Opulence and neglect: the changing fortunes of the Vachells of Coley House, 1638-1705
Using two inventories of goods in Coley House taken in 1630 and 1710, Dr Margaret Ounsley reveals what they tell us about everyday life in one of Reading’s ‘great houses’ at these times, but also the massive social and economic changes going on in the 17c and the changing fortunes of the Vachell family.
This is the last of three talks in the Houses and Estates Talks Series. The other talks take place on the 16th July and 20th August. You may book tickets for any talk individually or for all three in the series for a reduced price.
Please note the Centre’s face-to-face talks are now being held at a new venue – Reading’s Abbey Baptist Church. The full address of the church is given to the right. The venue has disabled access and a disabled toilet. The talk begins at the slightly later time than previously of 2.30pm.
Tea/coffee and biscuits will be available (included in the price). Pre-booking is preferred, but you can pay on the door, if there are spaces available.
Image above: Kyffe and Knyp image of Coley Park, public domain
Location image: Abbey Church – Gazamp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)
Scroll down to book.
Date
- Thu 17 Sep 2026
Time
- 14:30 - 15:45
Tickets
- £5.00
Location
- Abbey Square, Reading RG1 3BE
Category
Organiser
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The Centre - Berkshire FHS
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Email
booking@berksfhs.org.uk -
Website
https://berksfhs.org/branches/
Speaker
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Dr Margaret OunsleyMargaret Ounsley completed a Masters in English Local History from the University of Oxford, and a PhD in legal history from the University of Reading. Her doctoral research focussed on the administration of the Poor Law in Reading in the eighteenth century. She has a long-standing interest in the history of Coley, where she has lived for forty years, and co-managed the Coley Local History Project in 1989 which produced the ‘Talking of Coley’ series, which has recently been revised and reissued as ‘Coley Talking’.