Little John's Lane (Reading) (1)
| Locality | |
|---|---|
| Coordinate | 51.461668, -1.001006 |
| Adm. div. | Berkshire |
| Vicinity | North from Portman Road, across tracks of Great Western Railway, to Little John's Farm, Reading (see text for original route) |
| Type | Thoroughfare |
| Interest | Robin Hood name |
| Status | Extant |
| First Record | 1900 |
By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2017-11-17. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2022-05-23.
Little John's Lane in Reading originally followed a course slightly east of due north from what is now Oxford Road (just before No. 534), crossing Sherwood Street and Fulmead Road, turning slightly east at Thornton Mews to continue north across Portman Road. However, development during the 20th century has bi-, if not tri- or multi-sected it, so that there are now two streets named Little John's Lane on official street signs, one connecting Oxford Road and Sherwood Street, the other running north from Portman Road, while between the two, north of Sherwood Street to a point just south of Thornton Mews, the lane is a mere tarmac path for pedestrians, which is broken off by at least one fence but picks up on the north side of Thornton Mews. North of Portman Road, the lane leads to Little John's Farm, where the annual Reading Festival is held. I wonder if the fence or fences were put up to make sure festival-goers take another route?
Gazetteers
- Not included in Dobson, R. B., ed.; Taylor, J., ed. Rymes of Robyn Hood: an Introduction to the English Outlaw (London, 1976), pp. 293-311.
- Not included in Gelling, Margaret. The Place-Names of Berkshire (English Place-Name Society, vols. XLIX-LI) (Cambridge, 1973; [s.l.], 1974-76).
Maps
For ease of reference map evidence for the southern Little John's Lane are included here, though it has its own page.
Northern section
- 25" O.S. map Oxfordshire LVI.14 (1899; rev. 1897) (lane shown, not labelled)
- 25" O.S. map Berkshire XXXVII.2 (1911; rev. 1910) (lane shown, only S. sect. labelled)
- 25" O.S. map Oxfordshire LVI.14 (1913; rev. 1910) (lane labelled)
- 25" O.S. map Oxfordshire LVI.14 (1934; rev. 1932) (lane labelled)
- 25" O.S. map Berkshire XXXVII.2 (1934; rev. 1932) (n. and s. sects. of lane separately labelled)
- 25" O.S. map Oxfordshire LVI.14 (1938; rev. 1936) (lane labelled).
Southern section
- 25" O.S. map Berkshire XXXVII.2 (1911; rev. 1910) (lane labelled)
- 25" O.S. map Berkshire XXXVII.2 (1934; rev. 1932) (n. and s. sects. of lane separately labelled)
- 6" O.S. map Berkshire XXXVII (1883; surveyed 1872-77) (lane shown, not labelled)
- 6" O.S. map Berkshire XXXVII.NW (1900; rev. 1898) (lane labelled)
- 6" O.S. map Berkshire XXXVII.NW (1900; rev. 1898) (georeferenced) (lane labelled)
- 6" O.S. map Berkshire XXXVII.NW (1914; rev. 1910) (lane shown, not labelled)
- 6" O.S. map Berkshire XXXVII.NW (c. 1935; rev. 1932) (lane shown, not labelled)
- 6" O.S. map Berkshire XXXVII.NW (c. 1944; rev. 1938) (lane shown, not labelled).
Background
Also see
Image gallery
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Little John's Lane, looking north from Oxford Road / Google Earth Street View.
Little John's Lane, looking south from Sherwood Street / Google Earth Street View.
Looking north from Sherwood Street. Here Little John's Lane is an unnamed tarmac path / Google Earth Street View.
Fulmead Road and Thornton Mews together form a "[". Looking south from Fulmead Road, on the bottom "arm" of the bracket, Little John's Lane is still an unnamed tarmac path
Fulmead Road and Thornton Mews together form a '['. Looking north from Fulmead Road, on the bottom 'arm' of the bracket, Little John's Lane is still a tarmac path. Does the white sign on the green fence read 'Little John's Lane'?
Looking south from Thornton Mews. Only a determined trespasser could follow this stretch of Little John's Lane
Looking north from Thornton Mews. This tarmac path between a football field and a playground can legitimately regard itself as the heir of Little John's Lane
Looking south from Portman Road. The tarmac follows the course of Little John's Lane
Looking north on Little Johns Lane from corner of Portman Road / 'Shazz', 7 Aug. 2013, Creative Commons, via Geograph.
