Arthur Newbery Park is a

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

in Tilehurst,

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, Southeast England, southeast England. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers River Thames, Thames and River Kennet, Kennet, the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 mot ...

. It is named after Arthur Newbery, who donated the land in 1932. It is one of Reading's oldest parks and was once part of Kentwood Common. Hollows in the park are remains of chalk and clay pits. The park slopes down to the north giving views to the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

and across its valley. It is mainly grass, with scattered trees, although there are small wooded areas and a play area. What is now the play area was once a pool, the pool become less popular, then neglected c. 1994. The park is of 26 acres and was once owned by Arthur Newbery, who owned and ran a high class furniture shop located at the junction of Friar Street and Queen Victoria Street in Reading town centre in trade for over forty years. On 14 September 1932, Newbery gifted the park to the mayor of Reading as an open space for the people of Reading. The great and the good were gathered on the late summer afternoon, this being a Wednesday, as it was convenient for the half day closing thus allowing members of the Council who were shopkeepers and the like to attend. Following a small lunch held at Tilehurst Congregational Church at Polsted Road the party, numbering about thirty local dignitaries, walked through the park to the hill overlooking the Thames. Here Newbery made a short speech. Newbery cited the encroaching housing development in the area as his reason for the bequest. A photograph of the occasion appeared in the

Reading Chronicle The ''Reading Chronicle'' is a weekly newspaper covering Reading in Berkshire, UK and surrounding areas, which began its life as the ''Berkshire Chronicle''. It is currently edited by Katie French, serving as group editor for its parent compa ...

on 17 September, a copy of which is held at Reading Library. The Park was originally known as Hare Moor. The park had two public air raid shelters during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

but these have since been filled in. Rabbits can still be seen on the odd occasion running wild in the avenue of trees at the bottom bordering Oak Tree Road where Lucas Farm once stood.

References

External links

Page on Arthur Newbery Park from Reading Borough Council

Parks and open spaces in Reading, Berkshire Tilehurst {{Berkshire-geo-stub