King's Meadow

King's Meadow was a possession of Reading Abbey and became owned by the King after the dissolution of the monasteries. This area has long been used as the site of a variety of public events such as Reading market, a race course, Reading shows and fairs. In 1869 the town of Reading purchased 12 acres of the meadow as a recreation ground, hence the Reading Recreation Ground name. This ground was home to Reading F.C. from its foundation in 1871 until 1878, when they moved to Coley Recreation Ground. King's Meadow is also the location of the once disused King's Meadow swimming pool, which was built there in 1903. The future of the building was a subject of local controversy until 2015 when…

The park's landscape is open fields of short grass right up to the river bank, with some perimeter trees and an avenue from Napier Road. It is a popular picnic site with groups of mature trees. The park is prone to flooding, but there are playing fields used by the public and football clubs throughout the year. There is a pleasant walk along the towpath up to Reading Bridge and Caversham Lock is at the eastern end. It is also a popular spot for mooring and fishing. To the east of the park is a large Tesco supermarket.