Reading Blue Coat School
Encyclopedia
Reading Blue Coat School is a boys' independent school
(and co-educational in the 6th form) in Holme Park in the village of Sonning
, in the English
county of Berkshire
, to the east of the town of Reading
. It is situated beside the River Thames
, and was established in 1646 by Richard Aldworth, who named it "Aldworth's Hospital".
Aldworth, who had been a governor of Christ's Hospital
in London
, modelled the new foundation on his former school, the boys being required to wear the Bluecoat
attire of gown, yellow stockings, and buckled shoes. Aldworth’s Will further stipulated that the Master of the new school should be "an honest, Godly and learned man" who for his "paines" would receive a stipend of £30 a year. His duties were to include the instruction of reading, writing and ciphering and to "teach the Catechism in the points of Christian Religion."
, a wealthy London
merchant, Richard Aldworth of Stanlake Park
, left the Corporation of Reading
the sum of £4,000, the proceeds of which were to be devoted to "the education and upbringing of twenty poor male children, being the children of honest, religious poor men in the town of Reading." From this bequest, which in 17th century terms was quite substantial, originated the Aldworth's Hospital charity school now better known as the Reading Blue Coat School.
Aldworth, who had been a governor of Christ's Hospital
in London, modelled the new foundation on his former school, the boys being required to wear the Bluecoat
attire of gown, yellow stockings, and buckled shoes. Aldworth’s Will further stipulated that the Master of the new school should be "an honest, Godly and learned man" who for his "paines" would receive a stipend of £30 a year. His duties were to include the instruction of reading, writing and ciphering and to "teach the Catechism in the points of Christian Religion."
's restoration, that the first boys entered the School to be taught. Despite many difficulties at the outset, the School flourished and even received generous subventions from local benefactors such as William Malthus and John West. Malthus also left a certain sum for an annual sermon to be preached to the boys, a tradition still maintained in Reading at the end of each summer term.
In 1666, Sir Thomas Rich
of Holme Park, Sonning, gave the Corporation the sum of £1,000 to "maintain six poor boys in Aldworth's Hospital, three of whom to be chosen from the parish of Sonning". These boys were contained against their own will for an unannounced amount of time. By a happy coincidence, in 1947, the new School moved to its current home on Rich's estate. Indeed, the present Holme Park mansion is situated within a few hundred yards of Rich's own manor house, an old residence which in turn had been built near an ancient but ruined palace
that had belonged to the Bishops of Salisbury
long before the Norman Conquest in 1066.
The 'Talbot' was a mean and uncomfortable building not at all suited to the needs of a growing school, and soon the Corporation, as Trustees, decided to replace it with a more modern structure in 1723. A place "where the rays of the sun never penetrate, and where the atmosphere must have been particularly noxious from want of circulation…" was hardly conducive to the healthy upbringing of youngsters. That the School's reputation and circumstances stood at a low ebb is further confirmed by an order of the Trustees that "the Master of the Blue Coat School do not suffer the boys to play about the streets but that they be kept within the limits of the said School between and after School times, and that the Master go with the said children to the Parish Church of St Laurence every Sunday". This they unfailingly did, every Sunday until 1946. In these premises the School was to remain until 1852 when it removed to the more commodious Brunswick House on the Bath Road in Reading. For nearly 90 years, generations of Blue Coat boys were to be educated there in 'the three Rs', many proceeding to a variety of local apprenticeships, trades and professions.
. Described by the Headmaster, Bernard Inge, as "an act of faith", and following a local fundraising appeal sponsored by the Bishop of Reading, the Mayor, and Corporation, the Trustees acquired the Holme Park estate and the School began a new and initially uncertain lease of life. 150 boys, of whom a hundred were boarders, with nine teachers eventually made the move to Sonning on 21 January 1947, the headmaster’s 44th birthday.
