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Southcote, Berkshire

Southcote is a suburb of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Located to the south-west of Reading town centre, Southcote has a population of about 8,500 (as of 2011). The settlement lies primarily between the London-to-Bath road and the River Kennet.

The area was sparsely populated until after the Second World War, though excavations have revealed evidence of Paleolithic and Iron Age activity in Southcote, as well as Roman and Saxon habitation. By the time William the Conqueror undertook the Domesday Survey in 1086, Southcote was sufficiently established to warrant a Lord of the Manor, who at that time was William de Braose. From the 16th century onwards, Southcote Manor was owned by the Blagrave family, who sold the manor house in the 1920s. The area was subsequently developed into housing: much of the land changed from agricultural to residential. A large proportion of the land in Southcote not used for housing is classified as flood-meadow, providing flood plains between urbanisation and the River Kennet.

Southcote forms an electoral ward in Reading. The area is seen as a safe seat for Labour, as the Conservatives have not held a seat on the council since the 1980s.

Residents of Southcote generally self-classify as Christian. The male life expectancy in the area is lower than the national estimate, although the female expectancy is slightly higher. Claimants of out-of-work benefits (such as Jobseeker's Allowance) are more prevalent in Southcote than in surrounding areas. Attainment in education in Southcote is lower than the Reading average, as is residents' self-evaluation of health.

Near to the settlement is Southcote Junction, where the Great Western Main Line diverges into the Reading to Taunton line and the Reading to Basingstoke line. The railways were preceded by the Kennet and Avon Canal, which passes south of the settlement. Southcote lends its name to the 104th lock on the canal.

Toponymy
Recorded in the Domesday Book as Sudcote, Southcote has also been referred to as Sutcot, Sudcot, Sukote, Suthcot, Suthcote, Suthcotes, and Southcoat, with the present spelling entering usage in the 15th century. Alternative spellings of Southcot and Southcott have also been used.

The name "Southcote", comparable to that of neighbouring Norcot, originates from the Old English "suth cote", meaning "south[ern] cottage". It is likely that Circuit Lane, one of the primary roads into Southcote, derives its name from "Circourt Lane", a corruption of "Southcote Lane". A similar development of names occurred at Circourt Manor near Denchworth, Oxfordshire.

Early history
Lower Paleolithic and Palaeolithic materials have been recovered in various excavations in the Southcote area. An Iron Age occupation was located when houses were constructed in the 20th century. A Saxon urn was found in Southcote in 1924. The urn contained ashes and bone fragments, and was given to the Museum of Reading. A polished stone celt was also found in Southcote in 1926. An excavation of Southcote Manor in the 1960s uncovered many Roman, Romano-British and medieval artefacts such as sherds and pottery; a sample of the latter was discovered to have originated in Oxford in the 2nd century. Similarly, a Pannonian brooch and samian ware have been found in the area, and Roman pottery was found in the vicinity of the clay pits at Prospect Park Brick Works. Later inhabitation of Southcote was discovered at Anslow's Cottages south of the Kennet, where excavation suggests that a Bronze Age waterfront was made on a branch of the river. A 1991 report by the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England—now known as English Heritage—detailed the discovery of fragments of twined basketry at Anslow's Cottages, showing that eel or fish traps were used on the river near Southcote. Archaeological findings of timber structures adjacent to the trap suggest that it dated from the eight or ninth century. Later discoveries, made in the 1980s during gravel extraction in the area, also uncovered evidence of a landing stage or jetty on the river channel.

11th–15th century
The settlement of Southcote grew largely around the medieval house at Southcote Manor. Before the Norman Conquest, Southcote was held by Brictward—a Saxon landowner and priest —under Edward the Confessor. The settlement was documented in the Domesday Book as Sudcote with a total population of 13 households, consisting of five villagers and eight smallholders, though a manor house is not mentioned. At this time Southcote was mostly ploughlands, but had a mill and a fishery, and was valued at £5. The Lord of the Manor at the time was William de Braose, 1st Lord of Bramber. In the early 1200s a house was built and Southcote was owned by Henry Belet. This house had two moats, supplied with water by a channel from the nearby Holy Brook. Upon Henry's death the estate was inherited by his son Michael, who was cup-bearer to Henry II. In 1337, a grant of free warren was made to the Belet family for the manor.

In 1365 the manor and 13th-century moated house passed into the Restwold family, and it passed through marriage to the Drew family of Seagry, Wiltshire, then the Sambourne family. Margaret Sambourne, the heir to the manor, died in 1494 and an inquisition the following year suggested that she held the manor (then valued at £20) as a trustee on behalf of Hugh Kenepy. Around this time a brick house was built to replace the earlier dwelling. After the death of Sambourne's son, Drew, an inquisition reported in contradiction that the manor was held by the Abbot of Reading; in their work on the Berkshire section of Victoria County History, Peter Ditchfield and William Henry Page write that at this point "the correct tenure had evidently been lost". Through Drew Sambourne's granddaughter, Margaret, the manor passed through marriage to William Windsor, 2nd Baron Windsor. William's grandson, Henry (5th Baron Windsor), sold the manor to Anthony Blagrave by the early 16th century.

16th–19th century
The Blagrave family were wealthy landowners around Reading, and the manor passed down through the family (which included mathematician John Blagrave, who built a new house at Southcote); a lease document dated from 1596 suggests that the manor was divided between three Blagrave brothers. Daniel Blagrave, a cousin of John, inherited the manor on the latter's death in 1611. At the time of the English Civil War, during the siege of Reading in 1643, the Blagraves allowed Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex to use the manor as his headquarters. The Blagrave family, who were sympathetic to the Roundheads, are said to have hosted Oliver Cromwell, John Hampden and Robert Blake for a council of war in one of the house's oak panelled rooms. In January 1649, Daniel was one of the signatories of Charles I's death warrant.

In 1665 Elias Ashmole wrote to Mervyn Tuchet, 4th Earl of Castlehaven at "Southcote neere Redding". At some point that century the manor house was largely rebuilt and modernised; the existing 15th century guardhouse and vaulted well were retained. Come the Restoration in 1660 after the end of the war, Daniel fled from England and died in Aix-la-Chapelle in 1668. Southcote saw development with the opening of the Kennet Navigation in the 1720s, where the River Kennet was made navigable by vessels as far upstream as Newbury; industrialisation along the canal continued for the next century.

Throughout the 18th century the manor continued to pass through the Blagrave family, including John Blagrave MP. In 1778, Frances Blagrave married John Blagrave of Watchfield (Ditchfield and Page suggest that the couple were not related before marriage ). In 1813, Daniel and Samuel Lysons wrote that the manor and mansion house were unoccupied but remained the property of the Blagrave family, who at that point resided at nearby Calcot Park. The same year, Calvespit House (near Calvespit Farm to the west of Southcote Manor) was renamed Southcott Lodge and incorporated into the estate. Between 1828 and 1850 the house was let to Charles and Frances Lutyens, whose son Charles was born at the house and who later fathered the architect Sir Edwin Lutyens.

Southcote was mentioned in Samuel Lewis's 1835 Topographical Dictionary of England. It was described as a tything within the parish of St Mary's, Reading, and had a population of 84.

In 1847, the Reading to Taunton branch of the Great Western Main Line was built through Southcote. The following year the Reading to Basingstoke line opened to the east of Southcote; the railways diverging at Southcote Junction. Two years later, in 1850, a water pumping station was built alongside the Kennet and Avon Canal at Southcote Lock. The facility, owned by the Reading Corporation, was connected to the Bath Road Reservoir (1.1 mi north-east) and provided Reading with a source of water that originated upstream of any pollutants from the town.

In 1860 the occupant was Louisa Mundy, widow of Lieutenant Governor of Jersey Godfrey Mundy. Louisa was the niece of Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Carnarvon, and lived at Southcote with her sons Herbert and Cyril. By this time, Southcote had expanded to a population of 87, with 14 houses. In his Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales, John Marius Wilson stated that the real property of Southcote was valued at £608.

After the Mundys' tenure, Southcote Manor was let to the Brisco (or Briscoe) family, who had made their money in slave trading and plantation ownership. The family were relatives of Hastings MP Musgrave Brisco and inheritors of the Pryce baronetcy. Along with one of his labourers, James Wastel Brisco was taken to court in Reading in 1874, charged with the "assault with intent to ravish" a 13-year-old servant girl. During the trial, the Reading Observer reported that "several rumours were in circulation that a person connected with the case had committed suicide". Brisco supposedly used his wealth and social status to dissuade witnesses from testifying and the case was apparently abandoned.

Brisco was eccentric and wealthy, and added a ballroom to the building in 1891, replacing a timber chapel. He also began construction of the house's distinctive tower the same year but died before it was complete and building work was abandoned.

20th century
The manor of Southcote remained in the Blagrave family until the early 20th century, when it was owned by Henry Barry Blagrave. Henry died in 1927, though the manor house was demolished in 1921 after lying empty following the death of Wastel Brisco and his wife Sarah in 1891 and 1901 respectively. In 1920 the house had been purchased by a contractor with intentions to demolish the site, though the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings organised a committee to attempt to raise money to save the house. The Sphere reported that the bricks and oak panelling were in demand and were likely removed for re-use before the building's demolition.

