Each to their own Kernow, personally I think Reading has some marvellous spots, although sadly I can't risk the river or the canal at the moment for fear of the dog jumping in and getting sick - that's Thames Water's fault though. Still, there are a whole host of beautiful parks, the university campus is splendid too and some really excellent pubs. Plenty of venues as well, all sorts of acts from amateur to national headliners and unlike most places it still has a town centre which is busy day-in, day-out. Also has an outrageously good Oxfam Music, the book shop ain't half bad either. It is just a shame about the football team, but not everyone can have the Wanderers in their back yard. Second best place I have ever lived after Flackwell.
I'm 100% convinced that the actual Sydney Opera House isn't down the road, not that this was where I took issue. Having never been, I'm not sure how you can find it a joke that Reading is beautiful though.
I first started watching the odd Wycombe game in 1968 when my wife was working as a nurse at the Centre for Epilepsy in Chalfont St Peter and we lived on the site. So about 25 years of non-league at Loakes/Adams Park but I’d already done about 20 years supporting Maidstone United (my home town) and Wealdstone - a short walk from Harrow View where I shared a tip of a flat with three or four other twenty somethings.
45 years non-league; 32 years EFL (approximately).
There used to be a few interesting and significant buildings in Slough , William Hershel’s house, The Old Royal Hotel, and the Licensed Victullars school from memory the first ones a car park the second is a bus station and the third is the largest Tesco in Europe .
Kudos to your good lady @micra , they do great work at the Centre for Epilepsy.
My mum’s side all hail from Slough and it used to have some attractive old buildings before 60s/70s redevelopment turned it into a complete eyesore. My late nan worked in the Mars factory for a bit (of course) and I still have a cousin who lives in a Victorian house on Alpha St. No idea if the Alpha Arms pub is still standing but it was a bastion of ‘old Slough’. The Wheatsheaf still exists?
Anyway, as for Reading it looks pretty desperate and I can only hope it gets resolved soon. Whether that means an extended period in the lower tiers or not, at least there’ll be a team to get behind.
I spent 5 years at Licensed Victuallers in the late 80’s before it moved to Ascot. My commute for 18 months was hell as I got dropped by car at Taplow train station from Wooburn. Got off at Slough and then had to get the school bus from Slough to Ascot (3 hour commute).
We used to love the smell of the Mars factory when the wind was blowing in the right direction.
Slough had very little going for it then and less so now. The worst town locally now is Maidenhead. They have butchered the town centre with around 4/5 twenty story tenement blocks that would be more at home in 1960’s Peckham than the Royal Borough.
I applaud her working at the Epilepsy Centre as well. I worked there as a Health Care Assistant in the early 90’s (Martineau House if she knows it with Jim Bow, Norman, Speedy etc). I missed the Preston play off as I couldn’t change my shift!!!
Many years ago I used to live in Cippenham on the A4, depending on the wind direction it was either the smell of the Mars factory or the sewerage works....
The new apartment blocks holding around 500 flats have been described as The Bronx, Stalag 13, concrete 1960’s jungle, prison tower blocks etc etc and that’s just the locals view. It’s also blocked out the sun for huge areas of the town as the blocks are so close together and are just to the south of the town centre.
As a former Burnham boy this is shocking stuff, Maidenhead was always the nice alternative to Slough, a little quieter but definitely safer . It’s been many years since I moved to the north of the county but this sounds terrible 😢
Having worked on York Road, Maidenhead for five years I saw the tower block development. Very much built for the Lizzie Line commuters and to line the pockets of the developers but completely incongruent with everything else around. If there’s one upside it’s that (at least some) have been built as mixed use, so retail and bar/restaurant areas underneath, including The Hoppy Place, which is well worth a visit if you like all things ale. I’m a particular fan of their Weissbier from Chemnitz. Maidenhead has Boulters Lock and I’m afraid that alone dumps on anything Slough has. Which reminds me, must take a trip to Holyport’s ground at some point (nowhere near Holyport?). What were we talking about again? Reading FC?
