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Original poster

Is Reading a nice place to live?

12 replies

marialuisa · 16/02/2004 10:20

DH's quest to move jobs continues. He now has interest from Reading. so, usual boring questions! Is the University area ok or are there nicer areas? what are the schools like? State or private, ideally RC.

TIA

OP posts:

twiglett · 16/02/2004 10:22

message withdrawn

handlemecarefully · 16/02/2004 10:25

I have never lived there, but used to live in Ascot and occasionally go shopping in Reading. The shopping is good btw. However traffic congestion in the city centre is a bit tedious, and I didn't get an overly favourable impression of the city. You could choose to live in one of the villages nearby (quite charming)

Original poster

marialuisa · 16/02/2004 10:30

Yes, my dad used to live in Linkenholt near Newbury but that was 15 years ago (oddly enough when DH was an undergrad there)and it looked pretty scummy. one of DH's reasons for moving is that he finds the current 5 mile commute (time taken 30 mins including dropping off DD at school) unbearable so I suspect villages are out of the question.

Really hope that he decides not to move and just uses this to blag a promotion. House prices are too scary. £300k for a nasty 1980s terrace. We could live in style for that up here. apologies to all who live in expensive 1980s terraces.

OP posts:

gingernut · 16/02/2004 10:46

marialuisa, have a look at this thread.

Galaxy · 16/02/2004 10:49

message withdrawn

PandaBear · 16/02/2004 10:58

Hi - I live in Maidenhead which is about 20 minutes drive from Reading. Reading is good for shopping and everything leisure wise but the traffic is hell!! Know what you mean about house prices though!

Original poster

marialuisa · 16/02/2004 11:12

cheers for the link. We live on merseyside so not too worried about "picturesque" but traffic would be an issue.

Had a look on Ofsted/Dfes and only decent RC primary seems to be in cold Ash which looks miles away. there's a convent called St Joseph's, anybody know if that's any good?

OP posts:

gingernut · 16/02/2004 14:20

Traffic in Reading is truly appalling, certainly during rush hour and on Saturdays.

tamum · 16/02/2004 16:24

My knowledge is really out of date, so may be worthless, but I was at uni there during the 80s, and lived there while I was a PhD student too. I knew people who went to St Joseph's, and it had a good reputation then, but I don't suppose it means much now. The area around the campus is quite nice in terms of housing but it certainly used to attract sex attackers like nobody's business- there was at least one reported attack a week when I was there, and several quite serious rapes. It's very overgrown in places, especially around the lake, so lots of scope I guess. I'm not helping much, am I? Sorry

Rosalind · 16/02/2004 16:42

I lived in the area for years. Look at living north of the river in Caversham or out towards Wallingford - this is Oxfordshire and there are some excellent state and primary schools there. I would be happy to correspond with you directly to share knowledge. There is loads for children in and around Reading and loads of good independent schools; Kendrick and Reading are selective state schools and much sought after.

I had always felt Reading itself was a bit of a dump and could never understand why people who had moved in from other - to my mind - nicer areas - stayed there. Having now moved elsewhere I miss it dreadfully and realise that it has a lot going for it! The traffic is awful it is true.

Original poster

marialuisa · 16/02/2004 18:19

Thanks everyone.

Tamum, I wonder if you knew my DH he was an undergrad there in the'80s but went elsewhere for his PhD.

OP posts:

tanzie · 16/02/2004 20:53

I grew up near Reading - in one of the pretty villages. Schools are OK (have improved since my day) and someof the bigger villages (eg Woodley) have state Catholic primary schools. Holy Joe's in my day tended to have the reputation of being for those who weren't bright enough to get into Kendrick or the Abbey School, but who had paents rich enough to pay. But everyone I knew who went there did OK.

Traffic in Reading has always been a nightmare - I took my driving test there and ended up on the dreaded Inner Distribution Road taking a wrong turn.

I am now going to run and hide from all those brilliant people who went to Holy Joe's...!

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