Christchurch Meadows is a park in

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...

, Berkshire,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, located next to the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

. It stretches along the north ( Caversham) side of the river, between

Caversham Bridge Caversham Bridge is a bridge across the River Thames between Caversham and the town centre of Reading. The bridge is situated on the reach above Caversham Lock, carrying the A4155 road across the river and also providing pedestrian access to t ...

and

Reading Bridge Reading Bridge is a road bridge over the River Thames at Reading in the English county of Berkshire. The bridge links the centre of Reading on the south bank with the Lower Caversham area of the cross-river suburb, and former village, of Cave ...

, and is linked to the south (Reading) bank by the

Christchurch Bridge Christchurch Bridge, originally known as the Reading Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge, is a pedestrian and cycle bridge over the River Thames at Reading in the English county of Berkshire. The bridge links the centre of Reading on the south bank wit ...

, a pedestrian and cycle bridge built in 2015. The name of the meadow derives from Christ Church in Oxford, whose dean owned of farmland in Reading. Christchurch Meadows form part of a series of riverside open spaces, managed by

Reading Borough Council Reading Borough Council is the local authority for the Borough of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. Berkshire is purely a ceremonia ...

, that stretch along one or other side of the River Thames throughout its passage through Reading. From west to east these are

Thameside Promenade Thameside Promenade, or Thames Side Promenade, is a public park and promenade in Reading, Berkshire, England, located next to the River Thames. It stretches along the south (Reading) side of the river, to the west of Caversham Bridge, and forms ...

, Caversham Court, Christchurch Meadows,

Hills Meadow Hills Meadow is a park in Reading, Berkshire, England, located next to the River Thames. It stretches along the north ( Caversham) side of the river, to the east of Reading Bridge. It is linked to the south (Reading) bank by a footpath, locally ...

, View Island and King's Meadow. The park takes the form of a grass meadow along the river's edge, with specimen trees and shrubs along the bank. At the eastern end there is a fenced children’s play area, with a paddling/boating pool and picnic tables, and a number of sports pitches. A distinctive line of

Lombardy poplar ''Populus nigra'', the black poplar, is a species of cottonwood poplar, the type species of section ''Aigeiros'' of the genus ''Populus'', native to Europe, southwest and central Asia, and northwest Africa.Flora Europaea''Populus nigra''/ref> ...

s edges the eastern boundary. At the western end, the Caversham War Memorial and the

Reading University Boat Club Reading University Boat Club (RUBC, boat code RDU) is the rowing club for the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. It is based at a boat house in Christchurch Meadows on the River Thames in the Reading suburb of Caversham. The club ha ...

can be found. A metalled footpath and cycleway runs along the river bank and provides an alternative to the formal route of the

Thames Path The Thames Path is a National Trail following the River Thames from its source near Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Woolwich foot tunnel, south east London. It is about long. A path was first proposed in 1948 but it only opened in 1996. The ...

long distance footpath, which runs along the built-up southern bank of the river between Reading and Caversham bridges. A second metalled footpath and cycleway connects the northern end of Christchurch Bridge with Gosbrook Road in Caversham, and intersects with the riverside path.

References

External links

Page on Christchurch Meadows from Reading Borough Council

Parks and open spaces in Reading, Berkshire Water-meadows Meadows in Berkshire {{Berkshire-geo-stub