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 the Heelas Building

Built for department store Heelas, this building began with the rebuilding of Nos. 110-111 in 1870. It then expanded in stages to include No. 112 in 1875, what was then Nos 108-109 in 1884 (No. 107½ then became the new No. 108) and Nos, 113-113½ in 1909. The building was given a new frontage in 1934.

 

No. 109
John Lewis (department store)

John Lewis Partnership is a retailer that operates several department stores and the Waitrose supermarket chain. It was founded in London in 1864 by John Lewis. Its Reading department store, called Heelas until 2001, was founded by John Heelas in Minster Street in 1854. John Lewis Partnership acquired it in 1953.

Building:
Part of the Tudor Gothic building

This Tudor Gothic building was Grade II listed in 1978. Its listing says it was built circa 1860 but 1883 seems more likely (it was vacant then and James Gafford's sketch c. 1882 omits it). Today, it is Nos. 107-108 but its footprint originally covered Nos. 107-107½, while the original No. 108 was absorbed by Heelas in 1884.

 

No. 108
Gap (clothing retailer - mens & ladies' wear)

Gap is an American clothing and accessories retailer founded in San Francisco in 1969 by Donald F Fisher. It first came to the UK in 1987 and maintained a presence until 2021, when it closed all its stores. It made a return of sorts in 2022 via concessions within Next stores and opened three new stores of its own in 2025.