Kennet Place, Reading, UK
Kennet Place, Reading, UK
Acquired by Westcore in 2016, Kennet Place is a 5-storey 6,500-sq.m., self-contained office building, located on the edge of Reading’s CBD. It is approximately an 8-minute walk from the train station and an 8-minute walk from the central shopping district. Reading’s train station is on the new Crossrail line, due to open in 2019, which will improve the frequency and reduce journey times to and from central London. The building also has one of the best car parking ratios (1:54 sq.m.) in the town centre.
Since acquisition, Westcore has invested in excess of £6 million on refurbishing of the building, equating to nearly £950 per sq.m. The refurbished building provides floor plates between 550 sq.m. and 1,300 sq.m., and includes a number of new design features including a substantially enlarged lobby, with a feature comet chandelier and an array of local artwork.
The building is located on one of Reading’s most historical sites. The biscuit makers, Huntley & Palmers, one of the world’s first global brands was located here for over 150 years. The building overlooks Reading Gaol where Oscar Wilde wrote his famous ‘The Ballard of Reading Gaol,’ and the Abbey Ruins where King Henry I is believed to be buried.