In 1908 Reading Central Goods railway station was opened on the Coley branch line diverting at Southcote Junction. During the first few decades of the 20th century, however, most of Southcote remained rural and undeveloped. An Ordnance Survey map of 1914 shows the majority of land as agricultural (farms and nurseries) with a number of gravel pits and smithies. The 1930s saw the construction of the Southcote Park Estate, a housing estate built on land inherited after the death of William Berkeley Monck of Coley Park. An Ordnance Survey map of 1938 shows greater provision for the population (as opposed to industry); some of the gravel pits no longer existed and Presentation College, a boys' school, had opened in two large Victorian buildings—Rotherfield Grange and Oakland Hall, the latter a suburban villa built in the 1870s. By the advent of World War II, Southcote had begun to experience urban sprawl from Reading and the land bordering the Great Western Railway had begun to be used for housing. Following the war, Denton's Field on the Bath Road in Southcote was used for celebratory events; Battle of Britain commemorative fêtes were held in September 1949 and 1950, and featured a performance by three Alsatians—Rocky, Lindy and Irma—to recognise their work in the war. Denton's Field gained reputation as a location for outdoor community events, and was comparable to places such as Caversham Park and Palmer Park.

In the 1950s, a huge building project centred around Coronation Square (named for the 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II ) with hundreds of council houses built to satisfy post-war demand. The residents of many of these had moved from houses in central and east Reading that fell short of sanitation requirements of the Public Health Act 1875, were compulsorily purchased and later demolished.

The gatehouse at Southcote Manor stood until the 1960s, when a fire broke out. It was demolished by 1964 to make way for housing. Reading Central Goods station was closed in 1983, and with it the branch line from Southcote ceased to operate. Two years later the track bed and sleepers were removed.

The same decade a campaign was started to raise £1 million to save the decaying mansion in Prospect Park; in 1986 the building was described as "crumbling" and "likely to be demolished", though plans existed to convert the building into offices. In the 1990s, however, the building was renovated and re-opened as a restaurant.

In 2004, Presentation College went into administration. It was taken over by the Society of Licensed Victuallers and renamed The Elvian School. The school closed in 2010. Following its closure, Taylor Wimpey applied to build 193 new homes on the site, competing with a proposal by a community group (the West Reading Education Network) to reopen the site as a free school known as the WREN. The housing plan was rejected, but Taylor Wimpey then appealed to Reading Borough Council and submitted a revised plan for 120 homes, which left room for the school. The appeal was taken to the High Court, which ruled that the site should be used solely for education; the school opened for Year Seven pupils on 7 September 2015.

Local elections
Southcote forms an electoral ward of the Reading West constituency, and has three seats on Reading Borough Council. It is seen as a safe seat for the Labour Party; the Conservative Party last won a council seat in Southcote in 1987. The current three councillors are Debs Edwards, John Ennis and Matt Lawrence. The most recent election was held in 2016, which saw Edwards re-elected. The ward has seen three by-elections: in 2006, in 2014 when Lawrence was elected following Pete Ruhemann's death, and in 2016 when Lawrence resigned from councillorship. The seat, which was contested by candidates from Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and the Conservatives, was held by the Labour party who gained 63.7% of votes.

Like all wards in Reading, the boundaries of Southcote ward were redrawn in 2004. The ward holds elections by thirds—three seats are available, and in three years in every four, one seat comes up for election.

Elected councillors
Incumbent councillors are listed in bold.

Community government
Southcote has a number of action groups, including the Southcote Residents' Association (for general residents' interests), the Southcote Neighbourhood Action Group (for a police and council relations), and Southcote Globe (for environmental issues). Southcote Park Estate, a large area of semi-detached housing on unadopted roads built in 1933, has an elected volunteer committee.

Geography
Southcote, as a ward, is bounded to the north by Norcot, to the north-east by Battle, to the east by Coley and to the south-east by Whitley. To the south, south-west and west Southcote forms the boundary between the Reading and West Berkshire. The boundaries of Southcote are formed by Calcot Park to the north-west, the northern edge of Prospect Park to the north, the Reading to Basingstoke railway line to the east and by channels of the River Kennet to the south. The western boundary runs through housing in the Fords Farm area. Beyond the south-west and western boundaries, in West Berkshire, are the wards of Burghfield and Calcot.

Less formally, Southcote is bordered by the settlements of Horncastle and Fords Farm to the west, Tilehurst to the north, West Reading to the north east, Coley to the east, Whitley to the south-east and Pingewood to the south.

Topography
Southcote is bordered to the south by the Holy Brook and the River Kennet; as such much of the land in the south of the area is floodplain. The proximity of Southcote to the river has led to flooding of roads and residences, particularly during the 2013–2014 United Kingdom winter floods. Flooding is exacerbated by the routes of the Holy Brook and railway line; the railway crosses the stream by bridges and culverts and in some locations the embankment acts as a bund, inhibiting the dissipation of floodwater. Similarly, a report by West Berkshire Council found that during the 2013–14 floods the single track road between the Holy Brook and the Kennet at Southcote Mill "acted as a barrier until the rising waters backing up in the flood plain fields finally breached". Network Rail's plans for electrification of the Great Western Main Line include provision for flood defences where the line is in proximity to the Holy Brook.

The elevation of Southcote ranges from almost 100 m in the north-west extreme of the ward (SRTM data records this as 94 m, Ordnance Survey as 92 m) to approximately 37 m in the floodplains north and south of the Kennet.

Geology
The geology of Southcote includes the Reading Formation—rock strata in the Lambeth Group consisting of clay, silt and sand formed in the Palaeogene period. Bedrock in Southcote is also formed of chalk, with geological surveys also finding flint samples. A map produced by the Geological Survey of Great Britain in 1860 identifies the area as being predominantly Plastic Clay (now known as the Lambeth Group) and chalk north of the river, with flint and gravel samples typical of the Bagshot Formation south of the Kennet. More specifically, the 2000 survey showed different types of gravel, including Winter Hill (variably clayey and sandy), Lynch Hill (sand and gravel with lenses of silt, clay or peat), and head (a polymict deposit usually formed by periglacial solifluction or gelifluction). The survey also identified that much of the land south of the Kennet is "infilled" or "worked" ground; this area was formerly gravel pits and now used for leisure. The British Geological Survey defines infilled ground as "areas where the ground has been cut away then wholly or partially backfilled" and worked ground as "areas where the ground has been cut away such as quarries and road cuttings".

Built environment
The settlement is concentrated to the south of the Bath Road (A4). Southcote consists substantially of planned post-war housing, much of which is Wates-constructed prefabricated housing. The majority of dwellings are semi-detached, which account for 37.7% of all residences. 29.1% of dwellings are flats, and 23.5% are terraces. Reading's first high-rise dwellings—three eight-storey tower blocks—were built in Southcote in the late 1950s. Home ownership in Southcote is 58.3%, which is average for the Reading area. Use of social housing is above the local average at 29.2%.

Southcote's main thoroughfare is Southcote Lane which runs east–west through the area, connecting Southcote to Fords Farm (to the west) and Coley (to the east). Southcote is centred around Coronation Square, an area of open grassland surrounded by community facilities and commercial premises. To the north of the Bath Road is Prospect Park, a large urban park surrounding the Mansion House. Development to the south of Southcote is restricted by the Holy Brook and the Great Western Main Line, and although the land is used for recreation, proposals are occasionally put forward to build housing on the floodplains. The land south of the railway line is subject to a Tree Preservation Order (TPO). This land is defined by Reading Borough Council as Southcote Meadows, and stretches from the Burghfield Road (near to the western boundary of Southcote) to Milkmaid's Bridge at the foot of Southcote Lock. Other parts of Southcote are subject to similar restrictions, including areas adjacent to (but north of) the railway embankment, trees lining the Kennet and Avon Canal west of Southcote Lock, and various individual sites.

Parks and open spaces
Prospect Park, one of the largest open spaces in Reading, is in Southcote Ward. Smaller parks such as Linear Park and Southcote Farm Lane playground are in the community. Coronation Square is a designated green space in the centre of Southcote.

Bordering Prospect Park is Devil's Dip, a former gravel and clay pit. The site is recognised by Reading Borough Council as an area of wildlife and historical interest, and examples of elm, walnut, ash, horse chestnut and sycamore trees grow there. Other flora found at the site include nettle, bramble and elder, with flowers such as lesser celandine, bluebells and Queen Anne's lace appearing in the spring. Peacock butterflies and various species of woodland bird are prevalent in the area.

Demography
According to the United Kingdom Census 2011, the population of the Southcote area was 8,548, of which 48% were male and 52% female. This is an increase of 58 residents compared to the 2001 census. Censuses before this cannot be compared, as the ward boundaries (and therefore population) changed after the 1991 census.

The majority of residents of Southcote Ward (58.6%) identify as Christian, with people specifying "no religion" counting for 24.9% of the population. The second most prevalent religion in Southcote is Islam, with 6% of people identifying as Muslim. The vast majority of Southcote residents (73.4%) are White British; the Reading average is 65%. Almost one in twenty (4.3%) of residents identify as Black African, 4% of mixed heritage, 3% Pakistani, 3% Indian and 2% Black Caribbean. 82.9% of the population in Southcote were born in the UK, and 91.3% speak English as their first language. 1.5% of residents do not speak English well.

The life expectancy in Southcote is 77.5 years for males—lower than the national estimate of 78.3—and the expectancy for females (82.6 years) is slightly higher than the national estimate (82.3 years).

