My Reading

Hi Carole
What instrument did your Dad play?  I must have known him.  I included a picture previously of myself and Derek pictured in Bright St.

Hi Dez
I used to play the cornet in the Spring Gardens Band, along with Derek Watkins and his Dad. His Dad Ted taught me in order to encourage Derek to learn to play.  They lived with Ted’s Wife’s  Mum, Mrs Gladys  Chapman, in Parnell St.  The Spring Gardens Band conducted by Ted’s father George was quite succesful, playing in National Competitions in Kensington Town Hall, Brighton Pavilion etc.  We also played in the Forbury Park and the Caversham Promenade on Sunday Evenings.  And we also played in some of the London Parks on Sunday afternoons, which made Sundays very busy.  We played at Elm Park before and at half time at the Reading FC games.  We also played at the Forbury on Remembrance Day which was always freezing cold.  The other thing we did on an annual basis, where you may have seen us was at the Corpus Christi procession from Reading Abbey, if I remember correctly.
As for your escapades in the Simmonds Yard.  We had access by climbing over the gate in Parnell St and as you say it was full of beer crates, and there was a similar pile of crates up against the unused gate in Parnell St.  We lived almost directly behind the Malt Houses in Bright St.  Happy Days!

I wonder if one of Bob’s brothers went to Katesgrove school, a boy called Neale, (whose christian name escapes me) was a prefect there when I was.  He would have been born in the late 1939 or 1940s.I do have a photo packed away somwhere of all the prefects at the time around about 1953 or 1954.

I was born in Dover St. in 1947 and lived there until 1961 when we were reallocated to Tilehurst. There was a woman who lived in Wolseley St, can’t remember her name, she used to take in the trouser legs to 14 inches for the Teddy boys. The big house next to St Saviours belonged to a family called Harpers, they had more than 10 children. The biggest family in Reading were the Strudley’s who had 22 children and lived in Pell Street.

Reply from John Cummings

I actually lived at 106 Wolseley Street – the big house next door to the church. We had the upstairs flat and the Patterson’s had the downstairs flat. We moved out late 1954 when we were allocated a council house in Southcote and the Pattersons followed soon after. Then it was returned back to a single dwelling and the Harpers moved in.

Reply from Bob

Thanks for your reply my name is Robert Neale and I was born at 27 Dover Street in 1947. I had 4 sisters and 3 brothers. In your article you mentioned Roy Merryweather, He used to run a mobile greengrocer and I would help him. In the Merryweather’s house lodged several Reading footballers.
Roy used to be a goalie and played for Peppard FC and later went on to manage Wokingham Town FC.

A couple of photos that might provoke some memories of other Coley School people.
First picture – 1952-53 Primary ‘B’ League:

Back from left: Alan Jenkins, …….Fowler, Teddy Lock, Clive Upton, Joey Gibbs, Barrie Harris.
Front from Left:  Geoff Weller, Derek Lavell, Rod Humphries, John Beech(Captain), Rod Mcquiston?, Gordon Taylor, Ken Matthews.  A couple of us were playing with lads 2 yrs older I think.
Second Team – a year or so later probably, Continue reading →

Hi there – I believe there were 2 brothers- Robert and Ronnie Chapman who went to Coley school I don’t know what became of Robert but I think Ronnie used to sell papers in Broad Street – Marcia

I have fond memories of growing up in the early to mid sixties in Heron Way. The community spirit was strong and every one in the close knew each over. Although in my mid 50s now, I do remember the Budds, Colliers, and other families who moved in when the houses were new.
Long summer days were spent in the grassland by the Holy brook and fishing, scrumping, swimming, and climbimg a really old tree, which was knocked down for the new primary school, filled the days. Remember even though very young, with groups of friends, getting buses to the Odeon cinema to watch Saturday morning pictures. Ah wonderful days any other people with these happy memories??

You’ve certainly had much more success from your Coley pages than anything coming into the St James pages! I remember the Spring Gardens band in Reading although I can’t recall in what context.

The mention of Symonds Brewery always reminds me that I was attending the nursery in Castle Street when I was two years old. The nursery backed onto the Symonds yard where they stored their barrels and beer crates and loaded up the horse-driven delivery carts. Continue reading →

I was interested to see the entry from Geoff Weller with the photo of the Coronation Day celebration showing 3 young musicians. My father played in Spring Gardens Band and knew George Watkins and his son Derek.

I have a photo of Rose and Herbert Lawrence (my grandparents) with Win (my mum) next to Rose, and Lily (mum’s sister) next to Herbert. This was probably taken around 1940.

My mum and dad were living with mum’s parents Rose and Herber at 151 Wolseley Street up to April 1946, when they moved out to live in a room in a house in Boston Avenue.  I was born in September that year and mum, dad and I moved back into 151 for a while in October 1947.  Some time after that, we had a year or so with my dad’s parents in Upper Crown Street, near Venners the pig factory.  Lovely area!! before getting a council house in Whitley in 1950. As you were a very young boy at this time, it’s not surprising you didn’t really know our family.

I have attached a map of Coley, circa 1920’s.