The early days at Holme Park represented something of a race against time. Buildings and facilities had to be updated in haste if the Ministry of Education
's stringent regulations were to be met and its much coveted 'recognition of efficiency' accorded. New classrooms were opened in 1955 and named after the Dunster brothers, two Old Blues who had laboured so hard since 1947 to turn that 'act of faith' into reality. In 1961, the School's first Sixth Form was opened. A major new science centre was opened in 1973, closely followed by a brand new Sixth Form Centre and enlarged library. Further classrooms including modern facilities for technology and computing were added in the 1980s in response to rising educational expectations and growing pupil numbers. In 2001, the new Allan Sanders Science Centre was completed and a brand new Sports Hall opened in 2004. In 2006, the School celebrated its 360th anniversary with optimism, and pride in its achievements. In 2008, the school opened their brand new cricket pavilion which overlooked the cricket field adjacent to the car park. 2009 was a year of change in the school, the new Boat House was opened on the banks of the river below the school and the sixth form centre was expanded and altered with the knocking through of many interior walls. The connecting (and little used) squash court was incorporated into the centre. The newly completed 'James McArther Sixth Form Center' (named after a previous headmaster) was opened in the autumn of 2010 by Old Blue and MP for Reading West Alok Sharma
April 2011 saw the demolition of the Dunster, Gaines Cooper and Lesser buildings and the start of construction of a new classroom block, which will provide first-class teaching facilities for a number of major departments. English, Maths, Modern Languages, Classics and Geography will be housed in the new building, which will also include a new Art department that will enjoy a view over the School’s pitches and the River Thames. The building will also contain a Common Room for Middle School pupils (aged 13-16) and the landscaping around the building will provide further spaces for pupils to socialise and relax. The building will have a light and airy feel thanks to an atrium design and a glass roof running the length of the building and includes a number of environmental features, such as a ground-source heat pump and the recycling of rainwater. Access to the building, which has been designed to fit harmoniously with the oldest building on the school site, the Holme Park mansion, will be through a spacious foyer, which will also be used for receptions and entertaining guests.
Whilst construction takes place many rooms in the old school house (the Holme Park Mansion) have been converted into classrooms and 4 temporary classrooms have also been installed in the grounds. A live webcam view of the construction can be found on the school website. The new building is expected to be opened in time for the start of the 2012/13 academic year.
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
(and co-educational in the 6th form) in Holme Park in the village of Sonning
Sonning
Sonning, occasionally called Sonning-on-Thames is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Wokingham in the English county of Berkshire, a few miles east of Reading. The village is situated on the River Thames and was described by Jerome K...
, in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, to the east of the town of Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
. It is situated beside the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, and was established in 1646 by Richard Aldworth, who named it "Aldworth's Hospital".
Aldworth, who had been a governor of Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital is an English coeducational independent day and boarding school with Royal Charter located in the Sussex countryside just south of Horsham in Horsham District, West Sussex, England...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, modelled the new foundation on his former school, the boys being required to wear the Bluecoat
Bluecoat
The bluecoat is a style of dress code, traditionally worn in Bluecoat schools .The main element of the bluecoat is a long coat, belted at the waist, with white neck decoration...
attire of gown, yellow stockings, and buckled shoes. Aldworth’s Will further stipulated that the Master of the new school should be "an honest, Godly and learned man" who for his "paines" would receive a stipend of £30 a year. His duties were to include the instruction of reading, writing and ciphering and to "teach the Catechism in the points of Christian Religion."
History
Established in 1646 at the height of the English Civil WarEnglish Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, a wealthy London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
merchant, Richard Aldworth of Stanlake Park
Stanlake Park Wine Estate
Stanlake Park Wine Estate is the biggest vineyard open to the public in the English county of Berkshire. It is situated near to Twyford, on the borders with Hurst and Ruscombe.-Vineyard and winery:...
, left the Corporation of Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
the sum of £4,000, the proceeds of which were to be devoted to "the education and upbringing of twenty poor male children, being the children of honest, religious poor men in the town of Reading." From this bequest, which in 17th century terms was quite substantial, originated the Aldworth's Hospital charity school now better known as the Reading Blue Coat School.
Aldworth, who had been a governor of Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital is an English coeducational independent day and boarding school with Royal Charter located in the Sussex countryside just south of Horsham in Horsham District, West Sussex, England...
in London, modelled the new foundation on his former school, the boys being required to wear the Bluecoat
Bluecoat
The bluecoat is a style of dress code, traditionally worn in Bluecoat schools .The main element of the bluecoat is a long coat, belted at the waist, with white neck decoration...
attire of gown, yellow stockings, and buckled shoes. Aldworth’s Will further stipulated that the Master of the new school should be "an honest, Godly and learned man" who for his "paines" would receive a stipend of £30 a year. His duties were to include the instruction of reading, writing and ciphering and to "teach the Catechism in the points of Christian Religion."
The Talbot
The School was originally accommodated in an old building situated at the corner of Silver Street and London Street known as 'The Talbot' in one of the oldest parts of Reading. The house, once an old inn, was in a dilapidated condition. Owing to litigation in connection with Aldworth's will, it was not until 1660, the year of Charles IICharles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
's restoration, that the first boys entered the School to be taught. Despite many difficulties at the outset, the School flourished and even received generous subventions from local benefactors such as William Malthus and John West. Malthus also left a certain sum for an annual sermon to be preached to the boys, a tradition still maintained in Reading at the end of each summer term.
