THE BLACK arts will be explored in a new talk taking place in Reading next week.
The History of Reading Society will be exploring the role printing played in the town’s story, from the 18th century through to the 1960s.
For many years, it was home to printers such as Cox & Wyman, as well as housing printing presses for the Reading Evening Post and other publications.
Paul Joyce will explain more about his researches in a talk entitled The Black Arts in Reading: The Story Of Our Local Printing Industry.
There will also be a sale of books relevant to Reading.
The meeting takes place at Abbey Baptist Church in Abbey Square, from 7.30pm on Wednesday, May 15. Doors open at 7pm and entry is £2 for visitors. There is no need to book.
This meeting is open to members and visitors (visitors £2 each). No need to book, just turn up on the night. Doors open at 7.00pm
At its April meeting, Ann Smith gave A History of Woodley.
A few years ago, she had edited a book with the same title, from work done by members of the Reading and Wokingham U3A, who were joined by Woodley U3A when that branch was formed.
Where previous publications on Woodley had been limited in scope, this volume gave us the whole history. Use had been made of old documents and maps, but also of people’s memories and old diaries to give us a full and fascinating picture.
This was reflected in Ann’s talk, which was well balanced.
It began with the earliest surviving record of the name – a character named Osbertus de Woodlegh in 1220, and moved through the centuries to times that many in the audience could remember – the airfield, Bulmershe College, the building of houses, and the building of the A329M and the bridge collapse at Loddon Bridge Road.
Changes in the 20th century meant that Woodley, which had been a rural village for centuries, became in effect a small town.
Until the 1920s, most of the land and the farms were part of large estates owned by three families – the Palmers, the Whebles and the Goldings. The dividing up and selling off of the estates led to ribbon development, then housing estates and a shopping centre.
The provision of piped water, mains drainage and electricity eventually arrived.
Members were shown pictures of public houses, listed buildings, schools, and the premises of many different firms which built aircraft, manufactured ball-point pens, baked bread, and made furniture and tin boxes.
The talk, like the book, was well illustrated, and at the end of the talk, copies of the book went on sale. The numbers sold exceeded expectations, such was people’s interest.
For more information, visit www.historyofreadingsociety.org.uk or email historyofreadingsociety@yahoo.com.
