A trip around the Inner Distribution Road in Reading – Before and Afterwards
On Saturday 7th September, in support of Heritage Open Days, the Society will be running a video of parts of Reading affected by the creation of the IDR. There will be two showings of the video – at 11am and again at 1pm.
The Inner Distribution Road (IDR) opened in 1969. It was a radical solution to the build-up of traffic in the town centre. Its construction resulted in parts of old central Reading being demolished, changing the shape of the town forever. The video will provide selective descriptions of some of the areas which were affected by its construction. Using the photographic record produced by Doug Noyes, it focuses on the before and after situation around Coley/Castle Street and the London Street/Queens Road area.
One of the video’s creators – Graham Turner – will be joining us for the day. Graham will chat to visitors about the area of Coley which was particularly altered by our ring road. He will share memories and tales of families displaced and houses lost.
Refreshments will be available, for a small donation.
Pre-booking is preferred, to guarantee a place, but you may also just turn up on the day, subject to availability.
The Society’s Research Zone will be open from 10.30am to 2.30pm today. So you may wish to take advantage of the opportunity to also do some house history or family history research.
Date
- Sat 07 Sep 2024
- Expired!
Time
- 11:00 - 14:00
Location
- 2nd Floor, Reading Central Library, Abbey Square, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 3BQ
Organiser
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The Centre - Berkshire FHS
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Email
booking@berksfhs.org.uk -
Website
https://berksfhs.org/branches/
Speaker
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Graham TurnerGraham Turner spent 21 years of his youth living in Bright Street in Coley until construction was started on the I.D.R.. He is currently retired from the motor insurance industry after spending 41 years in various dealerships and 11 years as a claims engineer working on insurance warranties. During that time, he became a member of the Institute of the Motor Industry.
In early 2017, he started the Facebook group “History and Events of Coley, Reading” which has grown into a thriving and very active community.