Pat Harper recalls being allowed the day off school to watch the funeral of Xavier Petulengro, the ‘King of the Gypsies” in 1957. Petulengro was a national figure and a British Romanichal horse trader, violinist, businessman, writer and broadcaster with strong connections to Viney Hill. The funeral was a major event covered by Pathe News and national newspapers. (Find out more about Petulengro at Reading the Forest)