READING, a borough and market town of Eng land in Berkshire, is situated on two small eminences on the river Kennet, which flows through the town in several channels. The streets are in general regular, though some of them are narrow ; and the houses, which are good, are built of brick.
The principal public buildings and establishments are the three parish churches of St. Lawrence, St Ma ry's, and St. Giles; several meeting houses belonging to the dissenters, the town hall, the theatre, the county gaol, and various schools. The church of St. Lawrence, built about the end of the sixteenth century, is partly built of the materials of the old abbey. St. Mary's church, the tesselated tower of which is admired, was built about 1547, and part of it seems to have belonged to a more ancient edifice. St. Giles's church, which was probably built about the end of the twelfth century, has a modern tower, the old one having been damaged by the cannon of the parliamentary army in 1643. The dis senting meeting houses are those of the Independents, the Baptists, the Quakers, the Methodist, besides a Cudwor thian, and a Unitarian meeting house, and a Catholic chapel.
The town hall and free school form one neat building ; the latter being on the ground floor, and the former on the upper story. Among the portraits in the council chamber, there is a good likeness of Queen Elizabeth. The county gaol was erected in 1793, on the site of one of the ruins of the abbey. It is a large and commodious building, with a neat chapel, an infirmary, &c. in the centre ; while one of the wings is alloted to males, and the other to female prisoners. The theatre, which has been recently built, is commodious and neat. The bridewell was once a priory, and the west window of it is handsome.
The free school of Reading was established by the abbot John Thorne, in the time of Henry VII. The Blue Coat School was founded in 1656, by Mr. Richard Aldworth, who left 4000/. for the support of a master, lecturer, and twenty boys ; but in consequence of other donations, it is able to support forty-eight boys. The Green School, for the daughters of decayed tradesmen, and of unprovided orphans, is supported by annual sub scription. In the Foundation School, instituted in 1766, by Mr. Joseph Reid, eight male, and eighteen female children are taught to read. The School of Industry for female children, is supported by subscriptions from ladies. The Lancastrian School, established in 1818, educates thirty-two boys nominated by the subscribers. The school for national education on Dr. Bell's plan was founded in 1813.
There is also in Reading a public library, a dispen sary, a workhouse for the employment of the poor, called the Oracle, established in 1624, by Mr. Hend rick's legacy of 7500/, and occupied by sacking manu facturers, sail-cloth weavers, and pin-makers, &c.
Among the antiquities of Reading, the principal are the ruins of the abbey, which was founded by Henry I. in 1121. These ruins consist of fragments of massy walls of flint and gravel, which are in some places eight feet thick, and which seem to have been once cased with stone. The space which it occupied measured about thirty acres, and was surrounded on three sides by a high and strong wall, and on the fourth by the river Ken net. The abbey church seems to have been 260 feet long, and to have had the form of the cross with the tower and spire in the centre. The abbey mill is still standing, and in actual use : it is a substantial building of flint and stone, and seems to be of the same age with the abbey church.
The borough of Reading was incorporated by charter from Queen Elizabeth, who also conferred upon the corporation considerable estates. It is governed by a mayor, a recorder, twelve aldermen, and twelve bur gesses. It sends two members to parliament, who are elected by the inhabitants, who pay scot and lot, about 800 in number.
The situation of Reading is very favourable for trade. By the Thames, it has an easy communication with the metropolis; and as the Kennet is navigable westwards to Newbury, a communication is opened with Bath, Bristol, and the Severn, by means of the Kennet and Avon canal. The principal articles which are exported from Reading are flour, 20,000 casks of w hich are an nually sent to London, timber, bark, straight hoops, linen, wool, cheese, etc.
The articles of import are groceries, iron, spirits, fir timber, deals, staves, Portland stone, bricks, hemp, flax, hides, leather, coals, Bath freestone, Birmingham goods, &c. &c. Reading was formerly celebrated for its extensive trade in woollen goods, but it declined in the seventeenth century, and has never revived. The principal manufactures now are sail-cloth, floor•cloth, sacking, gauze, crapes, muslinets, ribands, hat-bands, shoe-strings, and pins. Reading has two weekly mar kets, one on Wednesday for butcher meat, fruit, vege tables, See, and one on Saturday for corn, cattle, pigs, and various articles of provision. Population about 12,000. \Vest long. 0° 38'. North lat. 51° 27'. See the Beauties of England and Tr ales, vol. i. p. 83, but particularly the History and ?Intiquities of Reading, by John Mann, 4to. 1817.