The census counted Southcote in Reading's labour market, where 75.6% of the population is deemed as economically active. 71.9% of the population are engaged in employment, and 6.5% are classified as unemployed. Out-of-work benefit payments (such as Jobseeker's Allowance, incapacity, lone parent, disability and carer benefits) in Southcote are higher than the Reading average.

80.2% of Southcote's residence evaluate their health as "good", although this is lower than the Reading average of 85.5%.

Economy
Historically the land at Southcote was used for farming and gravel extraction. Farms such as Calvespit Farm, Honey End Farm , Southcote Manor Farm , and Southcote Farm were in the area. The 1888 Kelly's Directory lists some residents of Southcote Lane as being employed as coachmen, butlers, gardeners, labourers, florists, dairy farmers, thatchers and carters. One resident was a member of the county police, and Major-General C J Addington resided at Southcote Lodge. An Ordnance Survey map surveyed in the 1870s also identifies a vinery and kennels.

The farming and gravel industries declined with the expansion of Reading after the Second World War, though the existence of the anti-extraction groups "Save Southcote Meadows" and "Residents Against Gravel Extraction" (RAGE) in the 1980s suggests the demand for such industry in the area remained. By the mid-1980s, the Tarmac Group reportedly owned land near the site of Southcote Manor with the intent of extracting gravel there.

There are two primary centres of economic activity in Southcote—Coronation Square and Southcote Farm Lane. Coronation Square is home to a number of commercial and community premises, including a post office, takeaway food outlets, newsagents, healthcare businesses and a pet shop; as well as a community centre and library. The square also featured a public house until its demolition in 2011; the land was subsequently used for affordable housing. Southcote Farm Lane has a small parade of shops and businesses including a convenience store and hairdressers. On the border of Southcote and Tilehurst is the Meadway Precinct, which includes a supermarket, pharmacy, as well as other smaller shops. The precinct opened in 1967, and a survey in 2012 revealed that the public thought the site had become run-down and required modernisation. In 2015 a planning application was submitted to Reading Borough Council by a developer who plans to renovate the site.

Culture and community
In the years following the Second World War, Southcote hosted a number of community events on Denton's Field. Many of these fêtes included grasstrack motorcycle racing events, which were held in 1947, 1948 and 1949. Speedway stars Bill Kitchen and George Wilks raced at Southcote in 1949 for a Conservative Party fête. The field was also used in 1949 for a gymkhana and a church fundraising fête.

Southcote holds an annual May fayre in Coronation Square; the 2015 event was organised by community groups from local churches and community centres. The event focuses on cuisine, live music and children's entertainment.

The Reading branch of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust meet at Southcote for talks and meetings, and undertake maintenance work on the canal through the Southcote area.

Public services
Southcote is within Thames Valley Police's catchment, and is grouped as a neighbourhood with Norcot. Residents identified nuisance and illegal parking and excessive speed as of concern in the area, as well as the antisocial use of mini motos, quad bikes and motorcycles on the Kennet towpath. Measures to alleviate nuisance parking were introduced in early 2015 with a ban on parking on the road verge. In June 2015, signs were installed on the lane to Southcote Mill to warn motorcycle users of their prohibition on that right of way.

The majority of reported crime in Southcote is categorised as either violent or sexual attacks, where 46 incidents of this nature were reported in June 2015 within a 1 mi radius of Coronation Square. The highest concentration of crime occurs near the service station on the A4 road. Neighbourhood liaison sessions (known as "Have Your Say" meetings) are held in Coronation Square.

A surgery, operated by the Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, is located at the junction of Circuit Lane and Southcote Lane. In late 2014 the practice was the subject of significant local media coverage when all five of the surgery's general practitioners resigned. Other NHS facilities in Southcote include Prospect Park Hospital (catering for in-patient mental health and psychiatric intensive care) and the Dutchess of Kent Hospice, which is also part of the Sue Ryder group. The NHS's North and West Reading Clinical Commissioning Group's headquarters is located in Southcote on the Bath Road.

Southcote has a number of council-funded community facilities, including a library, a community centre, and a children's centre. A number of community organisations, such as an elderly residents' social club, litter picking groups, and allotments are in existence in the area. Reading's RESCUE (Rivers and Environmental Spaces Clean-Up Event), a rural litter-picking initiative, operates periodically in the parks and along the tracks and towpaths in Southcote.

Transport
Southcote is situated north of the M4 Motorway, approximately halfway between junctions 11 (Reading central) and 12 (Reading west).

The Reading to Taunton branch of the Great Western Mainline railway bisects Southcote laterally. At the eastern boundary of the settlement is Southcote Junction, where the Reading to Taunton and Reading to Basingstoke Lines diverge. A third line—the Coley branch line—ran from the junction until its closure in the 1980s. There are a number of Brunel-designed brick arch bridges along the Reading to Taunton line through Southcote, two of which have been described as "notably well preserved examples" and are designated "heritage assets" by Network Rail. A third bridge, which carries the main Burghfield to Reading road, may have originally been timber before being replaced with a steel deck by the Great Western Railway company.

Southcote is linked to Reading by a number of Reading Buses services along the A4 Bath Road, with some services stopping within Southcote itself. One service, named "Jet Black", links Reading to Newbury via Southcote.

The Kennet and Avon Canal at Southcote is still used for pleasure boating; moorings for narrowboats are located between Southcote Lock and Burghfield Bridge. The canal is accessible from footpaths near Burghfield Bridge, Southcote Mill and Fobney Lock, and the towpath through Southcote is a designated portion of National Cycle Route 4.

During the First World War, an aerodrome was established near to Southcote at Coley Park. Aviator Henri Salmet based himself at Woodley Aerodrome, from which he gave "joyrides" in his Blériot Aéronautique aeroplane, but also gave flights in a Blériot XI from the Kennet meadows in Southcote. In 1915 a Farman aeroplane crash-landed at Southcote Farm next to Southcote Junction. The pilot was able to jump from the plane before it crashed, and ran alongside it until it collided with a hedge near the railway embankment.

Education
Three primary schools are situated in Southcote—Manor Primary School, Holy Brook Special Educational Needs School, and Southcote Primary School. In each of their most recent Ofsted inspections, the schools achieved a "good" rating.

Three secondary schools are in operation in Southcote. King's Academy Prospect is a specialist sport and ICT school run under the academy system. In its latest Ofsted report, the school was judged to require improvement. The other secondary school in Southcote is The Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School, a Catholic school named after the Reading abbot Hugh Cook alias Faringdon. The school was deemed to be "good" in its latest Ofsted inspection. In September 2015, the third school —The Wren School— opened on the site of the former Elvian School. This operates as a free school, and was envisaged by a volunteer network after Reading Borough Council identified a shortfall in school capacity in 2012.

Educational attainment in Southcote is lower than the Reading and national average. 47% of students at GCSE (or equivalent) attain five or more A* to C passes, compared to the Reading figure of 57% and 61% nationally. The number of students achieving Level 2 writing at Key Stage 1 is 83%—the same as in the wider Reading area—though the national percentage is higher at 85%. Overall, the proportion of Southcote residents with no qualifications is higher than Reading.

Based at Stoneham Court, within the grounds of Prospect School, is the headquarters (and central Berkshire base) of the Berkshire Maestros music school.

Religious sites
Southcote is in the Reading Deanery of the Diocese of Oxford. Southcote's Anglican church is dedicated to St Matthew. A United Reformed Church was built in 1958, shortly after the Southcote housing estate became occupied, and a Christian Mission was established in Southcote in 1965. The Catholic Church of English Martyrs is situated adjacent to Prospect Park at the northernmost boundary of Southcote ward. The Kennet Valley Free Church is just beyond the Southcote—Fords Farm boundary.

Provision for other faiths is found closer to Reading town centre and in East Reading.

Sport
Southcote's main football club is Southcote Colts. The under-13 team won the 2014–15 East Berkshire Third Division without being beaten. The under-14 and under-16 teams both currently play in their respective Premier Division of the Peter Houseman Youth League. The under-15 team is currently in the "A" league of the Oxford Mail Youth Football League.

Notable people

 * The Blagrave family:
 * John Blagrave (c.1561–1611), mathematician
 * Daniel Blagrave (1603–1668), Member of Parliament and signatory of Charles I's death warrant
 * John Blagrave (1630–1704), Member of Parliament

 * Derek Watkins (1945–2013), trumpeter who appeared on every James Bond film soundtrack until his death after Skyfall.
 * Michael Bond (born 1926), author and creator of Paddington Bear

title: Southcote, Berkshire


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List of Scottish scientists

This is a list of notable scientists born in Scotland or associated with Scotland, as part of the List of Scots series.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: List of Scottish scientists


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Coley, Berkshire

Coley is an inner-town district near the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It is often referred to as Old Coley, to distinguish it from the adjacent, and much more recent, suburb of Coley Park.

The district has no formal boundaries, but the historically the name referred to the area roughly bounded by Castle Street, Castle Hill and the Bath Road to the north, Berkeley Avenue to the south and west, and the River Kennet and Bridge Street to the east. Coley is bordered to its south and west by Coley Park, to its north by West Reading, and to its east by Katesgrove and the Inner Distribution Road.

The district lies entirely within the borough of Reading, within Coley, Abbey and Katesgrove wards. It is within the Reading West parliamentary constituency.

Coley is split between the Church of England parishes of All Saints Church and St Giles' Church, although neither church is actually within the district.

