Shop local…
OVER THE years the Caversham Bridge has reported on changes in the local retail scene and endeavoured to support local business. Our shops provide a valuable local service, catering for a wide range of needs but, as always, there are changes happening all the time. Several local shops have closed or are about to – Chillis Convenience Store opposite Waitrose has shut and Dancia and My Phone Doctor in Prospect Street are both moving from Caversham. The Shea Butter Cottage shop on the Henley Road closed earlier this year and is now only trading online (https://sheabuttercottage.com) and at events. The kitchen refurbishment shop on Donkin Hill has closed and is awaiting new tenants, whilst Kitchen Solutions on Church Road is also now empty…Read More
New shoots… and old
WHILE SUPPORTING established local businesses, it’s also always good to discover initiatives starting up, as well as celebrating long-established institutions that make Caversham so special. This month Caroline Gratrix (p13) meets Peter Doyle and finds out about his new studio in Marsack Street, where he will offer guitar lessons and provide rehearsal space, including for the Guitar Orchestra of Reading! Young musicians in Caversham have been inspired by Music Made Fearless Junior Jam – Edward Sanderson meets its founder Sabrina Findlay, also on page 13…Read More
Wine in the courtyard
OUR FOOD trail began last month with riverside tea and cake at Caversham Court Gardens. For the second stop, either cut straight to the chase and walk right or work up an appetite by heading up The Mount – its incline alone surely earns that slice of cake – then down Priest Hill to St Anne’s Well. Destination: somewhere else with a view, but this time swap the river for some greenery, and tea for wine, or non-alcoholic option. And if September means saving pennies, then your own glass in the garden works (or beside a pot plant, if gardenless). The first option is The Collective, on the corner of St Annes and Church Roads…Read More
The results are in…
A HUGE heartfelt “thank you” from Richard and Jean Harper for everyone who supported their Afternoon Tea fundraiser for breast cancer research charity, Breast Cancer Now. The weather was wonderful, everyone had a lovely time and most importantly, over £670 was raised for the charity. Thanks also to Caversham Waitrose and to Warings Bakery for their generous donations of delicious cakes and scones. They were very much appreciated…Read More
Gardeners’ Tales
GARDENERS HAVE played an important but often undervalued role in the running of landed estates right up to the present day. Portraits, old photographs, wage slips and newspaper reports from the Caversham Court archive give an insight into the lives of the gardening staff and the often complex relationships between employer and head gardener over the centuries. See some of the tools they used and peep into the former kitchen garden with its yew hedge dating back to the 1700s, which provided food and flowers for the household and guests all year round…Read More
Join Our Team
WE HAVE several posts available for volunteers interested in being part of the team which keeps the Caversham Bridge running. We are currently seeking a volunteer to manage our advertising and our relationship with our advertisers. This is a key role – advertising helps link our readers with a wide range of local businesses and provides around half the income for the paper.
If you enjoy meeting people, making connections and have basic IT skills, perhaps this is something you would enjoy? There are no fixed hours, although there are print deadlines which need to be met each month. To find out more, contact Phil Chatfield at chair@cavershambridge.org
Mapledurham – a request to readers
WE HAVE received the following request from Mary Westley, We are updating our Eagle has landed noticeboard outside St Margaret’s Church, Mapledurham and need replacement photographs, as the originals are now very faded and we have not as yet been able to track down any copies.
Does anyone have photos of the shooting of the film in 1976 which we would be able to reproduce and display please? If you can help, please email editors@cavershambridge.org
Reinspired Caversham in high demand
REINSPIRED CAVERSHAM is a charity supported by Churches Together in Caversham, which goes into primary schools in Caversham and Emmer Green, to deliver sessions complementing the Berkshire Religious Education syllabus. We have two paid project managers and around 15 volunteers from various churches in Caversham. Every session starts with an assurance that we are not there to change their beliefs, but instead to explain what it is that Christians believe and do. The sessions start with a question such as ‘Has Christmas lost its true meaning?’…Read More
Around the world – without leaving Caversham
IMAGINE TRAVELLING from Amsterdam to the Great Barrier Reef, to Beijing and then Ethiopia, before ending up at Niagara Falls, all within the space of a week… for just £40! That is the journey undertaken by 153 children and over 70 volunteers during the 2026 Caversham Churches Together Go Global Holiday Club.
‘Around the world we start to see,; How big God’s love can really be; Different people different ways; Joined together in His praise’…Read More
For Your Bookshelf
Christopher Edge’s new book is my children’s pick this month. In How to Steal the Future, twelve-year-old Drew has to navigate his way through a deadly, ever-changing maze at the heart of which lies the Avenir – a secret technology capable of unlocking the future. Many have tried to steal the Avenir, but nobody has ever succeeded.