In 1666, Sir Thomas Rich
Sir Thomas Rich, 1st Baronet
Sir Thomas Rich was an English merchant and politician who sat in House of Commons in 1660. He established Sir Thomas Rich's School, a grammar school....
of Holme Park, Sonning, gave the Corporation the sum of £1,000 to "maintain six poor boys in Aldworth's Hospital, three of whom to be chosen from the parish of Sonning". These boys were contained against their own will for an unannounced amount of time. By a happy coincidence, in 1947, the new School moved to its current home on Rich's estate. Indeed, the present Holme Park mansion is situated within a few hundred yards of Rich's own manor house, an old residence which in turn had been built near an ancient but ruined palace
Sonning Bishop's Palace
Sonning Bishop's Palace was a former episcopal palace at Sonning, east of Reading, in Berkshire, England.The palace was in Holme Park near the River Thames. It was a residence of the Bishops of Salisbury....
that had belonged to the Bishops of Salisbury
Bishop of Salisbury
The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset...
long before the Norman Conquest in 1066.
The 'Talbot' was a mean and uncomfortable building not at all suited to the needs of a growing school, and soon the Corporation, as Trustees, decided to replace it with a more modern structure in 1723. A place "where the rays of the sun never penetrate, and where the atmosphere must have been particularly noxious from want of circulation…" was hardly conducive to the healthy upbringing of youngsters. That the School's reputation and circumstances stood at a low ebb is further confirmed by an order of the Trustees that "the Master of the Blue Coat School do not suffer the boys to play about the streets but that they be kept within the limits of the said School between and after School times, and that the Master go with the said children to the Parish Church of St Laurence every Sunday". This they unfailingly did, every Sunday until 1946. In these premises the School was to remain until 1852 when it removed to the more commodious Brunswick House on the Bath Road in Reading. For nearly 90 years, generations of Blue Coat boys were to be educated there in 'the three Rs', many proceeding to a variety of local apprenticeships, trades and professions.
Changing times
The impact of the Second World War, combined with rising educational expectations, posed immense challenges to the School which was faced with the fate of eventual closure unless it removed to more extensive premises outside Reading and met the terms of the Education Act 1944Education Act 1944
The Education Act 1944 changed the education system for secondary schools in England and Wales. This Act, commonly named after the Conservative politician R.A...
. Described by the Headmaster, Bernard Inge, as "an act of faith", and following a local fundraising appeal sponsored by the Bishop of Reading, the Mayor, and Corporation, the Trustees acquired the Holme Park estate and the School began a new and initially uncertain lease of life. 150 boys, of whom a hundred were boarders, with nine teachers eventually made the move to Sonning on 21 January 1947, the headmaster’s 44th birthday.
The early days at Holme Park represented something of a race against time. Buildings and facilities had to be updated in haste if the Ministry of Education
Ministry of Education (United Kingdom)
The administration of education policy in the United Kingdom began in the 19th century. Official mandation of education began with the Elementary Education Act 1870 for England and Wales, and the Education Act 1872 for Scotland...
's stringent regulations were to be met and its much coveted 'recognition of efficiency' accorded. New classrooms were opened in 1955 and named after the Dunster brothers, two Old Blues who had laboured so hard since 1947 to turn that 'act of faith' into reality. In 1961, the School's first Sixth Form was opened. A major new science centre was opened in 1973, closely followed by a brand new Sixth Form Centre and enlarged library. Further classrooms including modern facilities for technology and computing were added in the 1980s in response to rising educational expectations and growing pupil numbers. In 2001, the new Allan Sanders Science Centre was completed and a brand new Sports Hall opened in 2004. In 2006, the School celebrated its 360th anniversary with optimism, and pride in its achievements. In 2008, the school opened their brand new cricket pavilion which overlooked the cricket field adjacent to the car park. 2009 was a year of change in the school, the new Boat House was opened on the banks of the river below the school and the sixth form centre was expanded and altered with the knocking through of many interior walls. The connecting (and little used) squash court was incorporated into the centre. The newly completed 'James McArther Sixth Form Center' (named after a previous headmaster) was opened in the autumn of 2010 by Old Blue and MP for Reading West Alok Sharma
Alok Sharma
Alok Sharma is an Indian-born British politician with the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom. He was elected in 2010 as Member of Parliament for Reading West county constituency in and around the town of Reading in the county of Berkshire.Sharma grew up in Earley and Whitley Wood and went to...
