Thames is an

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...

of the

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

, 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 ...

. It includes areas on both sides of both 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 the

River Kennet The Kennet is a tributary of the River Thames in Southern England. Most of the river is straddled by the North Wessex Downs AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). The lower reaches have been made navigable as the Kennet Navigation, which � ...

, to the north and east of the centre of Reading on the south bank, and to the east of the centre of Caversham on the north bank. It should not be confused with the ward of the same name that existed prior to the 2022 Reading Borough Council election, with which it has no area in common. From the north-west in clockwise order, Thames Ward is bounded by the River Thames,

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 ...

, Abbotsmead Place, School Lane, and Gosbrook Road, including, in places, properties on both sides of the road. The ward boundary then loops to the east of Deans Farm, before following the River Thames again as far as Kennet Mouth, from where it proceeds up the River Kennet. It then cuts south through New Town to the Kings Road, which it follows to Forbury Road and the Vastern Road railway bridge. It then follows the

Great Western Main Line The Great Western Main Line (GWML) is a main line railway in England that runs westwards from London Paddington to . It connects to other main lines such as those from Reading to Penzance and Swindon to Swansea. Opened in 1841, it was the or ...

as far as Cow Lane, which it follows back to the Thames. The ward shares borders with

Caversham Heights Caversham Heights is a residential area within Caversham in the English Royal County of Berkshire (until 1911, in Oxfordshire). Today Caversham is a northern suburb of the larger town of Reading. The name Caversham Heights traditionally refers t ...

, Caversham,

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 ...

, Redlands,

Abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

and

Battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

wards of the Borough of Reading, along with the civil parish of Eye and Dunsden in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, and with the civil parish of Earley in the

Borough of Wokingham The Borough of Wokingham is a Districts of England, local government district in Berkshire, United Kingdom. It is named after its main town, Wokingham. Other places in the district include Arborfield, Barkham, Charvil, Earley, Finchampstead, H ...

. As with all Reading wards, the ward elects three

councillors A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

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 ...

. Elections are generally held by thirds, with elections in three years out of four, although the 2022 elections were for all councillors due to the boundary changes. The ward councillors are currently Adele Barnett-Ward, Richard Davies and Nusrat Sultan, all of whom are members of the Labour Party. The ward includes stretches of both the River Thames and River Kennet, with serval riverine islands including

Pipers Island Pipers Island, or Piper's Island, is the third-smallest map-named island in the River Thames, in England. It is on the Reading, Berkshire reach (the head of water above Caversham Lock). It is toward the edge of the central urban area of the to ...

Fry's Island Fry's Island, also known as De Montfort Island, is an island in the River Thames in England. The island is on the reach above Caversham Lock at Reading, Berkshire. The centre of Reading is to the south and the suburb of Caversham to the imme ...

and View Island, and several riverside parks including

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 ...

, 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 ...

and Kings Meadow. The main campus of

Reading College Reading College is a further education college based in Reading, Berkshire, England. It has over 8,500 local learners on over 900 courses. The Kings Road site that is the principal location of Reading College has been used for further education ...

is also within the ward.

References

{{Reading, Berkshire Wards of Reading