Broad Street

Reading's main shopping street, Broad Street was laid out shortly after the foundation of Reading Abbey in 1120. It appeared as 'Brode Stret' on John Speed's map of 1611 and hosted the Glorious Revolution's only battle in 1688. Until 1862, its eastern end comprised two narrow, parallel streets - Butcher Row & Fisher Row.

The western part of Broad Street was pedestrianised in 1992. Re-paving with red brick to more clearly delineate pedestrian areas was completed in 1994. This also fixed the problem of increasingly uneven paving on the former pedestrian pavement, which would have needed replacement anyway.

Reading

Reading is a town in the English county of Berkshire. It is regarded as the county town although, since the county council was abolished in 1998, that is a distinction of traditional rather than practical significance. It is the UK's largest town, having been denied official city status no less than four times - in 2000, 2002, 2012 and 2022. As such, it remains a borough, and has held that status since at least the time of the Domesday Book in 1068. A royal charter, granting independence from control by Reading Abbey, was issued in 1253. A second charter was issued in 1542, reflecting the abbey's dissolution in 1538. Since 1998, the borough has been a unitary authority.

Go to left end of street
This will take you to the scene containing the leftmost building on the side of the street that you are facing.

Go to middle of street
This will take you to a scene that is approximately halfway along the side of the street that you are facing.

Go to right end of street
This will take you to the scene containing the rightmost building on the side of the street that you are facing.

Open street map
This will take you to a page displaying a clickable street map from which you may navigate to a selection of scenes along this street.

Go to next left
This will shift you leftwards down the street by one scene.

Go forward
This would let you move forward into an adjoining street. However, there is not yet another street available for you to do that.

Face other side of street
This will turn you about 180° so that you are facing a scene on the opposite side of the street.

Go to next right
This will shift you righttwards down the street by one scene.

Open year selector
This will take you to a page displaying all the years that are currently available for the scene that you are looking at, any one of which may be clicked to navigate to that year.

Go to earliest year available
This will take you to the first year available for the scene that you are currently looking at.

Go to previous year
This will take the scene that you are currently looking at back one year in time. (This may or may not look any different depending on whether anything changed between those two years).

Go to next year
This will take the scene that you are currently looking at forward one year in time. (This may or may not look any different depending on whether anything changed between those two years).

Go to latest year available
This will take you to the most recent year available for the scene that you are currently looking at.

Building:
Part of Nos. 38-39, Broad Street

Nos. 38 & 39 were remodelled for WH Smith in 1988. The Grade II listed No. 38 was altered to match the appearance of other parts of the 1903 Queen Victoria Street development, while No. 39 - not a part of that development - was demolished and also rebuilt to match.

 

No. 38
WH Smith (newsagent, bookseller & stationer)

Founded by Henry Smith in 1792, newsagent, bookseller and stationer WH Smith is the oldest retail chain in the world and the creator of the ISBN system. It grew in the railway boom of the 1840s by establishing concessions in stations. In 2025, it sold off its high street stores to focus once again on railway concessions.

2020 - Reading Post Office relocated from Market Place to a concession within WH Smith. This necessitated a change to the fascia, the WH Smith part reverting to blue.

Building:
Part of the Queen Victoria St development (west side)

Built in 1903 as part of the creation of Queen Victoria Street (which directly linked Broad Street to Station Road), this building was possibly designed by Joseph Morris. It was Grade II listed in 1978 along with the rest of the Queen Victoria Street development.

 

No. 37
Hays Travel (travel agent)

Hays Travel is a travel agency founded by John Hays in Seaham, Co Durham, in 1980. From 2019 onwards, it has expanded by absorbing several ailing rivals.

2020 - Hays Travel bought the entire shop chain of its failed rival Thomas Cook. This would probably have saved Broad Street's shop from closure but, as luck would have it, the shop rebranded and reopened just in time for the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.