My adult pick for this month, Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams is the shocking and darkly funny story of her seven years working at Facebook. She had a front row seat for the political machinations of Big Tech in world affairs and firsthand experience of a toxic corporate culture at Meta/Facebook…Read More
Organic September – Easy Organic Food Swaps
TRUE FOOD in Emmer Green will be embracing the Soil Association’s Organic September1 initiative again this year. This campaign aims to raise awareness of the incredible benefits organic farming can bring not just for our climate and nature but also our health. Science shows that organic foods can have more nutritional value and tend to have lower levels of pesticides than non-organic equivalents. However, it can be difficult to try and switch to an entirely organic diet, so why not try these simple swaps to get you started in the areas that will have the greatest impact.
- Drink organic milk
- Start the day with an organic breakfast
- Swap the fruit and veg you eat most often to organic…Read More
Happy Wanderer walks around the Old Cemetery
JUST OCCASIONALLY, and for a change, I’ll go for a walk round the Caversham Cemetery – not the Reading municipal cemetery off Henley Road, which was consecrated in 1927, but the Caversham Cemetery run by the Caversham Burial Board from 1884. By then, the churchyard around St Peter’s was full, and something needed to be done. Eventually, the Burial Board was taken over by the Caversham Urban District Council, and then from 1911 by Reading Borough Council. The walk can easily be combined with Balmore Walk, the path giving extensive views over Caversham and the town centre. If you turn off Hemdean Road by the primary school, you’ll see the cemetery buildings by the entrance on the right. There’s the building that once contained a waiting room – there was no chapel – then the house of the custodian, and then the building where the wheeled bier was kept…Read More
New Galleries Make Impression
ANY THOUGHTS that this area is something of a sleepy suburb are rapidly vanishing – nowadays Caversham is definitely a place where ‘things happen’ – thanks to the creative drive of local residents and business owners. Caversham Picture Framers has further expanded with the opening of a new branch in Duke St, Henley. The framing service will also provide a gallery, and its first exhibition is of 20thC lithographs by Henri Matisse. It opened on August 19 and will run until October 10. For information about events and exhibitions in Caversham and Henley: cavershampictureframer.co.uk And Caversham can boast of a completely new private art gallery, which is dedicated to offering the chance for art lovers to view large scale conceptual art…Read More
Caversham Lock
CAVERSHAM LOCK, one of the 44 locks on the Thames, is always busy with the traffic of all kinds of vessel – people enjoying a holiday afloat, pleasure boats, narrow boats and barges, canoes and kayaks. It is operated and managed by the resident lock keeper, Tanya Rosenberg, who has been in charge for thirty years and had the honour of being the first female lock keeper on the Thames. She is a popular and well-known figure to all who use the river and the crossing over the lock gates. Controlling the flow and water level of the Thames has always been important for the safe navigation of essential water transport in past centuries…Read More
Chapter House setting for a superb Hamlet
READING ABBEY’S rectangular Chapter House, still surrounded by mighty walls despite Henry VIII’s wrecking efforts, creates a striking outdoor theatre space (this summer’s balmy weather being an added bonus). In July Progress Theatre returned to the venue for their new production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. As Progress’s Patron Sir Kenneth Branagh noted in his programme introduction, this was the first time the play had been presented within the ruins.
While no castle, the imposing setting added its own atmosphere to the simple yet effective set, dominated (as were many of the costumes) with the adornment of watch parts, symbolising Hamlet’s cry that ‘the time is out of joint’…Read More
Safety in sight?
IN NOVEMBER last year, I reported on the Last Crumb Junction crossing campaign, which aims to make the roads safer for pedestrians and drivers. At the time, the Stop a Fatality petition had amassed over 1800 signatures and had been presented to the Reading Borough Council Traffic Management Sub-Committee. Since then, local activism has continued to prove its power, with the Council’s February meeting committing £500,000 towards reconstruction of the crossing. Although momentum was slowed by the May elections and subsequent reshuffling of council roles, progress has continued…Read More
Spot-on flea and tick treatments for pets
INSECTS, NEARLY 90% of all animal species, are experiencing declines worldwide. Much more research is needed to pinpoint the cause(s), but habitat loss, climate change and agricultural practices, including increased use of agricultural chemicals, are expected to be major contributing factors. It’s easy to blame agricultural methods, but that doesn’t explain the huge reduction in urban insect numbers where more of us are gardening organically and trying to attract wildlife into the garden, and the council has reduced pesticide use and leaving longer verges. The truth is that biocides are used increasingly across many industries as well as widely at home. One worrying example is regular flea and tick treatments for pets…Read More
Fearless Young Musicians
AS A YOUNG musician and performer living in Caversham, I am eager to discover new local opportunities to develop both my confidence as a performer and my connections with other musicians in the Reading area. In September 2025, I became House Band Keyboardist at the Music Made Fearless Junior Jam, a monthly youth music event hosted at Reading’s legendary Purple Turtle and organised by Sabrina Findlay…Read More
Kindness through music
WE’RE DELIGHTED to welcome a truly kind soul into our community this month. PDM Studios, a brand new music studio at Southview Business Park, Marsack Street, Caversham, has officially opened its doors, giving Pride of Reading Award winning musician, composer and guitar teacher Peter Doyle a dedicated creative home.