The Berkshire Record Office is located in Coley Avenue near to the junction with Bath Road.

Coley formerly had a railway goods yard, the Reading Central Goods station, which was connected to the main line at Southcote Junction by the Coley branch line.

Phoebe Cusden, a notable socialist, peace campaigner and Mayor of Reading, lived all her life in Coley. In 1977 she published Coley: Portrait of an Urban Village, a history of the suburb.

Old Coley housed one of Reading's largest slum communities, built in the area between Wolseley St and Castle St. Centred around the Coley Steps, courts and back-to-back housing accommodated a population of about 1,500. The slums were eventually cleared in the 1930s, with residents rehoused in the new council estates of Whitley and Norcot. In 1989 the Coley Local History Group recorded the memories of its residents in two publications "Talking of Coley" (ISBN 0951593307, 1990) and "More Talking of Coley" (1991)

title: Coley, Berkshire


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title: User talk:68.59.47.238


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Williamsbridge, Bronx

Williamsbridge is a neighborhood geographically located in the north-central portion of the Bronx in New York City. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are East 222nd Street to the north, Boston Road to the east, East Gun Hill Road to the south, and the Bronx River to the west. White Plains Road is the primary thoroughfare through Williamsbridge.

The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 12 and its ZIP Codes include 10466, 10467, and 10469. The area is patrolled by the 47th Precinct of the New York City Police Department. New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) property in the area is patrolled by P.S.A. 8 at 2794 Randall Avenue in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx.

History

According to the New York City Parks Department, Williamsbridge was named for 18th Century farmer John Williams, who had a farm on the east bank of the Bronx River in the vicinity of Gun Hill Road and White Plains Road, and was credited with building the first bridge over the Bronx River. It incorporated as a village on November 23, 1888.

Olinville, named for Methodist Episcopal minister Stephen Olin, is a disused neighborhood name for the area around Olinville Avenue in Williamsbridge. However, the name "Olinville" survives in four telephone exchanges — OLinville 2, 3, 4, and 5 — which can still be found in the neighborhood (as 652, 653, 654 and 655).

Planned zoning changes
The New York City Department of City Planning has proposed zoning map changes for 36 blocks in the Williamsbridge/Olinville area. The proposed zoning would preserve the area's lower density residential character and promote new development in keeping with the scale of the surrounding neighborhood. In addition, the DCP is proposing a zoning text amendment establishing a new citywide R5A district to address the unique detached housing stock found within this neighborhood.

The area's development patterns, although varied, are characterized by distinct enclaves of detached, semi-detached, and attached residential buildings, as well as a smaller number of mid and high-rise apartment buildings. However, the height and density of existing housing is generally lower than is permitted under the current zoning. Clusters of one- and two-family homes are prevalent in many parts of Williamsbridge and few buildings are higher than 70 feet, even in the more densely developed portions of the neighborhood. The proposed rezonings aim to address this zoning mismatch by ensuring that new development is of a density and scale compatible with the low-rise/low-density character of this community.

Demographics
The neighborhood was historically heavily Jewish and Italian-American. It became predominantly African American in the 1970s, and since the 1980s, has received an influx of Caribbean and West Indian immigrants.

Based on data from the 2010 United States Census, the population of Williamsbridge was 61,321, an increase of 3,901 (6.8%) from the 57,420 counted in 2000. Covering an area of 833.25 acres, the neighborhood had a population density of 73.6 PD/acre. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 2.8% (1,690) White, 67.5% (41,380) African American, 0.4% (237) Native American, 1.6% (961) Asian, 0.0% (13) Pacific Islander, 0.6% (396) from other races, and 1.6% (956) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.6% (15,688) of the population.

The entirety of Community District 12, which comprises Williamsbridge, Woodlawn, Baychester, and Eastchester, had 156,542 inhabitants as of NYC Health's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 81.0 years. This is about the same as the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods. Most inhabitants are youth and middle-aged adults: 24% are between the ages of between 0–17, 27% between 25–44, and 26% between 45–64. The ratio of college-aged and elderly residents was lower, at 10% and 13% respectively.

As of 2017, the median household income in Community District 12 was $48,018. In 2018, an estimated 22% of Williamsbridge and Eastchester residents lived in poverty, compared to 25% in all of the Bronx and 20% in all of New York City. One in eight residents (13%) were unemployed, compared to 13% in the Bronx and 9% in New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 57% in Williamsbridge and Eastchester, compared to the boroughwide and citywide rates of 58% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation,, Williamsbridge and Eastchester are considered high-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying.

Land use and terrain
Williamsbridge is characterized by multi-family homes and moderate size multi-unit buildings. Majority of residences are private and owner-occupied two and three stories homes. The total land area is roughly a mile and a half. The area is low-lying and flat.

Parks
The Seventh Draft District World War I Monument located at East 219th Street and Bronx Blvd. and the park that surrounds it, has undergone a renaissance as of late. In addition to the Department of Parks cleaning up the area in 2008, there has been an annual Memorial Day service at the monument itself since 2009.

Police and crime
Williamsbridge and Eastchester are patrolled by the 47th Precinct of the NYPD, located at 4111 Laconia Avenue. The 47th Precinct ranked 35th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010. , with a non-fatal assault rate of 82 per 100,000 people, Williamsbridge and Eastchester's rate of violent crimes per capita is more than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate of 577 per 100,000 people is higher than that of the city as a whole.

The 47th Precinct has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 60.9% between 1990 and 2022. The precinct reported 16 murders, 45 rapes, 461 robberies, 732 felony assaults, 300 burglaries, 758 grand larcenies, and 461 grand larcenies auto in 2022.

Fire safety
Williamsbridge is served by two New York City Fire Department (FDNY) fire stations. Engine Co. 62/Ladder Co. 32 is located at 3431 White Plains Road, while Engine Co. 63/Ladder Co. 39/Battalion 15 is located at 755 East 233rd Street.

Health
, preterm births and births to teenage mothers are more common in Williamsbridge and Eastchester than in other places citywide. In Williamsbridge and Eastchester, there were 102 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 24 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide). Williamsbridge and Eastchester has a low population of residents who are uninsured. In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 8%, lower than the citywide rate of 12%.

The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of air pollutant, in Williamsbridge and Eastchester is 0.0075 mg/m3, the same as the city average. Eleven percent of Williamsbridge and Eastchester residents are smokers, which is lower than the city average of 14% of residents being smokers. In Williamsbridge and Eastchester, 30% of residents are obese, 14% are diabetic, and 39% have high blood pressure—compared to the citywide averages of 24%, 11%, and 28% respectively. In addition, 24% of children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%.

Eighty-eight percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which is about the same as the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 78% of residents described their health as "good", "very good", or "excellent", equal to the city's average of 78%. For every supermarket in Williamsbridge and Eastchester, there are 8 bodegas.

The nearest large hospitals are Calvary Hospital, Montefiore Medical Center's Jack D. Weiler Hospital, and NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi in Morris Park. The Albert Einstein College of Medicine campus is also located in Morris Park. In addition, Montefiore Medical Center's Wakefield Campus is located in Williamsbridge. In addition, Beth Abraham Center is located on Allerton and Barker Avenues.

Post offices and ZIP Codes
Williamsbridge is located within multiple ZIP Codes. The part north of 222nd Street is located in 10466. The area south of 222nd Street is divided into two ZIP Codes: 10467 west of Bronxwood Avenue and 10469 east of Bronxwood Avenue. The United States Postal Service operates two post offices nearby: the Wakefield Station at 4165 White Plains Road and the Williamsbridge Station at 711 East Gun Hill Road.

Education
Williamsbridge and Eastchester generally have a lower rate of college-educated residents than the rest of the city. While 32% of residents age 25 and older have a college education or higher, 20% have less than a high school education and 48% are high school graduates or have some college education. By contrast, 26% of Bronx residents and 43% of city residents have a college education or higher. The percentage of Williamsbridge and Eastchester students excelling in math rose from 32% in 2000 to 48% in 2011, though reading achievement remained constant at 37% during the same time period.

Williamsbridge and Eastchester's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is slightly higher than the rest of New York City. In Williamsbridge and Eastchester, 29% of elementary school students missed twenty or more days per school year, more than the citywide average of 20%. Additionally, 70% of high school students in Williamsbridge and Eastchester graduate on time, about the same as the citywide average of 75%.

School
PS 96 Richard Rodgers School is located at Olinville Avenue and Waring Avenue.

Library
The New York Public Library (NYPL)'s Wakefield branch is located at 4100 Lowerre Place. The branch opened in 1938 and contains collections in its basement and first floor.

Transportation
The following MTA Regional Bus Operations bus routes serve Williamsbridge:
 * Bx8: to Locust Point (via Williamsbridge Road)
 * Bx28: to Co-op City or Fordham Center (via Gun Hill Road)
 * Bx30: to Co-op City or Pelham Parkway (via Boston Road)
 * Bx38: to Co-op City or Norwood–205th Street (via Gun Hill Road)
 * Bx39: to Wakefield or Clason Point (via White Plains Road)
 * Bx41 SBS: to The Hub (via Webster Avenue)
 * BxM11: express bus to Midtown Manhattan

The following New York City Subway stations serve Williamsbridge:
 * Gun Hill Road
 * 219th Street

The Metro-North Railroad also stops at Williams Bridge station at Gun Hill Road and Webster Avenue, served by the Harlem Line.

title: Williamsbridge, Bronx


text:
File:The White Stripes - The White Stripes.jpg

Cover for album The White Stripes by The White Stripes.

