East Reading

East Reading borders with nearby market town, Wokingham, and is a mix of historic  and more modern residential areas for those who want to be near the thriving, cosmopolitan town of Reading but with the option of a more suburban lifestyle.

The Victorian housing built for employees of the Huntley and Palmers biscuit factories  predominates in Newtown alongside the River Kennet as well as the University area. Further east, suburban Reading takes over. 

East Reading offers activity-seekers a whole host of options. Budding historians should visit the Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology on the University of Reading's Whiteknights campus – admission is free or the soon-to-reopne Cole Museum of Zoology. If cinema is your thing, the luxury Showcase Cinema de Luxe houses 14 screens with reclining seats, a coffee shop and bar, and is located at Loddon Bridge. Slightly further east and within Wokingham’s borders you’ll find the beautifully green Dinton Pastures Country Park, complete with a huge play park, café, water sports and miles of park to enjoy and, for an educational fix, the Museum of Berkshire Aviation.

To the east of Reading, but still part of its urban footprint and part of Wokingham Borough, you’ll find Woodley – with its own mini town centre, town council and identity.

Once one of Europe’s largest new housing developments, Lower Earley has matured over the last 40 years and is now a sought-after location on the edges of Reading, with easy access to the M4 and Reading centre.

East Reading is  home to one of the country’s top universities, the University of Reading, with its 125-hectare Whiteknights Campus offering a green award-winning oasis.The Harris Garden on campus is a beautful spot for garden lovers, a walk or picnic. The campus is on a regular bus route (21) and is a 20 minute walk from central Reading.

Further afield and you’ll find Wokingham, with its own town centre and independent pubs, shops and eateries as well as countryside villages of Sonning, Arborfield, Twyford, Wargrave and Henley-on-Thames – all offering stunning green space to explore.