London Road Campus of the University of Reading

University of Reading

The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...

 is the original campus

Campus

A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...

 of that university. It is on the London Road, immediately to the south of Reading

Reading, Berkshire

Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....

 town centre in the English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 county of Berkshire

Berkshire

Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...

.

The site for the campus was given to the university in 1904 by the Palmer family, owners of Reading's Huntley & Palmers

Huntley & Palmers

Huntley & Palmers was a British firm of biscuit makers originally based in Reading, Berkshire. The company created one of the world's first global brands and ran what was once the world’s largest biscuit factory. Over the years, the company was also known as J...

 biscuit makers. It served as the university's main site until after the much larger Whiteknights Campus

Whiteknights Park

Whiteknights Park, or the Whiteknights Campus of the University of Reading, is the principal campus of that university. The park covers the area of the manor of Earley Whiteknights, also known as Earley St Nicholas and Earley Regis.Whiteknights Park is some two miles south of the centre of the town...

 was acquired in 1947.

The University Great Hall, which plays host to the university graduation ceremonies, is to be found at London Road. The University's war memorial

War memorial

A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...

, which takes the form of a clock tower

Clock tower

A clock tower is a tower specifically built with one or more clock faces. Clock towers can be either freestanding or part of a church or municipal building such as a town hall. Some clock towers are not true clock towers having had their clock faces added to an already existing building...

, is situated near the Great Hall.

While most departments of the university have now relocated to the university's other campuses, London Road is still home to several university departments and facilities. These include the School of Continuing Education, the School of Health & Social Care, Estates Management, the University Archive Service, the Innovation Centre @ Reading and the Cotton Club.

The campus is currently undergoing a major renovation, preparatory to becoming the new home of the university's Institute of Education. This commenced in mid-2010 and is planned for completion in the summer of 2011, at an estimated cost of £30 million. The work is being partially funded by the sale of the adjoining site of Mansfield Hall, a former hall of residence, for demolition and replacement by private sector student accommodation.

The London Road Campus is separated from the Royal Berkshire Hospital

Royal Berkshire Hospital

The Royal Berkshire Hospital is a National Health Service hospital in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It provides acute hospital services to the residents of the western and central portions of Berkshire, and is managed by the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust.The...

 by Redlands Road. The university run Museum of English Rural Life

Museum of English Rural Life

The Museum of English Rural Life is a museum dedicated to recording the changing face of farming and the countryside in England. It houses designated collections of national importance that span the full range of objects, archives, photographs, film and books.The museum is run by the University of...

is located on Redlands Road just to the south of the campus.