I want to join your group but you must have disbanded? I can't find you on Facebook, shame as I'm Reading born and bred, I now live in Australia but your short vid had this now Aussie bloke blubbing! 😭😭😭 So many memories of my youth! 💖💖💖

Fabulous

THAT WAS VERY INTERRSTING THANKS ALOT

Nice one Chris

Thought I'd do a bit of a fly-over view of Reading since I can't come there and experience it myself. You see, my ancestry information tells me my connection to Reading Berkshire goes back hundreds of years. Where others get a bit of this and a bit of that on their ancestry DNA results, mine are around 90% all based in Reading. To top that off, I've NEVER been there! I came once to the UK about 30 years ago but didn't know my exact genealogical location until about 7 years ago. I wish I had known it when I visited. I could have explored the area more in first person. Now it's too late and difficult for me (with a disability). So thank you to ALL who have put up videos and photos of the area so I can get to know it a little.

Lower league legend, ours ,biscuit men & Bluebirds, seen him at Ninian Park as a kid,awesome,

It’s sad to think that very shortly after many of them would die in the war.

What road is it at 1:19?

When fooball was played by real men and watch by real supporters. The faithful four thousand at Elm Park. I saw pretty much all of the matches he played in there and we even drove to Cardiff once to watch him after he left Reading. His lived his life on the edge but gave us an unforgettable legend in the lower leagues.

Does anyone else any old photos of the pub in Reading The Engineers Arms before it was demolished please?

Brilliant

The name of God is robin friday

Brilliant , I loved Arther hills swimming baths and the trolly buses. The peacock pub, Burtons (two shops)

Recommend Man Friday (The Life and Times of Robin Friday) by Stuart Kane. It brings Robin's fearless character back to life.

Magic video. Born in Reading 1976, left in 1993, went back in 2011 and it blew my mind how much it had changed. Lovely video thank you for uploading and sharing it.

Brilliant compilation! At first you think you're seeing things, with then and now so cunningly blended. Born in Reading early in the war; knew of the tragic People's Pantry bombing but had no idea that Greyfriars had also suffered so badly. At 3:21 a rare picture of one of the Leyland Titan TD1 double-deckers---my favourites when they were still on the road---with their quietish petrol engines and chiming gearboxes. Very sad that so many fine buildings for which a new life could have been found were simply wiped off the map by the ignorant, narrow-minded decisions of unimaginative Councillors. There must have been a few dissenters, but they were always overruled by the bulldozer-happy brigade.

This is a really interesting way to see these photos. I'd really like to see the full photos too though! Thank you for your work on it

Tragic end to Robin's life..died too young.

Came across his name in a Dutch book, got fascinated and bought The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw. Great read, but also really sad..

Huntely is very old bisuit factory

Oh yes, first time I have seen this. This was my second home from the early 1950s to the sad,sad end. Invariably with my father behind the Tilehurst end goal but after he died I inhabited the corner of the south bank or undercover there, as I would normally walk from Reading West station just down the road, this when I had moved from Reading. What days they were

You never really hear much about Reading during WW2, I assume some of the damage we are seeing is a result of German bombs. I grew up near Reading in the early 1980s...my mum used to take me to the centre a few times a year. Sometimes we'd go by bus, other times by train (preferred by me, at the time.) Reading was one of our 'go to' places for shopping, especially for things we couldn't easily get in my town. My mum never liked driving far; Bracknell and Camberley were out of the question unless we went on a weekend with dad. So Reading it was!! It was a fun, carefree time to grow up. Reading has become a lot more pedestrian-friendly since then I think, but I remember the long line of dirty diesel buses lined up and trying to figure out which one we needed to take to get home! The trains were easier, although they were elderly first-generation electric or diesel units back then, depending on where you were going (we were on the non-electrified line.) Funny, those decrepit old trains would have been 20-25 years old back then...people must feel the same way about Thames Turbos on the route now, also 25 years old and due for replacement. Apologies for the rant. I only lived in Berkshire for 5 years of my life...such a short time, really. But because of my age during those 5 years, I consider it the area that 'I grew up' in, and it always feels like home when I return. It's kind of weird. Thanks for sharing the photos, history and nostalgia.

Oh yes lovely stuff, Wellsteeds damaged following the bombs dropped on 'The Peoples Pantry' area around Market Place during the Second World War & some supporters at the 'Reading End' of the Norfolk Road entrances to dear old Elm Park.

0:29 - What happened to that tower thing on top of St Mary's Church? Was it bombed?

What a time capsule. Well done! 😊

Born in Battle Hospital in the 60s. Lived in Tilehurst till I was 9. Exiled now for nearly 5 decades but my heart will always be in the town of my birth.

Greetings from your sister city of Reading, Pennsylvania!

love to see my street how it looked back then

Excellent. Very enjoyable to watch. Thanks.

Absolutely wonderful. such a lot of hard work beautifully blended Thank you!

Good old days 😜

Reading born and bread! Great video!

Great stuff. My first game was 1988 against Bristol Rovers. I miss Elm Park, a proper football ground.

a player 20 years ahead of his time.

Fascinating blend of the old and new! Clever and rather poignant. More like this, please.

When Reading got promoted to the Premiership last time they had a team of real Loyal 'grafters' (Like Wales at present) - but after promotion, management thought they could dispense with the 'grafters' and BUY even more success with so-called 'better' players. They couldn't and they didn't .... so as long as they (and other teams) think you can BUY Loyalty and 'Graft' success will elude them ... A shame, but there you are. Nice little compilation by the way. I remember catching the train back to Maidenhead and all the Manchester United squad boarding the train (caused quite a cafuffle ;-)

Superb work Chris..

The famous player of the Mozart horn concerto whose name escapes me for now, lived in Reading I believe.

Brilliant,what more can I say,👍👍

a teenage hero for me, thanks for sharing!

It's a great shame there were no captions in this video :-(

Brilliant video Chris! Could you share these on Memories of Old Reading too!

Would be great to see both sides of each photo, blending between them so you get to see the whole frame and changes across the while picture. Superb bit of research though, very interesting!

this is a great piece of work. Are the images available to look at on the web anywhere?

Fantastic, I love this presentation! Hope to look forward to the 1930s one day. Many thanks for the effort ...