Christmas Nostalgia in Reading

Step back in time and rediscover the magic of Christmases past in Reading! From festive gatherings and snow-dusted streets, these treasured photos capture the heart of our town through the years.

These photos take us right back to Christmas in Whitley through the years. There’s Wally Radford, the Butts Centre Santa, waving to families and spreading a bit of magic on the streets. Then there’s local butcher Charlie Langham, sharing a laugh with Santa outside Gillettes on Basingstoke Road — a familiar face for so many in the area. And finally, what we think might be a post-war Christmas party at the Whitley Community Centre, where neighbours gathered to celebrate, share what they had and make the season bright together.

These moments from South Reading’s past show just how much creativity and community spirit the area’s always had. Back in the 1970s, the girls from Southlands School (now Reading Girls’) unexpectedly found themselves on TV after their teacher, Mrs Taylor-Brooke, secretly entered the carol they’d written into a Nationwide competition — and they won! They sang all the way home to Reading. Jump ahead to 1998, and the South Reading Youth Club was busy giving the Northumberland Avenue Centre a splash of personality with a new mural, complete with a cheeky Homer Simpson cameo.

Blanketed in snow, The Reading Roseate looks like something from a Christmas card. Elegant, peaceful and perfectly festive.