Reading UK December 2011

Now I am always happy to visit Reading. I've been going there on and off for the last 15 years and the town has certainly grown on me. Picture a typical English provincial nest that has been augmented with a couple of business parks and shopping centers. The infrastructure cannot cope with the traffic - the couple of miles from the Thames Valley business park to the city center can, at the worst of times, take over 1 hour. This may lead one to curse the town and its environs. However, there are gems there that more than make up for this inconvenience.

1. Gem Nr. 1 - The Hobgoblin pub situated on Broad Street, Reading's main pedestrian thoroughfare. This sanctuary from the everyday is over 300 years old and comes complete with snugs. It doesn't serve food - all it does is serve wonderful and quirky British beers and ales from niche breweries. This time I had the luck to be able to down a pint of "Hot Dog Chilli Stout" which tasted much better than it sounds. But the great thing about quirky pubs is that it attracts quirky characters. The Hobgoblin regulars are a mix of society from the local canal lock keeper to the business park IT professional - the one thing all have in common is the love of a good pint in convivial surroundings - the staff are British and know their stuff - one even left to start his own brewery - his beer was being served there on my last visit.

speaking of my last visit, I was talking to some folk there when a group of young men arrived into the pub - 20 of them, it was, all dressed as Santa's elves. The lads, it turned out, were members of a rugby team from the nearby university. They ordered their pints in silence - gesticulating their orders to the barman. The captain of this merry band, incidentally also the rugby team captain, was the only one allowed to talk - but even he was a man of few words. What I did learn though is that the boys were on a pub crawl and this was a silent stop. No one was allowed to talk or make any noise - like Trappist monks on a day out.



The next stop would, of course, be a non-silent one. So all of us were glad to be staying put. Now the Hobgoblin is not the only real ale pub in Reading there is also "The Nag's Head" on Russel Street - up the other end of the town. They are currently serving an "Oscar Wilde Mild" a must for all literati.

2. Gem Nr. 2.

The Kennett and Avon Canal. This lovely canal runs through the town and out to the Thames Valley business park and beyond. It is a joy to walk to work along it's banks. There are still some architectural gems along its banks - these canal side houses may seem to have lost the competition with the modern multi-stories overarching them - but they are still here and taunt the modern with their simplicity and style. The canal has a fine population of swans and ducks and one does see the lock in action, especially in summer with the many barge tourists.

3. Gem Nr. 3.

Reading Jail, opened in 1844 - this was the place that broke the back of THE Irish man of letters - Oscar Wilde. It might have broken his back but not his spirit as the "Ballad of Reading Gaol" testifies.

In Reading gaol by Reading town
There is a pit of shame,
And in it lies a wretched man
Eaten by teeth of flame,
In a burning winding-sheet he lies,
And his grave has got no name.

Oscar did his 2 years hard labour in the jail and, on release, left for Paris where he died a few years later, destitute.






4. Gem Nr. 4.

Reading Minster or the Church of St. Mary the Virgin.
The origins of the Church go back to St. Birinus in the 7th century. Today it's gothic spirit acts as a counterpoint to the lack lustre modern day surrounding it.

What really intrigues me is the old tree in its grounds -