The Wheatsheaf is still going and got a few pool teams in the local leagues. Proper old school pub and always enjoy playing in the league and cup over there.
Alpha Arms had a ladies team a few years ago, they were entertaining!
Rising Sun was a great pub that went about five / six years ago. Rose and Crown at the other end of the High Street another.
There were 100 teams in the renegade pool league about 15 years ago, there’s now 10. Mainly down to the demise of pubs who had at least two teams per pub.
Maidenhead is definitely more pleasing on the eye and the project to re-open the canals with walkways alongside is amazing. Strongly lead by some local volunteers and helped by a lot of the redevelopment. Was lucky enough to be in a presentation about how they did it and the history, really interesting.
No nightclubs in either Town now, used to enjoy Smokey’s and Sluffs or Harry’s. A little further out Henry’s in Burnham Beeches. Anyway, I digress, what’s going on at Reading?
Christ, The Rising Sun. Or the ‘bucket of blood’ as my Great Uncle used to call it. Heartbreaking that the Rose and Crown (Slough) went, a proper, proper pub with so many interesting characters. Maidenhead still has The Rose for a late drink and bit of karaoke but sadly the late nights, the characters, the mixing of all ages and the bonhomie of shared revelry in the local tavern seems to only survive in small pockets now.
Comments
Each to their own Kernow, personally I think Reading has some marvellous spots, although sadly I can't risk the river or the canal at the moment for fear of the dog jumping in and getting sick - that's Thames Water's fault though. Still, there are a whole host of beautiful parks, the university campus is splendid too and some really excellent pubs. Plenty of venues as well, all sorts of acts from amateur to national headliners and unlike most places it still has a town centre which is busy day-in, day-out. Also has an outrageously good Oxfam Music, the book shop ain't half bad either. It is just a shame about the football team, but not everyone can have the Wanderers in their back yard. Second best place I have ever lived after Flackwell.
Water biscuits.
That's all I've got.
Im sure it’s a picture, never been there, but I’m 95% convinced it doesn’t have the actual Sydney Opera House that the vid was showing.
I'm 100% convinced that the actual Sydney Opera House isn't down the road, not that this was where I took issue. Having never been, I'm not sure how you can find it a joke that Reading is beautiful though.
OK, I’m lost. A joke video was posted. Someone couldn’t see it. I explained what it was.
I have absolutely no opinion if Reading is or isn’t beautiful. I don’t care, I live in Slough.
You are close enough to watch the "Reading" FC Women's team then. I used to work in Slough many, many years ago.
I first started watching the odd Wycombe game in 1968 when my wife was working as a nurse at the Centre for Epilepsy in Chalfont St Peter and we lived on the site. So about 25 years of non-league at Loakes/Adams Park but I’d already done about 20 years supporting Maidstone United (my home town) and Wealdstone - a short walk from Harrow View where I shared a tip of a flat with three or four other twenty somethings.
45 years non-league; 32 years EFL (approximately).
There used to be a few interesting and significant buildings in Slough , William Hershel’s house, The Old Royal Hotel, and the Licensed Victullars school from memory the first ones a car park the second is a bus station and the third is the largest Tesco in Europe .
I've been to Sydney Opera house and can confirm it's not in Reading. It's in Swindon.
Kudos to your good lady @micra , they do great work at the Centre for Epilepsy.
My mum’s side all hail from Slough and it used to have some attractive old buildings before 60s/70s redevelopment turned it into a complete eyesore. My late nan worked in the Mars factory for a bit (of course) and I still have a cousin who lives in a Victorian house on Alpha St. No idea if the Alpha Arms pub is still standing but it was a bastion of ‘old Slough’. The Wheatsheaf still exists?
Anyway, as for Reading it looks pretty desperate and I can only hope it gets resolved soon. Whether that means an extended period in the lower tiers or not, at least there’ll be a team to get behind.
Sloughs town planning department was of the opinion that the present must dominate the past
The Alpha Arms still exists as a Free House.
