Situated at the Northern end of Reading’s Market Place St Laurence’s church was built in 1121 by the Abbey for the people of Reading, but it was never part of the Abbey. It is steeped in history having been frequented by Queen Elizabeth I who was even allotted a regular seat, and during the English civil war it was used as a temporary barracks by both sides of the conflict. Jane Austin would have worshipped here while attending her school in the Abbey Gateway. Sadly the stunning arched arcade, called Blagrave Piazza, which faced Market Place, was removed in 1868 and then considerable damage was done when two bombs were dropped near the church during World War II breaking all of the stained glass windows.  The Market Place has retained a number of old buildings and shown here are two of the oldest with their Tudor battening visible.

Nestling behind Reading’s current shopping areas the Market Place held a regular market in the yard of The Feathers Inn, affectionately known as the Poultry Market, for centuries. It was on the eastern side of the square, in 1836, that John Sutton purchased a modest nursery and seed store. It was well positioned for attracting customers who visited the nearby market and was the start of one o the Reading’s great companies – Sutton Seeds. Over the next half a century Suttons expanded out from Market Place to occupy an extensive area of East Reading before they moved out to a new site along the A4 in the early 1960s. 1853 saw the Corn Exchange with its imposing entrance and clock built. While many old buildings remain others have been lost over time including a fine Victorian hotel, called the Elephant, which is now replaced by the post office on the corner of The Forbury. The building shown here was occupied by Messrs Salmon & Sons – Tea Merchants in the 1890s.

The iconic Maiwand Lion stands proudly in the Forbury Gardens and is one of the Reading’s most loved monuments - even appearing on the shield of the Reading football club. It was sculpted by George Blackall Simonds and erected in 1886. The 31-foot lion commemorates the Berkshire men who fought in the Battle of Maiwand in the Second Afghan War, a battle described as one of the bloodiest battles in history. The Forbury Gardens sit on what was land shared by church and townsfolk which was given to the public when the Abbey was dissolved in 1539 for recreation and grazing. By the 1840s it was virtually unusable due to the disposal of rubbish and dead animals, but thankfully for us, the Borough bought it in 1854 and within 10 years the beautiful gardens we see today were established. The lion is glimpsed here from an unusual angle through the Forbury railings.

The name Broad Street was only recorded in 1611, because of its width. However, it was laid out, running westward from the southern edge of a new Market Place, by the monks of Reading Abbey, soon after the foundation of their monastery in 1120. Broad Street is well known today for the Department Store of the John Lewis Partnership, formerly and still popularly called Heelas. This firm started in Minster Street in 1854 by a Wokingham retailer, John Heelas, and his sons, John and Daniel, and later extended through to Broad Street. Another well-known building on this street is, what was, the Broad Street Independent Non-Conformist Chapel. Now it’s Waterstone’s Bookshop, with a beautiful rotunda, upper galleries and stained glass windows. These date from 1707, and can still be seen inside. Look up beyond the ground floor on Broad Street and spot decorative buildings from past times.

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