April 2011 saw the demolition of the Dunster, Gaines Cooper and Lesser buildings and the start of construction of a new classroom block, which will provide first-class teaching facilities for a number of major departments. English, Maths, Modern Languages, Classics and Geography will be housed in the new building, which will also include a new Art department that will enjoy a view over the School’s pitches and the River Thames. The building will also contain a Common Room for Middle School pupils (aged 13-16) and the landscaping around the building will provide further spaces for pupils to socialise and relax. The building will have a light and airy feel thanks to an atrium design and a glass roof running the length of the building and includes a number of environmental features, such as a ground-source heat pump and the recycling of rainwater. Access to the building, which has been designed to fit harmoniously with the oldest building on the school site, the Holme Park mansion, will be through a spacious foyer, which will also be used for receptions and entertaining guests.
Whilst construction takes place many rooms in the old school house (the Holme Park Mansion) have been converted into classrooms and 4 temporary classrooms have also been installed in the grounds. A live webcam view of the construction can be found on the school website. The new building is expected to be opened in time for the start of the 2012/13 academic year.
Media location
The school has been used as the location for a number of films, documentaries, and television programmes.- 1971 film Unman, Wittering and ZigoUnman, Wittering and ZigoUnman, Wittering and Zigo is a 1958 radio play by the Anglo-Irish playwright Giles Cooper.-Plot:The play is a thriller set in a traditional boys boarding school where a senior form master has just been killed in a tragic accident. The main character is John Ebony, a teacher in his first job,...
was filmed at the school, with the proceeds being used by the then Headmaster Patrick Richardson to pay for a fund-raising appeal for the new science block - Numerous episodes of Inspector MorseInspector Morse (TV series)Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis. Dexter makes a cameo appearance in all but three of the episodes....
were filmed at the school, such as Last Seen Wearing (1988, Season 2, Episode 2) - 2001 film The HoleThe Hole (2001 film)The Hole is a 2001 psychological thriller film directed by Nick Hamm, based on the novel After the Hole by Guy Burt.The film starred Thora Birch, whose headlining credit and highly-publicized seven-figure salary was attributed to her appearance in American Beauty...
starring Keira KnightleyKeira KnightleyKeira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
was filmed at the school - 2005 movie Goal! was also filmed at Blue Coat. Holme Park was used as Newcastle United's training centre, with the school rugby pitches also being used as practice pitches for the football team.
Trivia
- The School opened a new sports centre which is also available for members of the surrounding village of Sonning to use. The Sports Hall includes a gym, changing rooms and a multi-purpose hall.
- The School has its own resident orchestra, the Aldworth Philharmonic Orchestra (APO). APO was formed in 2002 by an Old Blue, Andrew Taylor. Its members are talented local musicians who gather together to rehearse just two weekends before each of its four concerts each season.
- The school was a founding member of the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking ChampionshipsWorld Individual Debating and Public Speaking ChampionshipsThe World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships is an annual international English language debating and public speaking tournament for individual high school-level students representing different countries. It occurs during a five-day period in late March and involves 180 to 200...
, and hosted the tournament from 1988 to 1995. The tournament returned to the School in 2009.
Notable former pupils
Former pupils are known as Old Blues. Some better known Old Blues include:- Piers AdamsPiers AdamsPiers Adams is a British recorder player and member of baroque group Red Priest.After attending Reading Blue Coat School Adams trained as an astrophysicist, but turned professionally to the recorder at age 21...
'Reigning recorder virtuoso in the world today' according to The Washington Post - Matt AllwrightMatt AllwrightMatthew Allwright is a British television presenter and journalist who specialises in consumer affairs. He is best known for presenting shows such as Watchdog and Rogue Traders and for being The One Show's consumer advice reporter...
, presenter of BBC's Rogue Traders (television)Rogue Traders (television)Rogue Traders is a prime-time BBC One presenter-led investigative consumer affairs television series starring Matt Allwright, an investigative journalist and presenter and his side-kick, Dan Penteado who also works as a private investigator around Europe and the UK. Rogue Traders began in 2001 and... - Paul BurnellPaul BurnellPaul Burnell educated at Reading Blue Coat School is a former Scotland international rugby union player. He toured New Zealand in 1993 with the British and Irish Lions and at the time played club rugby for London Scottish. His only international try was against The in the 1995 Rugby World Cup...
- 53 Scotland rugby caps 1989 - 1999 and 1 Lions Cap 1993 v New Zealand 1st test - Luke BusbyLuke BusbyLuke Busby is an English music producer-songwriter, best known for being part of UK electronic pop band Temposhark, with singer/songwriter Robert Diament.- Growing up :...