Fair use rationale for

 * It is believed that the use of this image on the English-language Wikipedia to illustrate an article on the audio recording in question falls under the "Non-profit educational" clause of the Fair Use doctrine currently upheld by United States law. (17 U.S.C. § 107)
 * The image is irreplaceable; a free analogue is impossible to produce as the original will be covered by copyright for the foreseeable future
 * Owing to the limited web-resolution of the image, only a small portion of a copyrighted work is used
 * For the same reasons, the portion of the copyrighted work used is of inherently lower quality than the original, reducing the risk of competitiveness and therefore the effects of this copy on the market for or value of versions held by the owner of the copyright


text:
Tower Records

Tower Records is an international retail franchise and online music store that was formerly based in Sacramento, California, United States. From 1960 until 2006, Tower operated retail stores in the United States, which closed when Tower Records filed for bankruptcy and liquidation. Tower Records was purchased by a separate entity and was not affected by the retail store closings.

On November 13, 2020, Tower Records announced that it had returned as an online retailer with plans to open future physical locations.

Inception, expansion, and description
In 1960, Russell Solomon opened the first Tower Records store on Broadway, in Sacramento, California. He named it after his father's drugstore, which shared a building and name with the Tower Theatre, where Solomon first started selling records. The first stand-alone Tower Records store was located at 2514 Watt Ave in the Arden Arcade area of Sacramento. By 1976, Solomon had opened Tower Books, Posters, and Plants at 1600 Broadway, next door to another Sacramento Tower Records location. In 1995, Tower.com opened, making the enterprise one of the first retailers to move online.

Seven years after its founding, Tower Records expanded to San Francisco, opening a store in what was originally a grocery store at Bay Street and Columbus Avenue. In 1979, Tower Records in Japan started its business as the Japan Branch of MTS Incorporated. The following year, Sapporo Store, the first in Japan and internationally, opened. The chain eventually expanded internationally to include stores in the United Kingdom, Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Ireland, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, and Argentina. The Tower Records stores in Japan split off from the main chain and are now independent.

Arguably the most famous Tower Records outlet was the purpose-built building that company staff general-contracted, with many personally contributing their labor, which opened in 1971 on the northwest corner of Sunset Boulevard and Horn Avenue in West Hollywood.

In New York City, Tower Records operated a suite of stores on and near lower Broadway in Greenwich Village. The main store was located at the southeast corner of East 4th Street and Broadway. The Tower Records Annex was in the same building, located at the southwest corner of East 4th and Lafayette Street. The third store, Tower Video, was located on the southeast corner of East 4th and Lafayette Street, and specialized in video and the second floor of this location also sold books. Their location on the Upper West Side, near Lincoln Center on 66th Street and Broadway, was a magnet for those working in the field of musical theatre. There was also a location in the basement of Trump Tower, and a small clearance annex on 86th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

The Nashville location on West End Avenue (across from Vanderbilt University) was in a former Packard dealership. The old showroom floor in front was devoted to CDs, cassettes and vinyl. The area in the back housed videocassette sales and rentals, PC and console games and music paraphernalia. The strip mall next door contained a separate Tower Books. The location was famous for their late-night Monday events that culminated at midnight on Tuesday when staff started ringing up sales of new releases. Because of the store's proximity to Music Row, country music stars could occasionally be seen performing or shopping there. As part of a 2002 settlement with 41 states over CD price fixing Tower Records, along with retailers Musicland and Trans World Entertainment, agreed to pay a $3 million (~$ in ) fine. It is estimated that between 1995 and 2000 customers were overcharged by nearly $500 million and up to $5 per album.

In 2005, the company began using "scan and listen" stations in its stores. These stations allowed customers to listen to audio samples from CDs and to search for particular songs, albums and artists. In the years that followed, this model of listening station was still used at the Arizona-based chain Zia Records.

In 2006, the company introduced the Tower Insider program. The program was free of charge and allowed a customer to receive a membership card that could be scanned with each purchase, allowing the customer to receive coupons and notification of special deals via e-mail.

In addition to compact discs and cassette tapes, the stores sold DVDs, electronic gadgets like mp3 players, video games, accessories, and toys, and a few Tower Records locations sold books as well, such as those in Fremont, Brea, Mountain View, and Sacramento, California, as well as stores in Austin, Boston, Massachusetts, Nashville, New York City, Portland, Oregon, and Seattle and Bellevue, Washington.

Pulse! magazine
In 1983, the company began publishing a music magazine, Pulse!, which contained record reviews, interviews, and advertising. Initially, it was given away free in their stores to promote their record sales. After nine years, in 1992, the magazine began national distribution with a cover price of $2.95, (~$ in ) but it was canceled when the company discontinued U.S. operations. From 1983 until December 2002 Tower Records published it monthly, 222 issues in all.

Bankruptcy
Tower Records entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the first time in 2004. Factors cited were the heavy debt incurred during its aggressive expansion in the 1990s, growing competition from mass discounters and Internet piracy. Mismanagement, managerial incompetence, and crippling restrictions from the first bankruptcy deal also contributed to Tower's demise.

Some observers took a pragmatic view. As Robert Moog, inventor of the Moog synthesizer, has stated: "I'm sorry if Tower Records' and Blockbuster's sales plummet. On the other hand, it wasn't that long ago that those megastore chains drove a lot of neighborhood record stores out of business."

In February 2004, the debt was estimated to be between $80 million and $100 million, and assets totaled just over $100 million.

On August 20, 2006, Tower Records filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time, in order to facilitate a purchase of the company prior to the holiday shopping season.

Liquidation

On October 6, 2006, Great American Group won an auction of the company's assets and commenced liquidation proceedings the following day. This included going-out-of-business sales at all U.S. Tower Records locations, the last of which closed on December 22, 2006. The Tower Records website was sold separately to Caiman Inc.

The managers of f.y.e., a music store chain based in shopping malls, had negotiated a deal to acquire the two historic Tower locations in the latter's home base of Sacramento. f.y.e. later backed out, stating that the "leases aren't what we thought they were". f.y.e. did acquire the lease of the West End Avenue store in Nashville, which eventually closed in 2011. f.y.e. also took over Tower Records in Torrance, which continued to operate until early 2016.

Rasputin Music, a new and used music and video store based in the San Francisco Bay Area, expanded in the Central Valley of California by acquiring the leases for the former Tower Records stores in Fresno and Stockton.

Other stores
The Landmark Plaza Tower Records Store in Alexandria, Virginia was permanently closed on December 18, 2006, and the Tysons Corner, Virginia, store permanently closed on December 21, 2006. The noted 24-year-old store in Washington, D.C. (Foggy Bottom) closed down the next day, as did the store in Atlanta, Georgia.

On Friday, December 22, 2006 – 40 years after Solomon had opened the first Tower Records store in Sacramento – the last Tower Records store in New York City, located at 1961 Broadway, one block north of Lincoln Center, on Manhattan's West Side, closed permanently along with all of the other remaining Tower Records stores in the United States. The final Tower Records store (in the Pacific Time Zone) to be closed was the one in Mountain View, which closed at 5:00 p.m.

One building in Sacramento had been a Tower Records store for 40 years, and the lot across the street had been the location where Solomon began selling records in 1941.

R5 Records closed on June 4, 2010, and was sold to rival Dimple Records, which reopened the store in mid-July 2010. Dimple Records closed all of its locations in 2019.

The Tower Records building in Boston, located at the intersection of Newbury Street and Massachusetts Avenue, was instrumental in the conversion of the former street's commercial value. The eight-story building, renovated by Frank Gehry in the late 80s, is prominently visible from the eastbound Massachusetts Turnpike. The store (which occupied the first five stories) featured gold stars of Boston artists (including Gang Starr, New Kids on the Block, and Yo-Yo Ma) embedded in the front landing. Virgin Megastore took over the store from 2002 to 2007. The space was later a Best Buy store and, after being vacant for some time, in 2016 was opened as a T.J. Maxx store.

Online return
On-line merchant Caiman, Inc., reopened the website from Montreal, Quebec, on June 1, 2007. This company also announced plans to reopen the stores themselves—opening stores in Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco within the next nine months, however this never came to fruition. They hired former Tower buyer Kevin Hawkins to assist with the re-opening (Hawkins, along with former Tower employee George Scarlett, then left Caiman). In 2009, Richard Flynn was hired as President. The website remained based in Montreal, but the relaunch of the brand never moved forward.

As of November 2020, Tower Records re-opened their online store with a new website, once again selling vinyl records among other merchandise, which also features an online version of Pulse that is updated regularly.

Tower Labs
In October 2022, Tower Labs was opened in Brooklyn, New York, marking the first physical iteration of the brand since 2006. "The intention of Tower Labs is for artists and bands to host personal gatherings with their community, similar to a backstage experience," says Tower Records' new president, Danny Zeijdel. "In an increasingly digital world, it is imperative for artists to have a physical space where they can connect and create." Tower Labs is a creative space, as the brand continues to explore the potential reopening of a flagship retail location.

Argentina
Tower Records operated nine stores in Argentina in Buenos Aires, Pilar, San Isidro, Puerto Madryn, Córdoba, and La Plata. It opened its first store in 1997 and closed its last in 2006.

