Kendrick Road to Redlands Road:
This was largely nurseries and gardens, including Portland Place Nurseries (where Mansfield Hall and London Road University site now stands). This area was also known as Lower Redlands.
Kendrick Road to Silver Street:
The area from the eastern side of Kendrick Road to Silver Street was also nurseries with some housing at the far northern edge.
From Redlands Road to Craven Road:
The Royal Berkshire Hospital is in place but with a small number of large houses (small estates) south of the hospital such as Grovelands, Combe House, Overleigh Lodge, Cottingham House,
From Craven Road to Erleigh Road and north of Addington:
This was as now Reading School, but there were no houses in the eastern perimeter.
Erleigh Road to Eastern Avenue:
The whole of this area had not been built on and was green space: but Donnington Road, Hatherley Road, Blenheim Road had been laid out with trees so presumably planning was afoot for what became the workers terraced buildings for Huntley and Palmers.
Redlands Rd/Addintgon Rd/Alexndra Rd/Upper Redlands Rd:
This was a large plot consisting of big houses only: Lansdowne House, Addington House, Redlands House, Kelvyn.
Upper Redlands Road to Elmhurst Road (bounded by Redlands Road):
New Road was laid in as a small quiet avenue of houses already, but Marlborough Avenue did not exist, and the whole plot was parkland. Elmhurst Road was called Junction Road. The big house on the corner of Upper Redlands and Elmhurst was there. St. George's Hall of course did not exist, nor did any of the house in Elmhurst Road. The big house, Elmhurst House, used to be called Darlinghurst.
Southern Hill:
The whole of the area of this part of southern Reading at the top of Redlands Road and around the Mount, Elmhurst Road, Upper Redlandss Road etc was known as Southern Hill.
Eastern Avenue and Wokingham Roads :
Was still largely unbuilt on though some of this road already had some detached houses built along them.
Crescent Road to Whitekinights Road :
Was unbuilt on, consisting of orchards, gardens, and a handful of big houses such as The Hawthorns, and Woodside Lodge.
Brick Kilns:
The area bonded by Bulmershe Road, Whiteknights Road, Wokingham Road and Crescent Road consisted of open space, and also brick kilns.
While the area to the north, between Bulmershe Road and Wokingham Road was entirely empty.
Upper Redlands Road:
There was a largely empty plot here with a large house called Broad Oak (now part of the Convent School of St. Joseph's). One of several of what were 'mini-estate' in the area..
Green Road to Holmes Road
The whole of this area was a small estate bounded by Wokingham Road to the north and Whiteknights Road to the south. There was a large house called Bellevue House set in that land. The modern day Belle Avenue takes its name from that house.
(all text above: © Stephen B. Cox)