As the Reading Abbey Ruins ‘Big Reveal’ is being held today (Saturday), Bygones is celebrating this momentous occasion by telling the story of the restoration process of Reading’s most iconic landmark.

Founded by Henry I in 1121, Reading Abbey became one of this country’s most important post-Norman conquest religious centres in the medieval period.

Following the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in 1538, the Abbey almost entirely disappeared as a structure, with vast amounts of building material being sold off, eventually leaving only the flint core standing.

The last Abbot, Hugh Cook Faringdon, was found guilty of treason and then hung, drawn and quartered just outside the gateway itself in 1539.

But two building did survive, one being the gateway, the other the Hospitium (lodgings for visiting pilgrims) which is still to be found in St. Laurence’s churchyard, the wall being also restored as part of the project.

The ruins themselves were closed to the public in 2009, after large pieces of flint started to fall from the walls, many from a great height.

The Reading Abbey Quarter Project was begun after £1.77 million of funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund was granted, with CRL Restoration Limited being awarded the restoration contract alongside Reading Borough Council.

Gradually the site, which is adjacent to the Forbury Gardens and Reading Prison, was covered in scaffolding, along with the Abbey Gateway which was also part of the scheme.

Using state-of-the-art-technology, the largely flint based walls and structures were secured by the contractors, using huge amounts of hand-applied compatible mortar.

During the whole process many residents took the chance to join tours of the site to see how the work was progressing.

Organised by the Friends of Reading Abbey and Reading Museum, they witnessed the mixing and application of the ‘Hot’ mix of quicklime and sand, which was then applied by hand to consolidate the irregular and crumbling surfaces.

One of the previous attempts at securing the top of the walls from erosion had to be replaced, (although a reasonable solution in the 1980’s, it had only a limited life span) so a special grass capping has been placed on the top of each of the remaining walls, giving the ruins a unique appearance.

The Abbey Gateway was scheduled as a listed building in 1915, the current restoration has secured the roof and windows from the ravages of time (including an ants nest), also revealing an earlier medieval window frame that survived the buildings collapse in 1861.

So if you want to see the opening ceremony for the Abbey and enjoy WaterFest 2018 get down to the ruins at 11am on 16th June.

N.B. Chris Forsey’s photographic exhibition entitled “Hung, Drawn and Quartered” will be on display at the Abbey Ruins opening in the Turbine Gallery, Blake’s Lock, Reading until the 19th June and then transferring to Reading Central Library’s, Holybrook Gallery from the 9th July.