Tilehurst Water Tower, is a distinctive

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...

Tilehurst Tilehurst is a suburb of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It lies to the west of the centre of Reading, and extends from the River Thames in the north to the A4 road in the south. The suburb is partly within the boundaries ...

, a suburb of 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 ...

town 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 ...

. People from Reading know they are near home when they are coming eastbound along the M4 and they can see the top of the tower. Although in recent years with the growth of trees this has become more difficult. It is a prominent landmark in the vicinity and, located on the Tilehurst ridge line, can be seen from a considerable distance, especially when approaching Reading from the west along the

M4 motorway The M4, originally the London-South Wales Motorway, is a motorway in the United Kingdom running from west London to southwest Wales. The English section to the Severn Bridge was constructed between 1961 and 1971; the Welsh element was largely ...

. The tower was erected by Reading Borough Council in 1932, in order to supplement the existing

Bath Road Reservoir Bath Road Reservoir is an underground reservoir complex in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Located to the North-West of the Bath Road in West Reading, the complex covers . It comprises two underground reservoirs, covere ...

and supply water to properties at a higher level than the earlier water tower there. Today the tower belongs to

Thames Water Thames Water Utilities Ltd, known as Thames Water, is a large private utility company responsible for the public water supply and waste water treatment in most of Greater London, Luton, the Thames Valley, Surrey, Gloucestershire, north Wiltshir ...

, and is still in use for its original purpose. It also houses the transmitter for The Breeze, a local radio station. In November 2018 the tower was illuminated in poppy red to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War. The tower remained illuminated, and visible at night from a wide area, until

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...

on 11 November.

References

External links

{{authority control Buildings and structures in Reading, Berkshire Infrastructure completed in 1932 Towers completed in 1932 Thames Water reservoirs Water towers in the United Kingdom Tilehurst Reservoirs in Berkshire