Reading’s Grey Friars 1233-1538
From 1233 to 1538 Reading had two religious foundations, Reading Abbey and the Reading Franciscan Friary. This talk tells the story of the medieval friary, its friars, and their relationship with the town. It ends with the dissolution under Henry VIII, leaving us just the Greyfriars Church building as a remnant of the past.
This is the second of three talks in the Reading Heritage Talks Series. The other talks take place on 9th January and 13th March. You may book tickets for individual events or for all three talks in the series for a reduced price.
After the talk, tea/coffee and cake will be available (included in the price). Pre-booking is preferred, but you can pay on the door, if there are spaces available.
Image: Greyfriars Church, Friar Street, Reading, from the south-east, c. 1875.
To book, scroll down.
Date
- Thu 13 Feb 2025
Time
- 14:00 - 15:30
Tickets
- £5.00
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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Malcolm SummersMalcolm Summers is a retired maths teacher and Deputy Head. Originally from Birmingham, he has lived in Reading for forty years, and is married with two grown up children. He wrote “History of Greyfriars Church, Reading” in 2013, and “Reading’s Grey Friars” in 2020. The latter book describes the Franciscan friary from 1233 to 1538, while the former book tells the story of the friary’s sole visible remains. In 2019, Two Rivers Press published his book “Signs of the Times: Reading’s Memorials”. Malcolm has also written two biographies: “Henry George Willink” (after whom the school in Burghfield Common is named) and “Nicolas Appert”, the French inventor of the process of preserving food by canning (and who is also his wife’s great great great great grandfather). He is researching and writing a biography of Thomas Noon Talfourd.
Malcolm has been a member of Greyfriars Church since 1981, and is currently its PCC secretary. He is also the treasurer of the History of Reading Society and of Kisiizi Partners, a UK Charity that supports a Hospital and community in south west Uganda.