fortunes for the next four centuries. Henry I, the and Newtown area was turned over to youngest son of William the Conqueror, founded Reading Abbey in agriculture, particularly sheep grazing for 1121. He chose a spot between the two rivers “calculated for the cloth making and malt for brewing. reception of almost all who might have occasion to travel to the more populous cities of England”. In 1560 Elizabeth I confirmed her royal charter bestowing greater powers of self- government to the town. A coat of arms, seen on Gasworks Road Bridge was granted. To mark Queen Elizabeth II’s ascent to the throne in 1953, a depiction of a ram was added, representing the 17th century woollen cloth trade. Roads and Canals: The Great West Road (Bath Road) through Reading to London was greatly improved at the beginning of the 18th century. Strategically placed turnpikes extracted tolls from the stage coaches bringing wealthy travellers through Reading towards the fashionable healing spa at Bath. This presented great business The rivers provided convenient transport links and soon wharves were opportunities for the established on the River Kennet to supply the Abbey and export goods town’s inn keepers. from its vast estate. The king endowed his Abbey with precious relics, including the supposed hand of Saint James. This would attract pilgrims Likewise, the opening to the town, boosting to the town’s economy in a manner not dissimilar of the Kennet to that generated during the annual Reading Festival of our own times. navigation in 1723 increased trading Because of its royal patronage, the abbey became one of richest and possibilities. Despite most important religious houses in Medieval England. But not all the fierce, sometimes Reading townsfolk prospered. The earliest maps of Reading show an violent resistance of area to the south east of the Abbey called Orts Field. It is believed that wharf owners opposed this was let by the Abbey with proceeds dedicated to feeding the poor. to it, the new canal allowed larger vessels to pass through the town and ‘Orts’ derives its meaning from an ancient term for ‘left over food’. opened up new trading links to the West Country, Wales and the This is how Orts Road got its unique name. Midlands.

4 5 Further improvements to the The impact that biscuit manufacturing had on Reading is profound. canal in 1802 promoted trade in Here are some fascinating facts that demonstrate its global influence: a variety of goods. Iron, coal, pottery, Bath Stone and groceries When the factory could be imported cheaply while •opened in 1846 it the town’s merchants were able brought with it just 30 to find good prices for the town’s employees. By 1901 its produce including flour, malt, workforce numbered timber, cheese and wool. By 1835 almost 50,000 tons of goods were 6000. Between this time, being shipped through the town annually. Reading’s overall population had trebled One early entrepreneur to benefit form the expansion of trade was the to number 72,000. The Quaker granary owner, Binfield Willis. His vast wealth was bequeathed factory itself took up 24 to his grand-daughter, Mary. When she married the penniless Joseph acres of land. Huntley in 1801, an alliance was formed that led to a new enterprise which would change the face of East Reading beyond all recognition. The factory visitor’s book records •many famous people including Oscar Huntley & Palmers: Wilde, who visited on 22 September 1892. Only three years later he By 1822 Joseph Huntley was a widower and following a series of returned to Reading as a prisoner at the misfortunes, on the verge of bankruptcy. So it was perhaps with one last gaol. Being only yards from the factory throw of the dice that he used inmates nicknamed it ‘The Biscuit Factory’. what was left of Mary’s inheritance to open a By 1900 Huntley & Palmers were the largest small biscuit bakery and •biscuit manufacturer in the world, exporting to confectioner’s shop at Africa, the Americas and the Far East. The firm’s 72 London Street. name even travelled along trade routes ahead of western expeditions. In 1904, Sir Francis Conveniently situated Younghusband became the first European to opposite the Crown Hotel, a reach the forbidden Kingdom of Tibet. To his posting inn on the Great West astonishment a selection of Huntley Road, the new shop attracted & Palmers biscuits were offered as travellers seeking refreshment a welcoming gift! for their journey. Legend has it that amongst these, a certain With such enormous output George Palmer visited the shop. Huntley & Palmers• even had their He soon learnt that with own railway system within the factory. This Joseph’s imminent retirement gave them direct access to the Great from the business, his son Western Railway which reached Reading Thomas was looking for a new in 1840. In an early example of direct business partner. marketing, First-Class travellers from Paddington were given complimentary The story that Palmer entered the biscuits and told to look out for the famous shop already armed with designs biscuit factory as they passed through. for machinery to revolutionise the mass production of biscuit During both the World may be far-fetched but what •Wars, Huntley & Palmers is certain is that the new was turned over for the partnership would soon production of munitions exploit new steam powered and Army ‘hard tack’ technology. By 1843 the biscuits. By the end of business expanded, taking over the First World War, the a disused silk factory situated on company had packaged 250,000 tons the canal’s north bank. of basic rations.

