Caversham, Reading
village in Berkshire, England, UK
Caversham is a village and a suburb of Reading in Berkshire, England, located directly north of Reading town centre across the River Thames. Caversham rises from the River Thames, lying on flood plain and the lowest reaches of the Chiltern Hills is one of the few places in Berkshire to be considered part of the Chilterns. Two road bridges, Caversham Bridge and Reading Bridge, and two footbridges join Caversham to the rest of Reading.
Named areas within the suburb include Emmer Green, Lower Caversham, Caversham Heights and Caversham Park Village. Notable landmarks include Caversham Court, a public park and former country house; Balmore Walk, another public park with wide views; Caversham Lakes; and part of the Thames Path national trail.
Recorded as early as 1086, Caversham was part of the Henley district of Oxfordshire (it is located around 6 miles (9.7 km) south west of Henley). With the exception of the centre of Caversham and Emmer Green, which were traditional villages, much of the development occurred during the 20th century. In 1911, it was transferred to Berkshire and became part of the county borough of Reading.
History
The first written description of Caversham as Cavesham appeared in the Domesday Book (1086) within the hundred of Binfield. This entry indicates that a sizeable community had developed with a considerable amount of land under cultivation.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Caversham, Reading” as village in Berkshire, England, UK. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as village in Berkshire, England, UK. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2300996. VIAF identifies the subject as 149136099. The Library of Congress control number is n2005073808. Authority coordinates are 51.467, -0.973. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1086 and 1911.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Caversham, Reading”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Caversham, Reading primary sources, Caversham, Reading archive and Caversham research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Caversham, Reading”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Caversham, Reading” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.