Reading Iron Works
Many people still claim that Reading was never an industrial town. This talk overturns that myth. At the heart of the town’s history stands Reading Iron Works—once one of Britain’s major manufacturing powerhouses and a driving force behind some of the engineering marvels of the nineteenth century.
From making machinery to supplying essential components for Brunel’s visionary Great Western Railway, Reading Iron Works helped shape the modern world from the banks of the Kennet and Avon Canal. Its story is one of ambition, innovation, and national significance.
Join us as we bring this remarkable enterprise back into the spotlight, exploring its origins, its achievements, and its enduring legacy in Reading’s landscape and Britain’s industrial history.
This is the last of three talks in the Shops and Businesses Talks Series. The other talks take place on 16th April and the 21st May. You may book tickets for any talk individually or for all three in the series for a reduced price.
Please note the Centre’s face-to-face talks are now being held at a new venue – Reading’s Abbey Baptist Church. The full address of the church is given to the right. The venue has disabled access and a disabled toilet. The talk begins at the slightly later time than previously of 2.30pm.
Tea/coffee and biscuits will be available (included in the price). Pre-booking is preferred, but you can pay on the door, if there are spaces available.
Location image: Abbey Church – Gazamp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)
To book, scroll down.
Date
- Thu 18 Jun 2026
Time
- 14:30 - 15:45
Tickets
- £5.00
Location
- Abbey Square, Reading RG1 3BE
Category
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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Dr Richard MarksIndustrial, Military and Railway HistorianRichard is a published historian based in Berkshire who specialises in industrial, military, and railway history and also the history of science. His current areas of research are industrial development in the Victorian period, the development of the railway and canal systems in Britain in the mid to late 19th Century and the history of British Rail. He has a PhD in economic history. Richard’s books on British Rail Engineering and the Wantage Tramway Company were both both published by Pen and Sword in 2024.