I spent 5 years at Licensed Victuallers in the late 80’s before it moved to Ascot. My commute for 18 months was hell as I got dropped by car at Taplow train station from Wooburn. Got off at Slough and then had to get the school bus from Slough to Ascot (3 hour commute).
We used to love the smell of the Mars factory when the wind was blowing in the right direction.
Slough had very little going for it then and less so now. The worst town locally now is Maidenhead. They have butchered the town centre with around 4/5 twenty story tenement blocks that would be more at home in 1960’s Peckham than the Royal Borough.
I applaud her working at the Epilepsy Centre as well. I worked there as a Health Care Assistant in the early 90’s (Martineau House if she knows it with Jim Bow, Norman, Speedy etc). I missed the Preston play off as I couldn’t change my shift!!!
Lets get real for a moment... Maidenhead worse than Slough? seriously?!
Many years ago I used to live in Cippenham on the A4, depending on the wind direction it was either the smell of the Mars factory or the sewerage works....
The new apartment blocks holding around 500 flats have been described as The Bronx, Stalag 13, concrete 1960’s jungle, prison tower blocks etc etc and that’s just the locals view. It’s also blocked out the sun for huge areas of the town as the blocks are so close together and are just to the south of the town centre.
As a former Burnham boy this is shocking stuff, Maidenhead was always the nice alternative to Slough, a little quieter but definitely safer . It’s been many years since I moved to the north of the county but this sounds terrible 😢
Having worked on York Road, Maidenhead for five years I saw the tower block development. Very much built for the Lizzie Line commuters and to line the pockets of the developers but completely incongruent with everything else around. If there’s one upside it’s that (at least some) have been built as mixed use, so retail and bar/restaurant areas underneath, including The Hoppy Place, which is well worth a visit if you like all things ale. I’m a particular fan of their Weissbier from Chemnitz. Maidenhead has Boulters Lock and I’m afraid that alone dumps on anything Slough has. Which reminds me, must take a trip to Holyport’s ground at some point (nowhere near Holyport?). What were we talking about again? Reading FC?
The Wheatsheaf is still going and got a few pool teams in the local leagues. Proper old school pub and always enjoy playing in the league and cup over there.
Alpha Arms had a ladies team a few years ago, they were entertaining!
Rising Sun was a great pub that went about five / six years ago. Rose and Crown at the other end of the High Street another.
There were 100 teams in the renegade pool league about 15 years ago, there’s now 10. Mainly down to the demise of pubs who had at least two teams per pub.
Maidenhead is definitely more pleasing on the eye and the project to re-open the canals with walkways alongside is amazing. Strongly lead by some local volunteers and helped by a lot of the redevelopment. Was lucky enough to be in a presentation about how they did it and the history, really interesting.
No nightclubs in either Town now, used to enjoy Smokey’s and Sluffs or Harry’s. A little further out Henry’s in Burnham Beeches. Anyway, I digress, what’s going on at Reading?
Back in the day Skindles Maidenhead was sooo sophisticated/ even had flaming torches outside
Anyone remember 5th Avenue? That was Maidenhead wasn't it?
Bit, erm..."fighty"
Cinderalla’s, 5th Avenue, Chicago’s not sure if in that order - was always a bit edgy.
Apparently Winkers have taken over Revs in Beaconsfield…Taf is looking forward to it
Assume The Orchard is long gone.
Winkers. There’s a place I haven’t thought about for about twenty years.
My Stag night started in Smokeys a lifetime ago.
Still not finished yet? Respect!
Christ, The Rising Sun. Or the ‘bucket of blood’ as my Great Uncle used to call it. Heartbreaking that the Rose and Crown (Slough) went, a proper, proper pub with so many interesting characters. Maidenhead still has The Rose for a late drink and bit of karaoke but sadly the late nights, the characters, the mixing of all ages and the bonhomie of shared revelry in the local tavern seems to only survive in small pockets now.
Too many empty pockets these I should think.
Yes, the earth opened and swallowed the Orchard taking back to Hell.
I had my stag night in Winkers, got so pi$$ed that I really don't remember that much, so had another at the "Chud"! ☺️