Editing Reading, Berkshire (section)

===20th century===
The town continued to expand in the 20th century, annexing [[Caversham, Reading|Caversham]] across the [[River Thames]] in [[Oxfordshire]] in 1911, as well as most of [[Tilehurst]] to the west at the same time. Reading suffered much less physical damage than many other English towns and cities during the two [[world war]]s of the 20th century, although many citizens were killed or injured. In one significant [[Airstrike|air raid]] on 10 February 1943 a single [[Luftwaffe]] plane strafed and bombed the town centre, causing 41 deaths and over 100 injuries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.readingmuseum.org.uk/GetAsset.aspx?id=fAAyADAANQB8AHwAVAByAHUAZQB8AHwAMAB8AA2 |title=Air Raid, February 1943 |work=[[Reading Museum]] |publisher=Reading Borough Council |access-date=13 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003062921/http://www.readingmuseum.org.uk/GetAsset.aspx?id=fAAyADAANQB8AHwAVAByAHUAZQB8AHwAMAB8AA2 |archive-date=3 October 2013 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

The [[Lower Earley]] development, begun in 1977, was one of the largest private housing developments in Europe,<ref>{{cite web|title=Reading, Berkshire, UK|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A40614879|work=[[BBC News]]|location=London|access-date=13 June 2011|date=5 September 2008|archive-date=15 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115004913/https://h2g2.com/entry/A40614879|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Reading|url=http://www.garabys.com/letting-agent-areas/reading|publisher=Garabys Letting Agent|access-date=13 June 2011|archive-date=28 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110528003933/http://www.garabys.com/letting-agent-areas/reading|url-status=live}}</ref> extending the urban area of Reading as far as the [[M4 Motorway]]. Further housing developments have increased the number of modern houses and [[hypermarkets]] in the outskirts of Reading. A major town-centre shopping centre, [[The Oracle, Reading|The Oracle]], opened in 1999, is named after the 17th-century [[Oracle (workhouse)|Oracle workhouse]], which once occupied a small part of the site. It provides three storeys of shopping space and boosted the local economy by providing 4,000 jobs.<ref>{{cite web|title=The founding of the Oracle|url=http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/radstock/rht/themes/manufacture/oracle1.html|publisher=Reading History Trail|access-date=21 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514072714/http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/radstock/rht/themes/manufacture/oracle1.html|archive-date=14 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = John Kendrick (1573–1624) | url = http://www.berkshirehistory.com/bios/jkendrick.html | work = Royal Berkshire History | publisher = Nash Ford Publishing | access-date = 21 April 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110514065730/http://www.berkshirehistory.com/bios/jkendrick.html | archive-date = 14 May 2011 | url-status = dead }}</ref>