To the west of Reading town centre, south of the River Thames, lies the electoral ward of Battle – one of the most geographically varied parts of the Borough of Reading in Berkshire. It borders Kentwood, Caversham Heights, Thames, Abbey, Coley, Southcote and Norcot wards, placing it squarely in the western arc of the town. Most of Battle falls within the parliamentary constituency of Reading Central, though two small sections along its western edge belong to Reading West and Mid Berkshire.
The Name and Its Norman Roots
The ward’s name traces back to the Norman conquest of England and the Battle of Hastings. William the Conqueror granted land in and around Reading to Battle Abbey, his foundation established to commemorate the 1066 victory. That historical connection gave rise to Battle Farm and the now-closed Battle Hospital, both of which stood within the ward’s boundaries. The name has passed through centuries of local use, arriving at the present ward with its medieval origins largely intact.
Oxford Road, the Flood Plain and Reading Festival
Much of the ward runs along a long stretch of the Oxford Road, lined with largely terraced side streets typical of inner Reading. Beyond the built-up residential areas, Battle also takes in a substantial tract of uninhabited flood plain between the railway and the River Thames – ground that most people across the country associate with Reading Festival, one of Britain’s longest-running music events. The ward has a notably ethnically mixed population, with significant Afro-Caribbean and South Asian communities present.
Local Government
Battle elects three councillors to Reading Borough Council, as all Reading wards do. Elections since 2004 have generally been held by thirds – one councillor per year across three years out of four – though the 2022 elections returned all three seats simultaneously following boundary changes. The current ward councillors are Wendy Griffith and Amjad Tarar of the Labour Party, along with Sarah Hacker, a former Mayor of Reading who previously sat as Labour and now stands as an independent.