The municipal buildings at Reading were erected during the period
1875-1897, and consist of two Town Halls, the Borough Council offices,
a Free Library, the Museum, and an Art Gallery. On the walls of the
reading-room there is a good collection of views of Reading and of
the river Thames.
The Town Hall at Windsor was built by Sir Christopher Wren. On the
exterior there are statues of Queen Anne and her husband, Prince George
of Denmark. The Town Halls at Wokingham and Newbury are modern brick
buildings. The Cloth Hall at the latter place, now a museum, is very
interesting. It was built by the Guild of Clothworkers of Newbury,
which was incorporated in 1601, and has a picturesque wooden cornice
and wooden pillars, and a red tiled roof.
The Town Hall at Wallingford dates from 1670, and is supported by
pillars, leaving an open undercroft. The Abingdon Town Hall has also
an undercroft and dates from 1677. It is said, however, to have been
designed by Inigo Jones, who died in 1652. There is an interesting
old Town Hall at Faringdon.
The Royal Berkshire Hospital at Reading was opened in 1839, and
there are many hospitals, homes, and orphanages in various parts of
the county.
The Prison at Reading stands upon part of the site of Reading
Abbey. There is a large County and Borough lunatic asylum at Moulsford,
and a very large criminal lunatic asylum at Broadmoor, in the eastern
end of the county.
The Royal Military College, Sandhurst, is one of the chief Government
institutions for the education of officers for the army. It was built
in 1812, and though quite plain in style, the long frontage on a rising
ground, above a fine lake, is distinctly effective. The Staff College
is in the same grounds, but is in Surrey. Considerable additions are
now (1910) being made to the buildings at the Military College.
Wellington College, also near Sandhurst, was built as a public school
by public subscription in memory of the great Duke of Wellington,
who died in 1852. By the end of 1858 a sum of £145,785 had been
received. This included a grant of £25,000 from the Patriotic Fund. The
buildings are of red brick with stone corners, etc., and were completed
in 1859. They have, however, been greatly added to since. The chapel
is by Sir Gilbert Scott. The first head master was Edward White Benson,
who subsequently became Archbishop of Canterbury.
Bradfield College is another important public school, founded by
Thomas Stevens in 1850. The buildings are of red brick and flint,
and are partly old. There is an open-air theatre where Greek plays
are performed.
Radley College is beautifully situated by the river Thames. The site
was part of the property of the Abbots of Abingdon, and passed through
the hands of the families of Stonehouse and Bowyer. Much of the old
mansion is incorporated in the college buildings. The college was
founded by the Rev. William Sewell, D.D.
University College, Reading, is a comparatively new establishment,
and the buildings are still in process of construction. Higher
teaching in literary and scientific subjects is given, and there is
an Agricultural Department, a Dairy Institute, and a Horticultural
Department. There has been a school at Reading from quite early times,
but its history has been a somewhat broken one. In 1783 John Lempriere
published his Classical Dictionary whilst an assistant master at the
school, and Richard Valpy was its head master for 55 years (1781-1836).
In addition to the above there are several important recognised
secondary schools at Abingdon, Bracknell, Clewer, Maidenhead, Newbury,
Wallingford, Wantage and Windsor.
There are many almshouses in Berkshire, the most interesting of
which is Christ's Hospital, Abingdon. It is of brick and timber with
an open gallery (p. 63). It was founded under its present name by
Charter of Edward VI, but had a previous existence. The almshouses
near Wokingham, built 1663, and known as Lucas Hospital, are a good
example of seventeenth century brickwork, and are very picturesque. The
Jesus Hospital at Bray was founded in 1627 for 40 poor persons. It
is a most attractive red brick building, with a quadrangle in the
middle, and a small chapel, the windows of which have stone frames
which were probably taken from an older building. The quadrangle is
shown in the picture by Frederick Walker in the Tate Gallery, named
"The Harbour of Refuge."