Oxford Road, Reading

The development began with elegant homes for Reading's affluent, followed by more modest terraced houses for workers of emerging local industries post-1840, coinciding with the railway's arrival.

The farm's name hints at Reading's ancient past, traceable to 871 AD when Vikings established a fortified camp nearby.

This area, which later became part of Oxford Road, was farmland owned by Abbess Elveva around the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

The area's architectural landscape was further enriched by religious structures, such as the 1826 Holy Trinity Church, and by educational institutions like the Oxford Road Board school, established in 1880.

[2] The mid-19th century introduced notable advancements, including one of the world's first commercial photographic studios, established by Fox Talbot, a photography pioneer.

Infrastructure also progressed with the construction of the Reading West Bridge in 1847, as part of the Great Western Railway, delineating the Oxford Road's residential and commercial sections.

[2] The 20th century marked Oxford Road as a melting pot of cultures, initially with Eastern European and Russian Jewish immigrants establishing a community and founding the Reading Synagogue in 1900.

The Chatham Street development off Oxford Road, which is still under construction (as of 2010), offers possible improvement for this part of Reading with a £250 million investment scheme, including new shops, accommodation, services and leisure facilities.