Working on the water 

We were pleased to receive the papers of the late Dennis Boreham of Reading (1935-2024) relating mainly to the River Thames, 1895-2014 (D/EX3034).  He began work at the Thames Conservancy in December 1953 as an office clerk and went on to work for its successors Thames Water, the National Rivers Authority and the Environment Agency. He ended his career as a River Controller (appointed in 1990) and was awarded an MBE in 1992 in recognition of his work in the water industry.  He was so committed to his job that in the 1990s he had a radio telemetry terminal in his own home linked to the NRA main computer which gave him instant river-related data at any time, day or night.  His papers make a useful supplement to the official records of the Thames Conservancy. 

Serving river users: The Dreadnought 

We have received records of the Spong family of The Dreadnought Inn, Reading, 1899-2025 (D/EX3097). This pub was situated on the banks of the River Thames and is believed to have been built in the early 18th century by Lord Sidmouth as a fishing lodge under the name ‘The Broken Bow’. The Spong family owned The Dreadnought up until c.1915 when they gave it up due to a lack of customers during the First World War. The inn closed in 1952, and the property was bought by the University of Reading in 1954. It was very much a rowing pub, with two boathouses on either side of the inn. Some of the records are digital copies of material retained by the donor; there is also an original photograph of the Central Boys’ School in Reading, 1899. 

Sailing on the river 

Yet another collection relating to the River Thames, Reading Amateur Regatta has added programmes for the 2017-2024 regattas to their archive here, together with material relating to the 180th anniversary in 2022 (D/EX1192). 

Hardly safe: the Lock family 

We have catalogued an interesting collection from the Lock family of Sutton Courtenay and Abingdon, 1721-21C (D/EX3085). They were carpenters and stonemasons, and highlights include the business accounts of Joseph Lock (1839-1905), a monumental mason, mainly for work on gravestones in Abingdon, Drayton, Fyfield, Hagbourne, Marcham, Radley, Shippon, Steventon, Sutton Courtenay, [Long or Little] Wittenham, Culham (Oxfordshire) and Oxford. There is also an account ledger kept by William or Joseph Godfrey of Faringdon for stonemasonry work in the area, 1827-1847. Work undertaken included the King's arms and the Ten Commandments in Fyfield Church in 1829. Joseph Lock learnt his trade by being apprenticed to Joseph Godfrey in the late 1850s.   

Joseph’s son Henry George Lock (1876-1963) wrote a fascinating memoir about growing up in Sutton Courtenay, including things which would not have otherwise been recorded. He recalled regular fights with rival villages: 'it was hardly safe to visit another village (especially boys) unless you wanted to fight', including a big battle with men from Drayton at Limersham Hill. A poignant inclusion is the letters from teenage sailor Archie Lock (1881-1900) to his mum, written from Australia and Chile, 1899-1900.  He wrote from Australia that ‘the gold fever is pretty high just now in Melbourne - they are all going to West Australia to look for gold, but I thought I wouldn't go as you or dad would not like it, & I want to get home as quick as possible to see all the old faces.... When I get home I shall have been all round the world going in to 4 out of the 5 oceans. I have not got any curios yet but hope to get some on the west coast, a parrot perhaps or some-thing from South America’.  His last port of call was Valparaiso in Chile, where he did get that parrot as a pet for his little sister, but we don’t know if she ever received it, because tragically Archie died out in Chile at the age of just 19. 

You can find out more about all these records by searching our online catalogue.  Enter the collection reference given above in the Catalogue Reference field.