Reading's Hidden Abbey

03/01/2019

King Henry I was buried in front of the High Altar at Reading Abbey on 3 January 1136. However, the story of his burial starts a month earlier on 2 December 1135, the day he died in Normandy.

10/07/2018

Watch our chair Richard Stainthorp give an update on the Hidden Abbey Project.

Reading’s Hidden Abbey Project has announced the next stage in the quest to discover the full extent of the Royal Abbey below ground. Coming shortly after th...

03/07/2018

The next steps of our project will be discussed at Reading Council 's Housing, Neighbourhoods and Leisure committee tomorrow. Read more, including the link to the full report. You can also watch the meeting live on the council's website:

Libraries & Museums  Next Steps Announced in Uncovering King Henry I’s Hidden Abbey July 3, 2018 Victoria Nickless Henry Plaque in the Abbey RuinsREADING’s Hidden Abbey Project has announced the next stage in its ambitious endeavour to discover the full extent of the Royal Abbey below ground. F...

12/06/2018

Libraries & Museums  King Henry’s Royal Abbey Revealed at Reading’s Water Fest June 7, 2018June 7, 2018 Victoria Nickless CELEBRATIONS fit for a king will herald the reopening of Reading’s Abbey Ruins on Saturday 16th June at Reading’s Water Fest. The ‘Abbey Ruins Revealed’ celebration ...

05/06/2018

The large grey stone memorial cross to King Henry I in the Forbury Gardens shows roughly where the west end of the abbey church once stood.

05/05/2018

Reading Abbey Ruins reopen in six weeks!

Tell your friends, tell your monks, tell your mum and save the date: https://www.readingabbeyquarter.org.uk/whats-on/reading-abbey-revealed

05/04/2018

14/03/2018

We've got the conservation on lockdown (get it?). Don't worry, we'll get rid of the spiders before we open 1 month today! Join us for family crafts and new tours (booking opens soon)

https://www.readingabbeyquarter.org.uk/whats-on/abbey-gateway-re-opening

23/02/2018

Our conservation team is working hard to remove any loose material on top of the west facing dormitory wall

08/02/2018

So you think you know Reading Abbey? Our latest blog looks at 5 things that you may not know!

Find out even more in our new Reading Abbey display - opens Monday 12th February at 10am.

https://www.readingmuseum.org.uk/blog/five-things-you-probably-did-not-know-about-reading-abbey

30/01/2018

In 1121, King Henry I decided that he wanted to have a new abbey constructed in Reading. Upon completion, the abbey and its surrounding buildings formed a religious community that was one of the largest monasteries in Europe.

The Abbey was built between the River Thames and the River Kennet in a position where all those travelling through the country would find it.

King Henry I died before the Abbey's completion, and was buried in front of the high altar in 1136, making the Abbey and it's surrounding grounds popular places to be buried, among royals and nobles.

The Abbey church wasn't officially opened until 1164, at which point the church still had some 160 years of construction until it was finally completed, making it the fourth largest church in Britain.

For more than 400 years, the Abbey served as a place of worship, celebration, mourning and politics. The Abbey had become a site of international significance.

In 1539 King Henry VIII, closed the Abbey, among many others in the infamous operations called the Dissolution.

The Abbey went from being a place of worship to a place of luxury, as the it was converted into royal accommodation for Henry and his children. The Abbey Gate became the entrance to his royal palace.

During the English civil war in the seventeenth-century, the Abbey served as a strategic outpost to garrison forces. King Charles I himself stayed in the Abbey for almost a month during the war.

In 1643, Parliamentary forces laid siege to Reading, forcing defensive construction across the Abbey Quarter. The Abbey itself was rich source of stone to build these defences which hastened the destruction of the over 500 year old complex.

Following the extensive damage that the Civil War entailed, the Abbey was subject to little restoration, with King Charles II paying for a few repairs which ended up being the last royal involvement with the Abbey.

Over the next few centuries the Abbey passed through multiple private ownership's, during which time it was used as a school and housing among other purposes. The Abbey was deconstructed gradually over the years until what was left is what you see today.

The Abbey Quarter serves as a proud reminder of the history of Reading. A history rich with culture, arts and stories that we can't wait to tell you!

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05/01/2018

What: Want to know more about Reading Abbey and its impact on the town? Join our trained volunteer guides for an updated tour that includes more on the Abbey Quarter’s history. Hear about our exciting plans to transform the area into a unique historical and cultural destination. This is followed b...