Canada
Tower Records operated in Canada in the mid-1990s with a flagship store at the Toronto Eaton Centre at the corner of Queen and Yonge which opened in December 1995 and closed in 2001. Tower Records opened a second location in Toronto in the late nineties at Empress Walk in North York, also on Yonge Street, but it was closed just prior to the flagship store closing.

Hong Kong
Tower Records opened stores in Hong Kong in the 1990s. There were two stores, one located on the seventh floor of Times Square at Causeway Bay, the other at Diamond Hill.

Ireland
Tower Records is operated in Ireland by Record & Discs Ltd. (owned by Press Up Entertainment) under a licensed franchise of MTS Incorporated (USA). , two stores still operate in Ireland both located in Dublin, one on Dawson Street and the other on O'Connell Street upstairs in Easons.

Israel
Tower Records Israel opened in 1993; a joint venture between Tower Records USA (MTS INC of W. Sacramento, CA) and two local businessmen. The Founding Director was Joel Abramson, who had previously managed Tower's flagship Sunset Strip location in Los Angeles. The first three locations were in Tel Aviv (the Opera Tower), Haifa (Hutzot HaMifratz, opened in early 1995) and Jerusalem (1995). The Tel Aviv location, with its beachfront location, was a popular shopping spot for Israeli pop stars like David Broza, Meir Ariel, Aviv Gefen, Riki Gal and others. TRI closed its final location in Ra'anana in November 2015.

Japan
In 1979, Tower Records in Japan started its business as the Japan Branch of MTS Incorporated. The following year, Sapporo Store, the first in Japan, opened. In 1981, Japanese subsidiary Tower Records Japan Inc. (TRJ) was established.

In October 2002, TRJ went independent from the international chain by management buyout. The bankruptcy of Tower Records in the U.S. in 2006 did not affect TRJ because it had been completely independent (as of 2015, NTT DoCoMo and Seven & I Holdings are the main stakeholders). As of October 1, 2014, TRJ maintains 85 directly operated store locations throughout Japan, including 10 Tower Mini Stores and the Shibuya Store in Tokyo (moved to the current location in March 1995), which is said to be one of the biggest music retail outlets in the world, occupying selling space of 5,000 m² (9 floors). TRJ also publishes the free magazines Tower, bounce, and intoxicate directly and through its subsidiary NMNL. In 2014, Tower Records launched the music review website Mikiki, which also posts content from the previously mentioned magazines.

In addition to being the leading CD retailer in Japan, TRJ was the majority stakeholder in Napster Japan, a joint venture between TRJ and Napster LLC. On March 1, 2010, Napster Japan and TRJ announced that Napster Japan would terminate all of its services on May 31, 2010, due to the difficulty in covering the costs of maintaining the required systems to continue the services.

Tower Records Japan has a subsidiary record label called T-Palette Records, which specializes in idol performers.

Mexico
The first Tower Records store in Mexico opened in the mid-1990s in the Zona Rosa area featuring 3 floors and a live DJ. After international bankruptcy, the stores were acquired by Promotora Musical, a retail company owned by Grupo Carso, the same owner of Mixup record stores. There were Tower Records stores in Mexico City (Gran Sur, Altavista and Mundo E), and Monterrey (Paseo San Pedro). , but eventually closed. The store in Puebla (Las Animas) currently operates.

Philippines
Tower Records opened three stores in the Philippines in the 1990s. The first branch was located in Glorietta 3 Ayala Center Makati City which opened in 1998. The second store was in Alabang Town Center Muntinlupa City which opened in 1999. The third store was in Robinson's Place Manila, all of which are in the National Capital Region. As of 2018, all these branches have closed.

In 2020, Tower Records Philippines has been re-launched and re-opened because of Filipino girl group Baby Blue, a sub-unit of idol girl group MNL48.

Singapore
Tower Records opened stores in Singapore in the 1990s. Singapore had two Tower Records outlets, one at Pacific Plaza that opened in 1993 and the other at Suntec City. Tower Records Pacific Plaza moved out in 2001 and the latter closed its doors in 2006 when Tower Records filed for bankruptcy globally and eventually folded.

South Korea
Tower Records opened stores in South Korea in the 1990s, with stores in Seoul and Busan. The Seoul branch became part of Synnara Record (now Media Synnara) and is now part of M2U Record, while the Busan branch has closed.

The Seoul branch was used as one of the main filming locations for Seoul Broadcasting System's 2001 drama Beautiful Days, starring Lee Byung-hun, Choi Ji-woo, Ryu Si-won, Shin Min-a, Lee Jung-hyun and Lee Yoo-jin.

Taiwan
Tower Records opened three megastores in Taipei, Taiwan in the 1990s. All stores were located in popular areas of Taipei, and became centers of fashion and music during their existence. The stores closed in December 2003.

Thailand
Tower Records opened stores in Thailand in the 1990s, introducing comprehensive music CD stocking into Thailand for the first time with revolutionary effects on the retail music business. There were several stores in Bangkok, including three megastores inside popular malls. One of the biggest megastores was located on the top floor of CentralWorld mall in central Bangkok. In the 2000s as business declined due to piracy and the downloading revolution, the stores were progressively closed and the remaining ones were eventually sold to another dealer.

United Kingdom
Tower Records in the UK was originally a London-based concern, with a first store in Kensington High Street in 1984 being followed the next year by a 25000 sqft flagship outlet at 9 Piccadilly Circus and later two more smaller outlets at Whiteleys in Bayswater, and Kingston. However, by the start of the 1990s the chain had grown to encompass a number of other stores, with large entertainment stores also selling movies, books, magazines and games in Birmingham and Glasgow, as well as a number of smaller stores that had been purchased from rival American retailer Sam Goody when it had left the UK marketplace (an example of this express format was in Weston-super-Mare).

However, with tough trading conditions in the UK market, as well as the company's trouble in the States, the firm followed Sam Goody in retreating from the UK market. The London stores in Piccadilly and Kensington were sold to Virgin Group in 2003, who for a while traded under the Tower brand at the former site until the store could be fully refurbished, while the other stores were closed. The store was subsequently renamed Zavvi in September 2007 after a management buyout of the Virgin Megastores. Zavvi entered administration in late 2008 and administrators closed the Piccadilly store on Wednesday, January 14, 2009. the site is occuplied by a non-music retailer.

Documentaries
The 2015 documentary All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records by filmmaker Colin Hanks chronicles the rise and fall of Tower Records, using archival footage and exclusive interviews with former staff, especially Russell Solomon and former COO Stan Goman, as well as celebrity customers Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and Dave Grohl.

Another documentary called Art Gods (2013) is an oral history of the development of an influential in-store display design ethic at Tower, originating from the Berkeley location.

title: Tower Records


text:
Swather

A swather (North America), or windrower (Australia and rest of world), is a farm implement that cuts hay or small grain crops and forms them into a windrow for drying.

They may be self-propelled with an engine, or drawn by a tractor and power take-off powered. A swather uses a reciprocating sickle bar or rotating discs to sever the crop stems. The reel helps cut crop fall neatly onto a canvas or auger conveyor which deposits it into a windrow with stems aligned and supported above the ground by the stubble.

A swather does the same task for hay crops as hand scything, cradling and swathing, or mowing and raking. Horizontal rollers behind the cutters may be used to crimp or condition the stems of hay crops to decrease drying time.

For grains, as combines replaced threshing machines, the swather introduced an optional step in the harvesting process to provide for the drying time that binding formerly afforded. Swathing is still more common in the northern United States and Canada than regions with longer growing seasons where standing grain crops can be harvested directly by combines. Some modern crop varieties capable of rapid maturity have reduced the need for swathing grains even in the north.

As well as accelerating drying of the ripe grain, windrowing the whole of the growing crop provides for a consistent ripening and dehydration of stalk and green weeds to assist in effective post threshing winnowing and separation of the grain and other material. Alternatively, chemical desiccation of weedy or irregularly ripe standing crops with glyphosate, paraquat or diquat has been used to enable direct combining.

A swather is the mascot of sports teams at Hesston High School in Hesston, Kansas. Hesston is home to AGCO Corporation swather and combine harvester manufacturing plants.

title: Swather


text:
Talk:Bruce Hornsby

Rogers Hornsby relationship?
Is Bruce Hornsby related in anyway to baseball great Rogers Hornsby and if so in what way? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.186.140.91 (talk) 10:32, 2 December 2019 (UTC)

Biographical information and trivia section
Added more biographical information; created a "trivia" section; added external link.

The Range/Grateful Dead
I've tried very hard to provide relevant details in THE RANGE section about Bruce's collaboration with the Dead (which seems to be an ongoing controversy on THE GRATEFUL DEAD Wikipedia page). I also Krazychris81 (talk) 00:51, 20 April 2008 (UTC)feel that Bruce's own opting to focus on his solo work (having been invited by Lesh and Garcia in 1990 to be a full time member) suggests that the Dead role in the initial paragraph should be minimized, as I have attempted to do...the details provided as accurately as possible later. There are more important things about Hornsby than his role in the Dead, although they certainly serve as an important influence (one among many). If citations are needed for my additions (perhaps I am less-adept at Wiki than others), that is fine, but my additions strive towards truth and are well-informed. Taking quotes out of context (i.e., "most of the time sit in player" for 1990-92, when Bruce played EVERY show with them for those dates...although he evidently ought not to be called a "member" of the band) is not helping to improve this page. Controversies within the Dead family about how Hornsby should be classified SHOULD NOT become part of Hornsby's page. Edits like the recent ones by Hu12 are uninformed and are making the page less-accurate...just because there is a citation doesn't make the information definitive or correct. Educate yourself before removing edits, because it is very frustrating to have to add them back...