Bright St had the Holy Brook at one end and Simmonds Brewery Malt Houses at the Other.  Behind the Malt Houses, Simmonds had their stables,which were acessed from Fobney St by the River Kennet. They had some lovely dray horses for when they delivered the beer locally. We used to see the horses.  Also, when the Circus was in town the animals were kept there. Bright St was cleared in the late 1960’s early 70’s for the infamous Reading Ring Road, that still is not a ring and just takes traffic to the traffic jam quicker. Continue reading →

Hi John – I was born in 1943 at 26 Bright St ,Coley, as was my brother Tony(1935) and sisters Janet(1939) and Wendy(1941). I was at Coley School from about 1948 to 1954, and then went to Katesgrove for 2 years and then on to Alfred Sutton for 3 years. I played football for the Reading YMCA after being asked when I joined Alfred Sutton School when I was about 13 years old. I went on to play for them about 27 years until I was 41. I worked for Herbert and Lascelles (in St Mary’s Butts) as an apprentice electrician before joining British Telecom or Post Office Telephones, as it was then, on the Power Group and retired after nearly 39 years in 2003. I have been married for 45 years to my wife Lauretta and have a daughter Kerry and a son Jonathan. Continue reading →

Hello John,

I had such excitement reading your website after seeing the article about Coley in GetReading last year. My mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great, great grandfather lived in Wolseley Street. My mother is aged 89, still fit and active and I have compiled the attached notes as if written by her. I know it was all well before your time in Coley, but thought you may be interested anyway. I have recently walked around Coley myself taking photos of the houses my ancestors lived in and of Coley and Katesgrove schools. The photo you have of the houses opposite yours just misses no 151 where the Lawrences lived until probably the late 1950s. My grandmother Rose died in 1957 and I suspect my grandfather Herbert moved out soon after. I have hazy memories of visiting grandma and grandad as a young girl. Continue reading →

(In the photo – Wolseley Street 1945) – the lady with one foot on the path the other in the gutter I think is Mrs Seward who lived next door to my gran Millam. Your mum as I recall was a slim lady and the lady leaning across to pay for her veggies looks like Mrs Edmonds who lived at I think number 127.
Number 13 in the (Brickmaker’s Arms) pub outing picture is me Audrey.
Albert Jones was the barber who cut hair in Field Road, my dad always called him Joner (maybe Jonah). He had only gaslight in his frontroom but seemed to have quite a few customers.

Hi john just to let you know that Jim Allwood still lives at his old house he never married but I do see him from time to time and we have a few beers, also Richard Bryant still lives in the same house with his wife next door to Jim, Roger Bryant moved to Cornwall many years ago I will try and get his email address for you.
Regards
Ken

Hi John
What a great job you have created in contacting all those names of the past appearing at Pauline’s table for the wedding feast was of course a memorable occasion for me to this day.
Perhaps you don,t remember but your garden in Wolsley Street backed on to the large house in Dover Street where my family lived. The Roses/Mayos and Mr Vocking all did the same and all were perfect neighbours.
Yes I have tremendous memories of the past if I can help in any way don,t hesitate to contact

Roy Merryweather married to Mary Cassidy and happily celebrated 50 years of marriage two weeks ago

Hi John,

The other reason I am emailing you is to congratulate you on your write up on early memories of Reading and Coley Park, because we lived in Boston Avenue, from 1952 behind the Coley Recreation Ground the other side of Berkeley Avenue, and often walked down Wolseley Street, into Reading town Centre. I remember Stoney Hill well and the good Fish and Chip shop at the top of it on Field Road.

The odd connection with Reading School is that I made and painted lots of plaster Disney type characters, and sold these through that fish and chip shop, and that money paid for me so that I could go on the Reading School Ski trip to Switzerland in 1958- 1959. That little shop got me started in skiing! If I had not raised that extra money, I would not have been able to have gone! Continue reading →

I spoke briefly to my mum today and she has given more thought to the photo and concedes that you are correct with the naming of Mrs Gwen Stearman. She also told me that I was inaccurate in the details relating to my Uncle Reg and where the Adams family lived (they didn’t live next door but a few houses away, the Kelly records should show exactly which house number they resided in). My Uncle Reg had the horse and cart as a teenager when he worked on ‘the farm’. Apparently the horse and cart was used to bring the milk into Coley……he did work for Blundells as did my Uncle Will and also my Dad at some point when he returned from National Service (My dad hailed from Newtown in Reading). She would be able to give you more information on dates etc. Continue reading →

Brion House sent me the following photos (27-11-2012) and I think they are fantastic.

Click on each thumbnail to expand the photo in a new window. The1st photo is the Red Lion pub, the 2nd is Coley Steps 1911, the 3rd is Coley Steps 1953, the 4th is St Saviour’s church and the 5th is Wolseley Street during the war.

The last one is brilliant. It shows a group of ladies attending the wheelbarrow of a travelling fruit and vegetable seller and a milkman across the road with his milk cart. I can say with absolute certainty that the old fellow sitting outside his house in the middle of the photo is Mr Bryant senior. He was always sitting there when I was a little boy – I was a bit in awe of him because he seemed so old!! And I’m probably older now than he was then!! Then one day, he wasn’t there, and someone said he was having “trouble with his waterworks”! I wonder if anyone can identify anyone else in this photo?

Thank You very much Jackie, AT LAST you have identified the person I wanted to KNOW MOST. You say her name was Carol Sayer, I first sent this photo to Veronica Pyke who lived opposite your Mum about 5/6 years ago I thought her name was Carol Mears or Sears? But she could not remember either christian or surname. That was one of the reasons I asked them if they could include in their paper. Disappointed at replies from paper. Thank You Jackie, I remember Mrs Maskell as you say 3 doors from us we were at 22 Wolseley St.
Kind Regards
Jayne