, producer of pop band TemposharkTemposharkTemposhark is an English electronic rock band, formed in London and Brighton by singer-songwriter Robert Diament. Temposhark are best known for their songs Bye Bye Baby, Joy, It's Better To Have Loved and Not That Big; a duet with singer Imogen Heap which appears on their 2008 debut album The... - Jon CourtneyJon CourtneyJon Courtney, who grew up in Reading, Berkshire, is a singer, guitarist, and keyboard player in the British rock band Pure Reason Revolution. He was also the sole songwriter on their first two albums...
, Musician, Guitarist, Vocalist, and songwriter of the band Pure Reason RevolutionPure Reason RevolutionPure Reason Revolution are a British rock group formed at the University of Westminster in 2003 and who are playing their final dates together in November 2011. Their music incorporates elements of progressive rock and electro. Their music has been variously described as 'Astral Folk' and 'New... - Robert Diament, singer/songwriter of pop band TemposharkTemposharkTemposhark is an English electronic rock band, formed in London and Brighton by singer-songwriter Robert Diament. Temposhark are best known for their songs Bye Bye Baby, Joy, It's Better To Have Loved and Not That Big; a duet with singer Imogen Heap which appears on their 2008 debut album The...
- Natalie DormerNatalie DormerNatalie Dormer is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Victoria in Casanova and as the ill-fated queen Anne Boleyn in the Showtime series The Tudors.-Early life and current lifestyle:...
, actress, works including Casanova (2005 film), The TudorsThe TudorsThe Tudors is a Canadian produced historical fiction television series filmed in Ireland, created by Michael Hirst and produced for the American premium cable television channel Showtime...
, Captain America: The First AvengerCaptain America: The First AvengerCaptain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
and W.E (film) - Robert Gaines-Cooper, contributed to the old science block yet became infamous as the subject of a huge tax ruling in February 2010
- Mike GoldingMike GoldingMike Golding is an English yachtsman. He is one of the few yachtsmen to have raced round the world non stop in both directions...
, round-the-world yachtsman and OBE - Richard JoseyRichard JoseyRichard Josey was a prominent mezzotint engraver in Victorian London.Josey was born at Reading in 1840, and received his education at the Reading Blue Coat School. At the age of 13 he was apprenticed to Thomas W. Knight, and on the expiration of his apprenticeship he worked in the studio of the...
engraver, works include Whistler's MotherWhistler's MotherArrangement in Grey and Black: The Artist's Mother, famous under its colloquial name Whistler's Mother, is an 1871 oil-on-canvas painting by American-born painter James McNeill Whistler. The painting is , displayed in a frame of Whistler's own design, and is now owned by the Musée d'Orsay in Paris....
after James McNeill WhistlerJames McNeill WhistlerJames Abbott McNeill Whistler was an American-born, British-based artist. Averse to sentimentality and moral allusion in painting, he was a leading proponent of the credo "art for art's sake". His famous signature for his paintings was in the shape of a stylized butterfly possessing a long stinger... - Jeremy KyleJeremy KyleJeremy Kyle is an English radio and television presenter, best known for his British daytime television chat show on ITV, The Jeremy Kyle Show. Kyle is also the host of an American talk show of the same name that premiered on 19 September 2011.-Radio career:From 1986 to 1995, Kyle worked as a...
, broadcaster - Tom Rowlands of the Chemical Brothers
- Tom RosenthalTom RosenthalThomas Alan S. Rosenthal is an English comedian. He is the son of sports commentator, Jim Rosenthal.-Biography:After attending Reading Blue Coat School, he studied philosophy at King’s College London and has done voice-over work for Comedy Central and other clients in the film and television...
, stand-up comedian and actor in Friday Night DinnerFriday Night DinnerFriday Night Dinner is a British television sitcom written by Robert Popper and starring Tamsin Greig, Paul Ritter, Simon Bird, Tom Rosenthal and Mark Heap. The first series aired from February 2011 on Channel 4. A second series has been commissioned by Channel 4. The series began airing in the U.S... - Fraser T Smith - music producer / writer / guitarist ( James Morrison, Cee Lo Green,Tinchy Stryder, Craig David, Taio Cruz)
- Luke WilliamsLuke WilliamsLuke Williams is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League .Picked up in the 1998 AFL Draft, Williams was a utility who could play up forward or in the midfield...
, Creator of hit TV show "Charly Chalk". Ventriloquist known for his use of the child-friendly puppet "VINCENT" - Alok SharmaAlok SharmaAlok Sharma is an Indian-born British politician with the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom. He was elected in 2010 as Member of Parliament for Reading West county constituency in and around the town of Reading in the county of Berkshire.Sharma grew up in Earley and Whitley Wood and went to...
- Member of Parliament for Reading West. Elected on May 6th 2010 for the Conservative Party