Courses on the history of Reading
10 August 2010
How has Reading developed to become the vibrant and prosperous town that it is now? At WEA Reading we explored its Victorian roots with Margaret Simons during our first year of courses. Now this very popular tutor offers the next phase of development in a ten-week course entitled ‘Reading: A New Century 1900-1939’ beginning on September 29 (10.30am-12.30pm) at the Hamilton Centre in Bulmershe Road. Starting as a commercial hub of beer, biscuits, and bulbs, Reading developed cinemas, theatres, department stores and leisure parks. Then came the impact of the First World War with working women in the factories and later home ownership, the Labour movement and the rise of the council house.
Margaret Simons also offers a study day on a well-known early nineteenth century Reading woman writer entitled ‘Belford Regis: Late Georgian and Regency Reading – through the writings of Mary Russell Mitford’. Using this source and other contemporary writings the course will attempt to establish the reality of life for all classes in Reading during that period. This study day will be held on Saturday 5 May 2011 (10am-4pm) at RISC.
In addition the museums of Reading, working with the WEA, are presenting a fascinating range and variety of their collections in a new weekly course entitled ‘Exploring Reading’s Museum Collections’. This course will visit nine varied collections across the town with speakers from Reading Museum, the Museum of English Rural Life, the Berkshire Record Office, the Ure, the Cole, the Medical and the Aircraft Museums. This begins on 19 January 2011 (2-4pm).
Brochures and application forms for Reading WEA courses can be found at most local libraries or by contacting Carole Kingston on 0118 946 4137 or
WEAreading@googlemail.com. The address to write to is 27 Derby Road, Caversham, Reading RG4 5HE. Details can also be found by visiting the website at
www.wea.org.uk (selecting Advanced Search and entering Reading into the town box).
The Reading venues to be used by Reading WEA classes include the Hamilton Centre in Bulmershe Road, Friends Meeting House in Church Street, RISC in London Street, and Randolph College in Whiteknights Road.
Further information: Lynette Edwell (01635 820445) or main WEA contact details.
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