Peter will be using the studio to write and produce his brand-new original album, alongside offering one to one guitar lessons for children and adults, from complete beginners to experienced players…Read More
Natural… wild… wilderness…
SURPRISE, SURPRISE, I am not getting any younger, and alas this year I discovered age had really caught up with me. I blame the weather! At the start of 2026, in an attempt to keep up to date, I realised the contemporary gardening ‘fashion’ of the moment was the ‘natural’ garden and that it was for me. Natural gardening is where nature is allowed to play its part, where dandelions
and buttercups are given room to show off. Where there are curves and not straight lines, narrow paths and not huge lawns. A simple woodland effect with a lovely range of plants. All this was going to be my aim, a natural garden. Utopia!…Read More
50th anniversary of the Caversham Heights Society
SOME 50 YEARS ago, local resident Martyn Allies had the idea of creating a group called the Caversham Heights Society, with the aim of promoting educational, cultural and scientific topics without political or religious bias for local people. The Society hires the hall at Caversham Heights Methodist Church for its meetings, where the facilities offer a large screen, and a sound system along with technical equipment. The Society provides a lecture programme during the winter months and organises visits to museums, stately homes, gardens and theatres. In addition, it organises a short holiday to an area too distant for day visits…Read More
Horticultural Shows in Caversham
CAVERSHAM HAS a long history of shows organised by different incarnations of the Caversham Horticultural Society. Between 1861 and 1885, Caversham Cottagers Horticultural Shows were organised annually to encourage agricultural workers in Caversham to pursue gardening. The show classes were vegetables, flowers, and honey, as well as best-cultivated garden. Initially held in the grounds of larger houses on Caversham Hill and Caversham Rise, the shows found a permanent home at Caversham Park, owned by William Crawshay…Read More
Frank Skinner – Work in Progress
FRANK SKINNER HAS long been a household name in the world of comedy and radio. From his pairing with David Baddiel in the 90s, including the iconic Three Lions World Cup song, to his tenure at Absolute Radio and subsequent podcast, Frank has had a long and varied career. We were delighted to see such a well-known star visiting the Kenton Theatre to do a Work in Progress show, testing some new material for upcoming performances, which included headlining a star-studded comedy evening at Camden’s iconic Roundhouse. The show at The Kenton was fairly relaxed, with no support and, when Frank takes to the stage, it’s clear he is very much at ease…Read More
Rotherfield Walking Football Club
ROTHERFIELD UNITED Walking Football Club is based in and around Sonning Common, drawing several members from the Caversham and Emmer Green area. It is affiliated with Rotherfield United FC and is a member of the Football Association. During the winter some meetings are held at Highdown School, Emmer Green. We are a thriving club, founded in 2016, providing exercise and social activities for over 90 members aged between 58 and 82. In addition to activities on the pitch, the club choose two charities each year which have helped our members or are close to our hearts…Read More
Selling your home – fixtures and fittings
WHEN YOU come to sell your property, you will have a lot of questions from your solicitor, estate agent and potential buyers. One extra thing to think about is what might be included with the sale of your home. Generally, the rule of thumb regarding fixtures and fittings is that fixed items, such as fitted kitchens, integrated kitchen appliances and builtin wardrobes are staying, while fittings such as curtain poles, curtains and blinds, free-standing white goods like fridge/freezers are considered not to be included in the house sale price. However, not in all cases – so it is best to be very clear on your intentions when you go on the market…Read More
Getting Back into the Job Hunt this Autumn
BEEN PUTTING your job search on hold over summer? Now’s a good time to pick it back up. Things often pick up pace after the holidays, and some employers like to get new hires settled before the year winds down for Christmas. So it’s worth getting back into the swing of things while there’s momentum. Start with your CV. Add anything you’ve achieved recently, tidy up the layout, and make sure it reads well at a glance. Small tweaks can go a long way. After that, it’s about keeping at it. Set aside a bit of time each week for browsing listings, chasing up applications, and staying in touch with your contacts. Your network matters more than people think…Read More
Longevity
THROUGHOUT HISTORY, people have sought to extend life. There is huge public interest in centenarians and long living populations, including blue zones around the world where a higher proportion of people live beyond 100, such as the inhabitants of Okinawa, Japan. These communities report that healthy habits – including physical activity, simple nutrition, social connection, and a sense of purpose – contribute to their long lives. For many sectors of society, death and illness come far too soon. A Health Foundation report in April warned life expectancy in the UK had declined, especially in adults of working age living in areas of socio-economic deprivation, where unemployment and austerity have worsened health…Read More