a municipal borough and market-town of England, county of Berks, on the S. bank of the Thames, 14 miles N.E. by E. of Reading, 22½ miles W. of London. It consists of one street about a mile long, well paved, and lighted with gas. The town has a guildhall, which is a fine building; a chapel of ease; places of worship belonging to the Baptists and Wesleyan Methodists; a national school; and several charitable institutions. The manufactures are unimportant; but the wealth of the surrounding country, and the position of the town on the high road between London and Oxford, render it a place of considerable trade, the principal articles of which are meal, malt, and timber. The market is held on Wednesday, and there are also three annual fairs. The neighbourhood is highly cultivated, and is studded with gentlemen's seats and villas. The high road here crosses the river by a fine stone bridge, and the Great Western Railway by a very elegant one of brick. The borough received its first charter from Edward III., and it is governed by a mayor, four aldermen, and twelve councillors. Pop. (1851) 3607.