Regarding image request
I've been attempting to add images to this page for weeks. All of them, for one reason or another, have been immediately contested and removed. I wish anyone who is brave enough, or who has enough time to deal with the anti-Image-Upload Wikipedia Inquisition, best of luck in finding images for upload. BoaTeeth 02:33, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

 * I think I've found a solution. Snidleysnide 16:32, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

 * The images should be here to stay. I was and still having freeze issues with my browser.It causes a double screen and causes accidental tap choices. Snidleysnide 22:37, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

That's good to hear. Good for you. BoaTeeth 02:18, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

Failed GA
I've failed this article for GA status. The writing needs a decent amount of work. There are lots of often long quotations from Hornsby himself to the point that it's interfering with the continuity of the article. The trivia section needs to go. Important and relevant information should be merged to the main article body, and everything else should be removed completely. The Current Projects / Recent News should be converted to prose. There's still lots of unsourced information that comes across as OR. For example, "The jazz feelings that peppered the previous album would be expanded on here, intermingling with bluegrass, giving the album a constant uptempo party sound." ShadowHalo 05:11, 24 April 2007 (UTC)

 * I've made efforts to address these concerns as well as others brought up in follow-up conversations on talk pages. Preparing to re-nominate article for GA.  Snidleysnide 23:22, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * This article looks to be in a lot better shape now compared to when I reviewed it. Here are some improvements to make before someone reviews the article:
 * "In 1984 he formed Bruce Hornsby and the Range" WP:MUSTARD generally recommends against linking lone years like this one.
 * The cite web templates are incomplete. At the very least, it should include the URL, the title of the link, the publisher, and the retrieval date.  As appropriate, it should also include the author, date of publication, issue number, etc.
 * The album titles that are in the captions should be italicized.
 * Since there's now a Bruce Hornsby discography article, it'd probably be best to move the singles to that page and have the albums on both articles.
 * The free images look like they should be tagged with PD-author instead of PD-because.
 * While you're replacing the templates, you may want to tag them with Copy to Wikimedia Commons (or move them to the Commons yourself). While this isn't a requirement for GA, it'll allow editors of the five Hornsby articles on other language Wikipedias to use the images.
 * Hope this helps some. ShadowHalo 18:28, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

Made all corrections suggested, although I did leave the "in music" links for the first mentioning of each year. I figure those can be easily removed later, and certainly if it becomes a GA/not-GA issue. I removed the repeated "in music" links for repeated years, though. Reformatted all citations as per your suggestion, and I fixed everything else...thanks. Snidleysnide 21:58, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

Redundant links
I'm going through the article and removing redundant links. If anyone objects to this, please let me know, but it sure seems like a good idea. (For instance, the section "Hornsby & the Grateful Dead" contained 12 separate wikilinks to Grateful Dead. I reduced it to one.) I'm leaving all the text intact, just removing links (or disambiguating them, as needed). --Wayne Miller 15:45, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

 * Seems like a good idea to me. I had created a lot of those links, but only because I've been editing the text pretty thoroughly...I was planning to go back through and remove some, if not all, of the redundant links.  Thanks for taking care of it!  Snidleysnide 18:03, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

 * You're welcome! I enjoy doing maintenance tasks like this so other people can just add content and not worry about them.  I just wanted to make sure I wasn't overlooking some obvious reason the links needed to be there.  :)  This is a really nice article, by the way, GA or no GA.  --Wayne Miller 19:36, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

 * Thank you for the kind remarks about the article. And thanks for your continued edits, much appreciated.  Snidleysnide 20:21, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

Citations / Links
I've been going through the references recently, consolidating them and formatting them using the citation templates. I ended up moving one reference, BruceBase: Bruce Hornsby Set Lists, to the External links section. The link simply invites the user to look up a setlist for any given date -- it's not really possible to get a permanent link to a particular show (or range of shows, which is what the ref was trying to do). Fortunately, there's another reference backing up the same bit of text. FYI. --Wayne Miller 12:27, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

Thanks Wayne. I was trying to cut and paste the url to that exact show, but, evidently it didn't work. I had meant to go back and check that...I'm glad you thought to check it. I like idea of putting the BruceBase in the Links section, too, by the way. Snidleysnide 20:52, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

 * Ok, I'm done formatting the citations. (Whew.)  I did change one, currently #37.  The purpose of the citation is to establish that Ricky Scaggs & Bruce Hornsby spent several weeks at #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass chart.  The link (http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/currentalbum.jsp) unfortunately required registration to get to the vital stats.  I ended up replacing it with a press release (http://www.shorefire.com/index.php?a=pressrelease&o=970) that basically states the same thing.  If anyone objects, we can put it back to the way it was.  --Wayne Miller 21:08, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

 * You did a great job, Wayne. Good call with the Billboard citation, too...I didn't realize that a sign-in was required (I think the computer I mainly use must auto-login at that website).  Thanks for all of your help. Snidleysnide 21:24, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

Questions
The Lead should be three succint paragraphs (without citations) as all the info in the Lead should be in the article.

 * Fixed this. Snidleysnide 21:08, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

 * What are "fraternity ragers"?
 * Paraphrased to try to fix this Snidleysnide 21:08, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

 * "three years writing for 20th Century Fox". What did they write, and for which films?
 * I cannot locate any specifics about what & for which...but I feel like the referenced part should stay for now.Snidleysnide 21:08, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

 * "Hornsby is the second of three sons born to Lois (Saunier) and Robert S. Hornsby, who was a successful oil and real estate executive in Williamsburg, Virginia. The other sons, Robert "Bobby" Jr., and John Hornsby, are reputable musicians in their own right". Reference?
 * I didn't add this, and I cannot find a reference, so I've deleted this for now.

 * "The wave of fame continued to roll"... Oh dear...
 * Oh dear is right. Sorry to have missed that.  That wasn't my edit.  Deleted now.  Snidleysnide 21:08, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

 * There are sentences in "Range years" about The Grateful Dead/Garcia that should be moved. The Grateful Dead are also mentioned in "The solo records" section.
 * Shouldn't there be a "Session musican" section?
 * Responded to these two on your talk page. Kind of complicated to resolve. Snidleysnide 21:08, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

I'm a fan by the way, so don't take this as being unkind. egde 17:04, 24 May 2007 (UTC)

 * Responses are indentedSnidleysnide 21:08, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

GA passed
This is an excellent article on an imminently deserving subject. It is generally well-written and flows smoothly, although it is frequently too wordy and in places too detailed. It looks to be accurate and well-sourced, although some of the sources, particularly the ones used for characterizing individual songs and albums (particularly songfacts.com, but to a lesser extent the All Music Guide reviews as well) would probably not pass muster for a Featured Article. It's definitely broad enough in coverage for Good Article status, although I would expect more on Hornsby's personal life before the last paragraph for FA status. At times the language tends toward gushing, but it is just neutral enough at this stage. It is appropriately illustrated, and stable. Very nice work; this article is within range of Featured Article status with some improvement of the weak sources, some fairly simply language cleanup, and some moderate editing to make the prose more concise.--ragesoss 06:07, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

Congratulations
Congrats on the GA. This article is in good hands. egde 16:38, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

Article still needs work
I'm not a Hornsby fan, just interested in looking him up, and I found this article too detailed, as well as oddly written. I see from the comments that it's been improved, but it's still not quite there. The giveaway is the excessive use of adjectives like "excellent," "highly regarded," etc, which don't have much of a place in an encyclopedia article, as well as awkward constructions like "from which he graduated." It needs additional, firm editing by a non-fan. 68.81.114.143 02:53, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

I've read carefully through the article and I cannot find "excellent" or "highly regarded" anywhere in the text. "From which he graduated" seems to suggest that he attended all three schools, but only graduated from the last one listed...that's the correct grammatical construction, if that's what was intended. In terms of details, the guy's been around for 20 years...check other articles by folks with 20 year (and running) careers to compare length. The details, from what I understand, and the thoroughness of the article are what helped it to meet Good Arts Article status...if you have complaints about articles being long, it's probably best to use the very easy-to-click index that appears at the top of each sectioned Wikipedia article. It's a convenient way to move to the information that you want. 71.176.209.242 23:40, 27 September 2007 (UTC)

I agree with the second anonymous user's assessment. Learn to use the article contents, man. 141.166.176.233 20:20, 1 October 2007 (UTC)

Minor change to the description of "The Way It Is"
I changed the sentence where it says "the song hit a note because of economic decline in the early to mid-1980s" to read "perceived economic decline"...whatever people thought of this song and the economy at the time, the vast majority of economic statistics were positive.Krazychris81 (talk) 00:51, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Bruce Hornsby credit for movie ST "Backdraft"...
How come there is no credit given to Bruce Hornsby for doing the Backdraft sound track including the songs "The Show Goes On" and "Set Me in Motion"?

