Post by University of Reading Special Collections

What can our University History Collection tell us about the history of relations between the University and the local people of Reading - "Town and Gown" as it's traditionally known? Today, the University of Reading works closely with the local community to foster that spirit of co-operation - from the "Hello Neighbour" campaign run with Reading Students'​ Union' Union and Reading Borough Council, to the recent Centenary Community Festival and RAG Parade that drew over 10,000 people. But has it always been this way? In our latest blog, Project Archivist Amanda Knight turns to the University History Collection to find out - from a complaint about RAG week in 1949, to a memo about university dances with a snobbish reference to "townees" in 1966, to a 1959 file celebrating students who saved a boy from drowning in the Thames. Read the blog here: https://lnkd.in/ebkgt2nD 📸 Image: Photograph of the construction of the Great Hall, London Road and the workmen who built it, c.1905 (UHC PH3/4/1/2)