We thought it would be fun to share our famous folk. And what exactly is Reading famous for? We will begin with the most serious famous person from Reading first…
Justin Fletcher aka Mr. Tumble
Remember CBEEBIES? Or maybe your kids watch it nowadays. No one can forget Mr. Tumble (Justin) He was born in Reading and is popular amongst the younger generation. He is now in his 40’s and hasn’t changed a bit. Here is Mr Tumble in the video below.
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was a novelist known for her famous novels. The most famous was the romantic novel she wrote. ‘Pride and Prejudice’. Many students study her works as part of their English classes. The recent TV series has been very popular. Jane went to the boarding school Abbey Schoolhouse in Reading school in 1785.
Michael Bond
Michael Bond, the creator of the beloved children’s character Paddington Bear. Bond, who published his first book, A Bear Called Paddington, about the marmalade-loving bear.
The author, born in Newbury, Berkshire, in 1926. He was raised in Reading. His most recent Paddington story, Paddington’s Finest Hour, was published in April 2017.
Micheal Bond sadly died at the age of 91 in 2017.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge was in Reading. The Royal County of Berkshire has close links to the Royals.
Ricky Gervais
Named the third most influential person in British culture. Rickey Gervais is a stand-up comedian, actor, producer, writer, director, singer and writer. Rickey He has won a variety of awards including 7 BAFTA Awards, 2 Emmy Awards, and 3 Golden Globe Awards.
Chris Tarrant
Chris Tarrant is the host of the TV game show, ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’. He began his career as a schoolteacher. He then co-hosted a children’s TV programme Tiswas that is how he got into the industry.
Jeremy Kyle
Last but not least is Jeremy Kyle. He was born and raised in Reading. He was a student at Blue Coat School which is an independent school.
His tabloid talk show ‘The Jeremy Kyle Show’. Is popular among many. The aim of the show is to help guests to resolve issues they have with other people. The show is taken seriously by some views others just watch it for entertainment. Lots of emotions, lie tests, and DNA tests. The security guards are always around in case people get too emotional!
What is Reading famous for?
Reading is most famous for the 3 B’s: Biscuits, bulbs, and beers.
Biscuits
Until the 70’s Reading was known as ‘Biscuit Town’ because of Huntley Palmer Biscuits. Joseph Huntley opened his bakery on London Street. A busy London to Bath Road. He used to sell his biscuits to coach drivers.
The railways developed. Readings position on the main line from London to the West Country. Meant the biscuits could be easily transported around the country.
In 1846 the factory moved to Kings Road. Around 5,000 people were employed in the factory in the next 50 years.
By the ’70s the factory was too small for modernisation. It closed in 1976.
Bulbs
John Sutton founded Sutton Seeds in 1806. Originally called the ‘House of Sutton’ and supplied corn. The business moved to the Market Place. There they launched the flower and vegetable seed business.
The company continued to expand. In 1873 they had new offices and warehouses that replaced the premises in the Marketplace. They owned their own fire station and cottages for the firemen. They relocated to Torquay in 1976 Reading couldn’t provide enough staff…
Beer
William B Simonds founded the Simonds Brewery in Broad Street in 1785. By 1805, Simonds owned 10 pubs. He supplied beer to the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. His son Blackall took over the brewery and he opened up more pubs. He went into partnership with his two brothers Henry and George.
Their father retired in 1834, the brewery became known as H & G Simonds. The brewery was taken over by Courage in 1960. In 1980 the Bridge Street site moved to Worton Grange next to Junction 11 of the M4.
Reading is also famous for yell cars! We have been operating since… all our vehicles and drivers are licensed and CRB checked by Reading Borough Council. All our vehicles undergo twice-yearly MOT checks and are regularly maintained. The private hire vehicles come with the latest technology, i.e. GPS tracker and data receiving PDA systems.
Call, email or use the booking form to request a Reading taxis quote, we will dispatch the nearest taxi available.