Reading Abbey and Reading Gaol

by John Painter, FoRA

This will be an overview of the Abbey Quarter, including the founding in 1121 of a royal abbey, which became one of the 10 greatest and richest monastic foundations in Britain in the high middle ages and a major pilgrimage centre linked to St James the Great; its dissolution in 1539, the destruction of the abbey church, and the re-use of monastic buildings as a royal palace until further damaged in the English Civil War; how the Abbey Quarter was the focus for re-development in Reading from the 1780s onwards and the architectural legacy of this development; with a specific focus on Reading Gaol, a brief history of the Gaol up to the present, recent archaeological surveys, and options for the future use of the site.   

There is quite a lot about Reading Abbey 900 on the FORA website, www.readingabbey.org.uk

Including a links to a very good promotional video produced by Living Reading, a Youtube introductory film to visiting Reading Abbey Quarter to mark the start of the year in which Reading Abbey celebrates its 900th anniversary. FORA has also been working with the Mayor, Cllr David Stevens, to promote a series of video talks on the Abbey, to which there are also links. 

John Painter retired from local government in 2019, following 36 years working for Reading Borough Council.  He has been actively involved in the Friends of Reading Abbey since 2011, and Secretary from 2013. His motive in joining FORA was to support the council’s efforts to consolidate the Abbey Ruins and get them re-opened to the public access (achieved in 2018) in good time for 2021, the 900^th anniversary of the Abbey’s foundations.  

John has a wide range of interests, including local history, opera, singing in Reading Male Voice Choir, railways, rugby, cricket and beer. 

The Agenda for the meeting will be: TBA

This meeting will be conducted on Zoom starting at 3pm. Regular participants will receive an email with login details. Anyone else wishing to join should contact Andrew Hutt on andrew_hutt(at)talktalk.net

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Main Hall, The Cornerstone, Wokingham, RG40 1UE

10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m Admission £10 (cash or cheque on the door)

This day school brings together professional archaeologists, archaeological societies and those interested in archaeology in Berkshire and surrounding counties. This year the programme celebrates the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Society.

Due to mitigations against COVID-19 infection the maximum seating capacity of the venue will be strictly enforced, so to avoid disappointment please confirm your attendance by sending an email by 30th September 2021 to  keefandtrace@hotmail.com so that seats can be reserved for you on a ‘first come first served’ basis. Payment for entry (£10 using cash or cheque only) will be taken at the door on arrival. Seating reservations for speakers at the event have already been made. 

The Society requests attendees with reserved seats to aim to arrive by 9:45am so that any attendees arriving without having made a seating reservation can be accommodated, space permitting, in time for the event to start promptly at 10:00am.  

As the seating within the venue will not be separated by additional gaps, in mitigation against COVID-19 the Society respectfully requests that all attendees wear a face mask whilst inside the building so that we are able to protect each other (as well as our family and friends) to the best of our ability whilst we enjoy this event. Weather permitting, the venue will be ventilated, and hand sanitiser will be available for use. 

Parking for the disabled is adjacent to the hall and there is usually space in Norrey’s Avenue or in the church car park opposite.

Bring a packed lunch or eat out in local restaurants and pubs.

TIME	TITLE, SPEAKER & ORGANISATION
10.00	Welcome  Professor M. Fulford, President, Berkshire Archaeological Society
10.05	Excavations of the Roman public bathhouse at Silchester, 2018-21 Professor M. Fulford, University of Reading
10.35	Recent archaeological work in East Berkshire Fiona MacDonald, Principal Archaeologist, Berkshire Archaeology
10.55	Recent archaeological work in West Berkshire Sarah Orr, Senior Archaeologist, West Berkshire Council
11.15	COFFEE – 25 mins
11.40	The Berkshire Archaeological Society – 150 years! Andrew Hutt, Berkshire Archaeological Society
12.40	LUNCH – 1 hour 15 minutes
13.55	Sonning Palace Dig, 1924 Catherine Petts, Berkshire Archaeological Society
14.25	Reading Abbey – the archaeological surveys of the 1970s compared with the 2016 GPR survey John Mullaney
14.55	TEA – 25 mins
15.20	Roman Abingdon Tim Lloyd, Berkshire Archaeological Society
15.50-16.00	Questions and Conclusions Catherine Petts, Berkshire Archaeological Society

Berkshire Archaeological Society: 150 years of archaeology in Berkshire

An exhibition showing the Society’s 150 year contribution to archaeology in the Berkshire area

The exhibition will open in the Berkshire Record Office from 18th to 30th October 2021.