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.