Wiki Skye Editor (talk) 22:57, 2 November 2011 (UTC) I did have my touch phone and limited access and also never saw them list. I love the songs so would have. I did go some time without my glasses after my dog sat on them lol

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Assessment comment
Substituted at 10:25, 29 April 2016 (UTC)

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Bruce Hornsby#Discography vs Bruce Hornsby discography
The Bruce Hornsby article currently has an overly extensive subsection for Discography while a sub-page, Bruce Hornsby discography, covers much of this same material. Usually if such a sub-page exists then the parent article should only show the solo albums by the artist. A link is already provided to that sub-page for interested readers to peruse those details. I intend to remove much of the non-solo album discography content from this article's subsection and will attempt to check that it is found at the sub-page.shaidar cuebiyar (talk) 01:37, 8 June 2020 (UTC)

title: Talk:Bruce Hornsby


text:
New Zealand Barbarians

The New Zealand Barbarian Rugby Club Inc., nicknamed the Barbarians, or Baa-Baas, is a rugby union club headquartered in Kingsland, Auckland. The idea came from the concept of the Barbarian F.C. The Barbarians played their home matches at Eden Park.

They have been a part of New Zealand Rugby since the team was founded in 1937 by two ex-All Blacks, Ronald Bush and Hubert McLean, who captained their first game (against Auckland) in 1938.

Jubilee Tour Party 1987
To mark the club's 50th Jubilee, an unbeaten five-match tour to the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland was undertaken in March 1987, two months before the inaugural World Cup, where they recorded wins against Leicester (33-3), Wanderers (Dublin) (34-3), Ballymena (29-4), Cornwall (63-9). They also produced a devastating performance in Cardiff, beating the Barbarians 68-16. There were thirteen All Blacks in the party of 22 and a further six future caps, with Wayne Smith being drafted in from Italy as a replacement for one game. New Zealand were emerging from a turbulent 1986, the year of the rebel Cavaliers tour to South Africa and the "Baby Blacks" tests, the subsequent reintegration of the Cavaliers into the Bledisloe Cup games, and the infamous Battle of Nantes. Eight players who had survived November in Nantes toured, as did four Cavaliers.

 * Management staff was: Peter Murdoch (Coach), Kevin Barry (Team Manager), D.E.Kirk (Auckland) Captain, Clive Murdoch (Masseur)
 * Back Threes: G.J.L. Cooper (Auckland), C.I.Green (Canterbury), C, D.J.Halligan (Waikato), J.J.Kirwan (Auckland)
 * Centres: B.J. McCahill (Auckland), N.J.Schuster (Wellington), J.T.Stanley (Auckland)
 * Half backs: S.J.Bachop (Otago), I.B.Deans (Canterbury), W.R. Smith (Canterbury)
 * Front rows: J.A.S.Buchan (Canterbury), W.G.Bunn (Taranaki), B.T.Fitzpatrick (Auckland), S.C.McDowall (Auckland), B.McGrattan (Wellington)
 * Locks: B.L.Anderson (Wairapa-Bush), M.Weedon (Bay of Plenty), G.W.Whetton (Auckland)
 * Back rows: M.R.Brewer (Otago), M.N.Jones (Auckland), A.J.Whetton (Auckland), D.A.Williams (Wellington)

Subsequent NZ Barbarian trips to the UK were undertaken in 1996 and 2003.

1996 tour
The November 1996 matches were part of the ERFU's 125th celebrations with a warm-up fixture against the North Of England played in the snow at Huddersfield ahead of a "test" against England the week after.John Hart's 24-man squad, captained by Sean Fitzpatrick featured 19 All Blacks and four future All Blacks and won both fixtures, an 86-0 win against the North of England for whom twelve first choice selections had withdrawn from the team on the preceding Wednesday and a 34-19 victory against England at Twickenham Stadium.

 * Back three: J.T Lomu (Counties), C.M.Cullen (Manawatu), G.M. Osborne (North Harbour), J.Vidiri (Counties)
 * Centres: N.A.Ieremia (Wellington)*, M.R.Ranby (Manawatu)F, L.Stensness (Auckland)*
 * Half-backs: J.W.Marshall (Canterbury), A.P Mehrtens (Canterbury), C.J Spencer (Auckland), M.D. Robinson (North Harbour)
 * Front Row: M.R. Allen (Taranaki), O.M.Brown (Auckland), M.Collins (Waikato), S.B.T. Fitzpatrick (Capt.) (Auckland)* A.D.Oliver (Otago)
 * Locks: R.M. Brooke (Auckland), I.D. Jones (Auckland), G.L.Taylor (Northland)
 * Back Row: A.F.Blowers (Auckland), C.S.Davis (Manawatu), M.N.Jones (Auckland), D.G.Mika (Auckland), T.C.Randell (Otago)

2003 tour
The 2003 match played at Twickenham was viewed at the time as something of a festival affair to celebrate the home country's recent RWC success. Falling as it did during the British, Irish and European club championships, both sides struggled to assemble "full strength squads" indeed the England XV featured only five RUWC cup winners.Contractual difficulties with clubs releasing players resulted in the NZ Barbarians side being deemed - in comparison to previous touring parties - as at best only "competitive" and the England XV side ran out very comfortable winners, 42-17.

 * Back three: G.P."Jorrie" Muller (Lions & South Africa), R.L Gear (North Harbour), E.Taione (Newcastle Falcons & Tonga), Diego Albanese (Leeds Tykes & Argentina)
 * Centres: D.L Gibson (Leicester & NZ), K.R.Lowren (Waikato), T.A. Vili (Border Reivers & Samoa)
 * Half backs: D.D. Lee (Otago), G.W. Jackson (Bay of Plenty), B.Willis (Harlequins)
 * Front rows: A.K.Hore (Taranaki), M.R.Hurter (Newcastle Falcons & South Africa), D.T Manu (Waikato), S.A.A."Ace" Tiatia (Harlequins & Samoa), T.D.Woodcock (North Harbour)
 * Locks: T.V.Flavell (North Harbour), T.S. Mailing (Otago), N.M.C. Maxwell (Canterbury)
 * Back row: J.Blackie (Otago), S.Harding (Otago), T.C. Randell (Saracens & NZ) (Capt), X.J.Rush (Auckland)

The New Zealand Barbarians were also selected for the All Blacks trial replacing the 'Possibles XV' and in 2009 a New Zealand Barbarians under 85 kg Team toured Australia winning both of their games. The team played against the Māori All Blacks in 2010 at Okara Park, losing 31 – 37 before a crowd of 9,000. A Middleweight Barbarian side was also selected in 2011 to play four games. In 2015, the New Zealand Barbarians won over the Māori All Blacks 17–34.

Other squads
Provincial Barbarians squad to play the British and Irish Lions on 3 June 2017, during the 2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand:

 * Head Coach – 🇳🇿 Clayton McMillan

Representatives

 * Kevin Boroevich
 * Jonah Lomu
 * Andrew Mehrtens
 * Christian Cullen
 * Ian Jones
 * Mark Donaldson (1977)
 * Sean Fitzpatrick
 * Grant Fox
 * John Kirwan
 * Taine Randell
 * Xavier Rush
 * Wilson Whineray
 * John Afoa
 * Rene Ranger
 * Colin Slade
 * Alby Mathewson
 * Rupeni Caucaunibuca
 * Ben Smith

Playing kit and symbol
The New Zealand Barbarians wear scarlet red jerseys with white shorts. The symbol of the team is a white leaping lamb.

title: New Zealand Barbarians


text:
2002 German federal election

Federal elections were held in Germany on 22 September 2002 to elect the members of the 15th Bundestag. Incumbent Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's centre-left "red-green" governing coalition retained a narrow majority, and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) retained their status as the largest party in the Bundestag by three seats.

Issues and campaign
Several issues dominated the campaign, with the opposition CDU/CSU attacking the government's performance on the economy which fell back into recession due to the Telecoms crash and the introduction of the euro, as well as campaigning on family values and against taxes (particularly on fuel).

In the run up to the election, the CSU/CDU held a huge lead in the opinion polls and Christian Social Union (CSU) leader Edmund Stoiber famously remarked that "...this election is like a football match where it's the second half and my team is ahead by 2–0."

However, event soon overtook Stoiber and the CDU/CSU campaign. The SPD and the Greens were helped by broad support for its opposition to an invasion of Iraq, continued media attention on the CDU funding scandal and by Gerhard Schröder's personal popularity relative to the opposition's candidate for chancellor, Stoiber.

The SPD was also boosted by Schröder's swift response to the August floods in eastern Germany, as compared to Stoiber, who was on vacation and responded late to the events.

With Guido Westerwelle, leader of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), the FDP presented a chancellor candidate for the first time, usually a title reserved for the main election leaders of the SPD and CDU/CSU. This was met with general derision and Westerwelle was excluded from the chancellor television debate, the first one, against which he unsuccessfully sued.

Contesting parties
The table below lists parties represented in the 14th Bundestag:

Results
Although most opposition parties gained seats, and the result was in doubt for most of the election night, the governing coalition retained a narrow majority. In particular, the SPD was able to partially offset declines in their vote share in the West with an increase in the East, with the PDS falling below both the 5% threshold and the 3-seat threshold, either of which is required to qualify a party for top-up seats. Consequently, the PDS held only two directly elected seats.

Results by state
Second vote (Zweitstimme, or votes for party list)

Post-election
The coalition between the SPD and the Greens continued in government, with Schröder as chancellor. However, due to the slim majority in the Bundestag, the governing coalition was not stable.

title: 2002 German federal election