Reading's Greatest Icons

[piwacket]

Marianne Faithful (or some spelling)

oooh yes - we 'bumped' occasionally at the theatre where she was also in the Student Group.

[maggieaitch]

Alma Cogan. Cricketers Peter May & Ken Barrington.

[Hooped]

From memory...

Gordon Greenidge, West Indian cricketer, went to Alfred Sutton and worked at Sutton's Seeds.

Robin Friday, the greatest footballer you never saw, lived, worked and drank in Reading for a few years.

(Sir) Alec Bedser, one of England's finest cricketers, was born in Reading.

[Bentley]

The Boulting brothers, film producers, born in Bray, Berks.
Went to Reading School.

[Melchett]

Damian Green MP went to Reading school.

[dave m]

he put me in detention.
he was a twat even then

[Melchett]

Perhaps you need more detentions? Sentences start with a capital letter and end in full stops.

[coxy1937]

How about The Palace Theatre? Quite a few played there.Personal favourites Maxes Miller and Wall.

[Expat]

Mike Oldfield (his dad was my GP on Kings Road).

Hmmm. When would that have been? My GP was there too back in the 70's...there where two rooms IIRR (not sure which one I went to)

[Bentley]

he put me in detention.
he was a twat even then

The English language is obviously no longer taught at Reading School.

[windrush]

.... and I'll add Chris Tarrant!

Mention of Chris; we watched his brilliant Rail Journey the other night and he was at a former Russian missile site. He was sitting at the control panel and musing where to send the now defunct rocket using the 'red' button (that never was red, only in films) ; it went something like "Shall we send it to Washington, Paris, Madrid etc OR SWINDON"! He pressed the button and said "That's Swindon gone!" That showed a true Reading connection if ever there was one, however Mrs Windrush, being Derbyshire born and bred, just didn't get it!

Pete.

[piwacket]

"That's Swindon gone!" That showed a true Reading connection if ever there was one, however Mrs Windrush, being Derbyshire born and bred, just didn't get it!
Pete.

Did Mrs W never live in Reading Pete?

[windrush]

"That's Swindon gone!" That showed a true Reading connection if ever there was one, however Mrs Windrush, being Derbyshire born and bred, just didn't get it!
Pete.

Did Mrs W never live in Reading Pete?

Blimey Pi, not a chance of that ever happening! Derbyshire through and through, she has never lived more than 2 miles from where she was born.

Pete.

[piwacket]

Blimey Pi, not a chance of that ever happening! Derbyshire through and through, she has never lived more than 2 miles from where she was born.
Pete.

Oh right - a long distance romance then

[windrush]

Yes Pi, a 320 mile round trip almost every weekend for 18 months. I must have been crackers!

Pete.

[piwacket]

Yes Pi, a 320 mile round trip almost every weekend for 18 months. I must have been crackers!
Pete.

Aw no Pete! True romance

[shrinkingman]

Mike Oldfield (his dad was my GP on Kings Road).

Hmmm. When would that have been? My GP was there too back in the 70's...there where two rooms IIRR (not sure which one I went to)

Early 60s. I can't think why our GP was all the way over there when we lived in Caversham though.

[OLDMAN]

Mike Oldfield (his dad was my GP on Kings Road).

Hmmm. When would that have been? My GP was there too back in the 70's...there where two rooms IIRR (not sure which one I went to)

Early 60s. I can't think why our GP was all the way over there when we lived in Caversham though.

May have ben similar to us - in the 60's ours was Dr Vaughan along the Oxford Rd as he was the family doctor on my mothers side in the 50's

We only changed to one in East Reading when he retired

[GaryyHill]

Wikipedia also has a list of "notable people with a strong connection with the town of Reading"

I wonder how many of these people will be celebrating Reading's centenary next year?!

[maggieaitch]

Probably very few considering most of them are dead, but an interesting list anyway. Brought back a few memories, apart from the many street names they spawned. John Kendrick, whose name was revered every year while I was at Kendrick school; Ken Barrington, who used to sit outside the school gates every day, waiting for a girl from my class, who he later married; Tony Durant, who I used to speak to frequently, when walking past his house ( now sadly dead ); Alma Cogan, also a contemporary of mine although at a different school, and, of course many more from history books. Thank you Gary, for an enjoyable browse.

[piwacket]

And there’s Kate Winslet... Reading born and bred

Plus Ken Branagh, although he didn’t come here until he was about 9 years old.

[chris_j_wood]

And there’s Kate Winslet... Reading born and bred

I wonder how Roger is doing?. Bumped into him down the Foresters one evening before lock-down and we had a chat about the Retreat, which I and some friends had just come back from an Ale Trail visit. Gosh, that seems like half a lifetime ago now, but I guess it must have been late February or early March.

[piwacket]

And there’s Kate Winslet... Reading born and bred

I wonder how Roger is doing?......

Oh goodness, it’s a lifetime since I saw or spoke to him, or Sally (?) At the time they were members of Progress I think.... I knew (Uncle] Bob (Bridges) more.

[maggieaitch]

And there’s Kate Winslet... Reading born and bred

Plus Ken Branagh, although he didn’t come here until he was about 9 years old.

My friend was Kenneth Branagh's primary school headmaster and got a mention in his book. K B's mother used to work in the Oxfam shop in Caversham, so often saw her but she retired some years ago.

[windrush]

Until recently I hadn't realised that Keith Flloyd was born in Reading, he wont be celebrating though!

Pete.

[4String]

Only .david Graham I knew was a Broker. No idea who Geoff Goddard is, sorry.

David Graham guitar player Four Pennies, lived in the Osbourne Arms.
Geoff Goddard wrote Telstar.
Not very iconic, clutching at straws

Geoff used to play piano at the Roebuck.

[KeithW]

Arthur Negus of course. Antiques dealer - take from the poor and give to the rich.

[MickEdge]

I nominate my grandad, who chose to come to Reading with wife and children and without him I wouldn’t be spending a Sunday morning reading this topic. Before the topic spirals out of orbit, I’ll nominate Chris j wood and Melchett to judge the nominations, because their contributions made me laugh.

[Bentley]

Arthur Negus of course. Antiques dealer - take from the poor and give to the rich.

Who went to Reading School. Father had a furniture shop (in Duke Street?)

[piwacket]

Arthur Negus of course. Antiques dealer - take from the poor and give to the rich.

Who went to Reading School. Father had a furniture shop (in Duke Street?)

... Minster Street I think.

[MickEdge]

My grandad and Arthur Negus played tennis at the same club together.

[Mayfield]

Arthur Negus of course. Antiques dealer - take from the poor and give to the rich.

I think you'll find that most antique dealers have to buy their stock from wherever they can get it, and at auction, which where a lot comes from, goods fetch the market price, esp now with the internet.

[mikejee]

Years ago a friend who was a curator at the Birmingham museum told me that antique dealers were not at all happy with antiques road show, as it "gave people exagerated opinions as to what items were worth". I leave it to you to translate that unto more accurate terms

[OLDMAN]

We spoke about people from (or had lived in) Reading before, and had links to lists of them that could have to bones picked from, just need to check as some listed only lived here for a while rather than being born here –
viewtopic.php?f=38&t=3811&p=30873&hilit=felix#p30873

[joe_smooth]

Speaking of MPs who went to Reading School, David Warburton, conservative MP for Somerton and Frome, was there in the 60s. Other famous (non political) alumni include Ross Brawn (Formula One person) and Charles Shaar Murray (Music journo).