Reading Abbey is a grand ruined abbey which is situated in the centre of the town of Reading. Reading town is in the English county of Berkshire. The Reading Abbey was founded by Henry I in 1121. During the time it was considered one of the Europe largest Royal monasteries. Even now the traditions of the abbey are continued at the neighbouring Saint James Church which has been constructed using stones of the abbey itself. Over the years Reading Abbey have been restored and maintained due to deterioration. The chapter house, the treasury and the cloister arch was restored in April of 2008 and during that time was closed to the public. In March 2009 repair works begin and it was expected that it would be done in a few weeks but it was closed for the entire May 2009 due to the issue of falling masonry. This is a must visit place in Reading that can be reached by using reading taxi services.
There have been a lot of live performances presented at the ruins of Reading Abbey from artists. The Abbey has a history of open air theatre. There was a grand performance event called the ‘From the Ruins’ in 1994 that was held at the Abbey ruins and its final event was Art in Reading festival that was funded by the Reading Borough Council. It featured number of performers and artists that were working and living in Reading and it combined dance, painting, poetry and music. All these events presented a stunning evening performance that also involved pyrotechnics and puppetry. The theme was loosely based on the Reading Abbey history as was founded by Henry I and featured the rise of the merchant class along with the the dissolution of Abbey under Henry VIII.
The Abbey Gateway is also one of the attractions in the town of Reading. It was the entrance gateway of Reading Abbe. The Gateway is alongside the Forbury Gardens and Reading Crown Court. It is one of the two surviving Abbey buildings and is Grade 1 listed building. The inner gateway has the division between the area that is open to the public and an area that is only accessible to the monks. The only reason the Gateway survived was because it was the entrance for the abbots lodging which was after the dissolution turned into a Royal Palace. It has been heavily restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott as it was severely damaged during a storm an night in 1861. In 2010 it was again restored by installing decorative stone work that fell off in the street. The room that is above the Gateway is now a part of the Reading Museum and used for learning programme for local schools. The arch below is used by cycle traffic and pedestrians.
