SOUTH READING residents may be surprised to learn how little some parts of their neighbourhood have changed over the past century.
Last week, Reading Today took a sneak peak inside temporary accommodation in Whitley, known as prefabs, dating back to the 1920s.
These homes preceded permanent housing built in the following decade, such as the Beech Road property pictured above.
Semi-detached houses like these make up the ward as it is seen today.
Whitley Community Museum curator, David Turner, explained: “When this photograph was posted recently on our Facebook site, it provoked a large response.
“Residents who lived here over the decades responded with their memories. All good with no negative comments.
“A resident remembered her granny living in [a semi-detached house] which provoked her own special memories.”
Others reminisced about motorbike meet-ups, coffee mornings with neighbours and Leighton Park School’s Fete.
According to Mr Turner, simple photos like these go a long way to elicit meaningful reactions from the museum’s community and are the reason why it garners such popularity.
With over 4,600 followers on Facebook, the Whitley Community Museum is an accessible online and in-person resource.
The group serves as a platform for residents past and present to share memories through photographs and comments.
It also allows group members to reconnect, with members reacquainting themselves with friends and schoolmates from decades ago.
The museum held a Whitley Way Back When event at the Community Cafe on Northumberland Avenue earlier this year to showcase its photographs and exhibits in-person.
For more information, search: Whitley Community Museum on www.facebook.com
