London Road Campus of the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

is the original

campus A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a college campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls, student centers or dining halls, and park-like se ...

of that university. It is on the London Road, immediately to the south of

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

town centre in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county of

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

. The site for the campus was given to the university in 1904 by the Palmer family, owners of Reading's

Huntley & Palmers Huntley & Palmers is a British company of biscuit makers originally based in Reading, Berkshire. Formed by Joseph Huntley in 1822, the company became one of the world's first global brands (chiefly led by George Palmer who joined in 1841) and r ...

biscuit makers. It served as the university's main site until after the much larger

Whiteknights Campus Whiteknights Park, or the Whiteknights Campus of the University of Reading, is the principal campus of that university. The park covers the area of the manor of Earley Whiteknights, also known as Earley St Nicholas and Earley Regis. Whit ...

was acquired in 1947. The University Great Hall, which plays host to the university graduation ceremonies, is to be found at London Road. The University's

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

, which takes the form of a

clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildi ...

, is situated near the Great Hall. While most departments of the university have now relocated to the university's other campuses, London Road is still home to several university departments and facilities. These include the School of Continuing Education, the School of Health & Social Care, Estates Management, the University Archive Service, the Innovation Centre @ Reading and the Cotton Club. The campus is currently undergoing a major renovation, preparatory to becoming the new home of the university's Institute of Education. This commenced in mid-2010 and is planned for completion in the summer of 2011, at an estimated cost of £30 million. The work is being partially funded by the sale of the adjoining site of

Mansfield Hall Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market to ...

, a former hall of residence, for demolition and replacement by private sector student accommodation. The London Road Campus is separated from the

Royal Berkshire Hospital The Royal Berkshire Hospital (RBH) is a large NHS hospital in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It provides acute hospital services to the residents of the western and central portions of Berkshire, and is managed by the Ro ...

by Redlands Road, whilst the grade II* listed Albion Terrace is on the other side of London Road. The university run

Museum of English Rural Life The Museum of English Rural Life, also known as The MERL, is a museum, library and archive dedicated to recording the changing face of farming and the countryside in England. The museum is run by the University of Reading, and is situated in Red ...

is located on Redlands Road just to the south of the campus.

References

1904 establishments in England University of Reading University and college campuses in the United Kingdom l {{Berkshire-struct-stub