Reading Abbey Quarter Tour & Cream Tea
In medieval times, Reading was the site of a great royal abbey – a religious community centred round a magnificent church – one of the largest monasteries in Europe. It was formed in 1121 by Henry I and closed in 1539 on the orders of Henry VIII.
Our walk will explore the rich history of the Abbey Quarter with abbey guide and expert John Painter. It will be around 90 minutes in length, and generally on flat ground. We finish with a cream tea in the Centre for Heritage & Family History, itself built on the site of the former Abbey stables. Â
The meeting place will be notified a few days before the walk.Â
Numbers are limited, so pre-booking is required. Bookings close three days beforehand.Â
Image: Pathway through Reading Abbey, Ethan Doyle White, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
To book, scroll down.
Date
- Fri 23 May 2025
Time
- 14:00 - 16:00
Tickets
- £10.00
Location
- 2nd Floor, Reading Central Library, Abbey Square, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 3BQ
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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John PainterJohn Painter has been actively involved with the Friends of Reading Abbey from 2011, and secretary since 2013. Throughout, he has been an active supporter of the efforts to consolidate the Abbey Ruins and get them re-opened to the public in plenty of time for 2021, the 900th anniversary of the Abbey’s foundation. He is the joint editor, with Dr Peter Durrant, of “Reading Abbey and the Abbey Quarter” (Two Rivers Press, 2018).