News from: Reading Borough Council
Reading Borough Council’s High Street Heritage Action Zone team is working in partnership with Sound UK to deliver two self-guided audio trails around the town centre’s heritage sites.
Created by local artists Aundre Goddard, Fiona Talkington and Richard Bentley, each trail will take listeners on a journey celebrating Reading’s heritage and revealing hidden histories along the two routes.
The audio trails include:
-No ifs, No buts, Only Gingernuts: Huntley & Palmers Journey Market Place & London Street: Huntley & Palmers themed trail – take a journey through time and the world of biscuits with this fascinating audio trail from Market Place to London Street by Aundre Goddard and Richard Bentley. Inspired by women workers and tour guides from Huntley and Palmers, listen to the stories of those who gave this world-famous biscuit factory its sense of family. Learn about the people, its history and processes that went into creating and distributing biscuits worldwide to make Huntley & Palmers of Reading’s London Street the company we all know and love.
-Pies, pints and protest – the hidden worlds of Castle Street & St Mary’s Butts: Join BBC presenter and long-term Reading resident Fiona Talkington and sound artist Richard Bentley on an engaging audio walk that brings the rich history of St Mary’s Butts and Castle Street to life. This self-guided journey reveals often hidden histories from up to 500 years ago and celebrates iconic local buildings, people and even animals.
–https://www.reading.gov.uk/audiotrails
The audio trails are free – listeners can take a self-guided route, supported by an illustrated map created for each place. The walks will encourage people to slow down, pause and reflect, and experience their environment in a new way.