The Abbey Gateway was originally the inner gateway of Reading Abbey, which today is a large, mostly ruined abbey in the center of the town of Reading, in the English county of

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

. The gateway adjoins Reading Crown Court and Forbury Gardens and is one of only two abbey buildings that have survived intact, the other being the

Hospitium of St John the Baptist The Hospitium of St John the Baptist was the hospitium, or dormitory for pilgrims, of Reading Abbey, which today is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. The hospitium was founded in 118 ...

. It is a grade I listed building, and includes a porters lodge on the ground floor and a large open room above the gate. The gateway marked the division between the area of the abbey open to the public and the section accessible only to monks, with the abbot's lodging just inside the gateway. The gateway thus became the meeting place between the abbot, who commanded considerable powers within the town, and the people of the town. In 1539, after the dissolution, Hugh Faringdon, the last abbot of Reading was hanged, drawn, and quartered outside the abbey gateway. Whilst the other buildings of the abbey were stripped for lead and stone, the abbot's lodging was turned into a

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on the orders of Edward Seymour, who was acting as

lord protector Lord Protector (plural: ''Lords Protector'') was a title that has been used in British constitutional law for the head of state. It was also a particular title for the British heads of state in respect to the established church. It was sometimes ...

as King Edward VI was still a child. The abbey gateway was also retained, as the entrance to the royal residence. Edward's sister, Queen Elizabeth I, was a regular visitor to the royal palace, but during the Civil War the old abbot’s lodgings were damaged, and were not used as a royal palace again. Eventually the palace was demolished and new houses were built alongside the gateway. In the late 18th century one of them was home to the

Reading Ladies’ Boarding School Reading Abbey Girls' School, also known as Reading Ladies’ Boarding School, was an educational establishment in Reading, Berkshire open from at least 1755 until 1794. Many of its pupils went on to make a mark on English culture and society, part ...

, attended amongst others by the novelist

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. The school used the room above the gateway as a classroom. The gateway was heavily restored by Sir

George Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he started ...

, after a partial collapse during a storm in 1861. In 1900 a series of twelve heads, sculpted by

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, were added to the gateway. In 2010, the gateway was closed and fencing erected when some of the decorative stonework came loose and fell into the street. It reopened in 2018 after an extensive restoration, which was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The room above the gateway is now used by Reading Museum as part of its learning programme for local schools, whilst the arch below is available for use by pedestrian and cycle traffic. The Reading Half Marathon, held every year in March or April, passes under the gateway at around the stage.

Gallery

File:Abbey gateway Reading, by Paul Sandby, 1808, oil, 15 x 18 inches.jpg, The northern side of the gateway depicted in 1808 File:Reading Abbey, Inner Gateway, c. 1893.jpg, The northern side in c.1893 after Scott's restoration File:Reading Abbey, Inner Gateway, 1840-1849.jpg, The southern side before Scott's restoration File:Abbey Gatehouse, Abbey Square, Reading - geograph.org.uk - 1770087 cropped.jpg, The southern side in 2010 with protective fencing

References

External links

* {{Listed buildings in Reading Grade I listed buildings in Reading History of Reading, Berkshire Tourist attractions in Reading, Berkshire