6 7 Victorian Expansion: Further building took place between the 1870s and 1890s, including the many beer houses The abandoned silk factory, upon which the biscuit factory arose, was and taverns for which the area became one of a number of small businesses; including a tobacco factory, renowned. St Stephens Church (1865) and brewery and gasworks which sprang up in the area from 1830. This New Town School (1874) also became followed the sale of the land which had been owned by the Crown since centres for community life. Factory hands the time of the Abbey. found relief from long working hours in recreational activity organised by the The sale of Crown land also led to the construction of the Kings Road factories, pubs and churches. This is when many in 1834. This eased traffic congestion on the old turnpike road, providing of Reading’s sports clubs and musical a direct route to the town centre which, in turn, opened the area up societies were first founded. for industrial use and habitation. This was seized upon by property developers keen to profit by building accommodation for the rapidly By this time, the increasing workforce and a growing middle class including doctors public health act employed at the newly opened Royal Berkshire Hospital. of 1875 had passed into law. As a It was at this time that Orts Road came into result the houses being. Only a few of the original buildings in Newtown, from remain, most notably the grand Bath Stone Cumberland Road villas facing onto Kings Road. It was at one to the railway line, of these, number 165, that the French poet were built with Arthur Rimbaud was employed as a French better materials and more concern for tutor during the summer of 1874. While sanitation. Prior to this, and throughout the there he wrote most of ‘Illuminations’, 1850s, the townsfolk were constantly being generally considered his greatest work. taken ill as a result of waterborne disease, including frequent outbreaks of cholera. The late Georgian villas on the Kings Road and Eldon The situation was greatly improved by the Square area were all built from Bath Stone imported via the Kennet and opening of the sewage pumping station at Avon canal. Most of the land was owned by William Blandy, a mayor of Blake’s Lock in 1865. Reading who envisaged Reading becoming a prosperous suburb of London. His plan did not come to fruition however and by the early 1950s his exclusive Victoria Square estate was left unoccupied, and soon Orts Road after the Second World War: swept aside by Reading Technical College. All that remains today is the As the original housing on Orts Road pre-dated the cedar tree in the forecourt of the college. housing regulations and sanitation byelaws of the The gardens of the 1860s, it is small wonder that after the Second villas still back onto World War the town’s corporation began a the Orts Road, which process of re-housing the population into originally served as a the new estates in Whitley and Southcote. service road for the By the late 1960s a compulsory purchase professional classes. program of all the pre-Victorian properties The small haphazardly on Orts Road was underway, so that plans arranged terraced to re-develop the area along more modern houses opposite lines could be realised. accommodated the In the interim, domestic servants, development factory hands and corporations let the housing out as low labourers. This working cost accommodation, often to members class community grew of new communities emigrating from up in an area commonwealth countries in order to find extending east as far work in the town’s factories, hospitals as Cumberland Road, beyond which another of Reading’s great Victorian and transport companies. Much like the enterprises, that of Sutton Seeds, had established its nursery grounds original population which had been drawn into the expanding town from from the early 1870s. the countryside, during the industrial revolution.

8 9 Mandela Court in Reading became synonymous, not with the giant hero of Black history it was named after, but instead; with a reputation for dealing in illegal drugs, particularly cannabis.

By 2009 the problem with drug dealing on the estate had reached what Thames Valley Police described as an ‘industrial scale’. The solution was to launch a complex intelligence operation, code named ‘Endurance’. This was concluded in May 2011, resulting in the arrest and eventual conviction of a gang of eighteen, only 4 of whom actually lived on the estate. Alas, from the early 1960s any employment in biscuit production would only be relatively Today there is a strong sense of optimism amongst a short lived and in 1976 it was announced that community looking towards the future with a drug free environment. Huntley & Palmers would be transferring Recent capital investment to operations to new purpose built factories in renovate properties, the Liverpool and Bermondsey. And so for a time, erection of security fencing to at the beginning of Margaret Thatcher’s term close off alcoves and the new as Prime Minister, the Orts Road area was left railings on the Kennetside has derelict, littered with condemned houses and gone some way to regenerate abandoned factory buildings. living conditions of the area.

The area recovered of course Efforts to strengthen and by 1990, light industrial and community resilience are also retail units had opened where being spearheaded at community once stood the great warren of centres such as that at St John’s & red brick baking houses and St Stephen’s Church, Sun Street and store rooms. The opening of the East Reading Children’s centre in Prudential Insurance Rupert Square. As always, primary headquarters on the site of schools in the area act as a hub where Huntley & Palmers offices can those growing up together are able to be seen as emblematic of the forge lasting friendships and networks economic shift that took place of support. in Reading during the 1980s. Moving from a manufacturing base characteristic of the once If successful, a campaign led by sleepy Victorian market town, to its new local people to encourage incarnation as a European centre for global service more residents to make use and high-tech industries. of the two remaining pubs in the area might The building of the new housing estate also help community along the Orts Road and Kennetside life to flourish. Let’s may have eradicated the raise a glass to that! environmental problems associated with the slum dwellings it replaced, Reading Museum’s however the post-modern collaboration with the architectural design used for its Happy Museum project construction has been identified as a in 2013 provided an contributing factor to the acute social opportunity for local problems which blighted life on the residents to discover more estate, almost from the start. about their heritage and look towards the future with The hidden corners and alcoves used in the estate’s design offered safe a past to feel truly proud of. haven for criminal gangs so that by the turn of the millennium the name

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